Formating Ships Names in sources/citations esp. Mayflower

By gdcooke on Sun, 08/16/2020 - 19:05

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When should ship's names (esp. Mayflower) be italicized (or romanized in a book title)?

Mayflower is a particular problem as it can be used as part of a journal name, a publisher's name (i.e. General Society of Mayflower Descendants), a book title, or an article title. The attachment shows how I currently do it.

Is there a more correct way? 

Thanks,

Greg Cooke

 

 

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Sample Mayflower source listings.docx

Submitted byEEon Sun, 08/16/2020 - 20:10

Greg, check out EE 2.68 "Italics (or Underscoring)."  Among other guidelines there, you'll find this:

SHIP NAMES
The names of ships should be italicized. When the name is preceded by an initialism that describes the type of vessel, the initialism is not italicized. Example:

  • MV Cape Washington
  • SS Humboldt
  • USS Asheville

Book and website titles should always be italicized. Article titles should appear in quotation marks, not italics—unless part of the article title is a word of phrase that requires italics. That word or phrase would use italics appropriately, with quotation marks around the whole title. Basic rules for book and article titles are also covered at 2.68.

In Chapter 12, the chapter that focuses on books and other standalone publications, EE 12.28 covers the issue of how to italicize the title of a book when it carries an internal word that would usually be italicized. The italics within the italics are reversed back to Roman.

Submitted bygdcookeon Fri, 08/21/2020 - 20:27

Thanks, but your answers and EE references don't go quite far enough. . .

The organization name: General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Not italics. The closest (and only) example I can find is in Chicago, 16 ed., 8.81, where in the phrase, the Mayflower Compact, Mayflower is not italicized.

Using the same reasoning, in journal titles like Mayflower Descendant, Mayflower should not be roman. Yes? For an example see Hoff, in the Register, Summer 2019, 288.

In book titles, to me, it gets trickier:

Mayflower Families Through Five Generations. Mayflower does not refer to the ship, but a class of families, and Mayflower would not be roman. Yes/No? Hollick, in New Englanders in the 1600s, follows this model 

Conversly, in this title, Francis Cooke of the Mayflower, the ship is specifically referenced, and in this case, should be roman. Yes/No? Hollick does not follow this model, but leaves it italics

In article titles, being usually in quotes and roman, the reverse applies:

"The Origin and Parentage of Francis Eaton of the Mayflower." This refers directly to the ship and should be italics. Yes/No?

"Not All the Children of Experience Mitchell are Mayflower Descendants." Mayflower is used to qualify descendants, not to refer to the ship, so is left roman. Yes/No? Hoff, in the Register, seems to go both ways. See Summer 2019, 280 (Cowens) and 281 (Fahy). Also, on 285, last item, Mayflower is used twice, once italics, once roman. But, while he may be simply following the style of the source publication, color me confused. . . 

Granted, Mayflower is something of a special case given the number of ways the term can be used, but I'd like to get it right.

 

Thanks

Greg

 

 

Submitted byEEon Thu, 09/03/2020 - 11:39

Greg, sorry I didn't see this sooner. Life has had me chained elsewhere, instead of the usual office chair.

CMOS's 8.173 (17th ed.) or 8.171 (in your 16th ed.) offers the guiding principle for your problem:

"Italicized terms and titles within titles. Any term within an italicized title that would itself be italicized in running text–such as a word from another language, a genus name, or the name of a ship—should be set in roman type (reverse italics)."

In answer to your specific questions:

Mayflower Families Through Five Generations. Mayflower does not refer to the ship, but a class of families, and Mayflower would not be roman. Yes/No? Hollick, in New Englanders in the 1600s, follows this model 

Yes, EE would also; although counter-arguments could be reasonably made.

Conversely, in this title, Francis Cooke of the Mayflower, the ship is specifically referenced, and in this case, should be roman. Yes/No? Hollick does not follow this model, but leaves it italics.

Yes, EE would also.

In article titles, being usually in quotes and roman, the reverse applies:

"The Origin and Parentage of Francis Eaton of the Mayflower." This refers directly to the ship and should be italics. Yes/No?

Yes.

"Not All the Children of Experience Mitchell are Mayflower Descendants." Mayflower is used to qualify descendants, not to refer to the ship, so is left roman. Yes/No? Hoff, in the Register, seems to go both ways. See Summer 2019, 280 (Cowens) and 281 (Fahy). Also, on 285, last item, Mayflower is used twice, once italics, once roman. But, while he may be simply following the style of the source publication, color me confused. . . 

EE would say "yes." And, of course, every journal has its own style, typically a legacy from earlier editors.