Comments on: Source Checking http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2008/01/02/source-checking/ Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:48:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: weezer http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2008/01/02/source-checking/#comment-147 weezer Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:34:24 +0000 http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2008/01/02/source-checking/#comment-147 I was only kidding, J-Dawg. I was only kidding, J-Dawg.

]]> By: TootsNY http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2008/01/02/source-checking/#comment-144 TootsNY Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:27:31 +0000 http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2008/01/02/source-checking/#comment-144 When I was the copyeditor of McCall's, we ran a story w/ those little quotes of which you speak. I insisted that we had to give some sort of description of the person; their name alone was not sufficient, I argued. I won, and then we started tracking down the people who were quoted. We ran into one (and I cannot remember which quotation book it was from) that we could NOT find ANYWHERE. We spent 2 days looking. We couldn't figure out why we couldn't find this guy; heck, he was quoted several times in the book, surely he had to be famous! We even tried calling the publisher, and asking how to reach the author; no luck w/ them. Finally our research chief got the brilliant idea of looking for the author in the New York City phone book--bingo! We called him, and found out he'd died just 3 months before. His widow said, "Oh, he'd be thrilled to hear you want to run a quote by that person. That's the name he used for all the quotes he made up." I was staggered. I've since heard that, w/ books whose basic matter is not copyrightable, the publishers will insert something completely original material, so as to help prove their case should someone else completely "lift" their work and republish it. But it was really, really annoying. When I was the copyeditor of McCall’s, we ran a story w/ those little quotes of which you speak. I insisted that we had to give some sort of description of the person; their name alone was not sufficient, I argued.

I won, and then we started tracking down the people who were quoted.

We ran into one (and I cannot remember which quotation book it was from) that we could NOT find ANYWHERE. We spent 2 days looking. We couldn’t figure out why we couldn’t find this guy; heck, he was quoted several times in the book, surely he had to be famous!

We even tried calling the publisher, and asking how to reach the author; no luck w/ them. Finally our research chief got the brilliant idea of looking for the author in the New York City phone book–bingo!

We called him, and found out he’d died just 3 months before. His widow said, “Oh, he’d be thrilled to hear you want to run a quote by that person. That’s the name he used for all the quotes he made up.”

I was staggered.

I’ve since heard that, w/ books whose basic matter is not copyrightable, the publishers will insert something completely original material, so as to help prove their case should someone else completely “lift” their work and republish it.

But it was really, really annoying.

]]> By: Jonathon http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2008/01/02/source-checking/#comment-143 Jonathon Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:19:42 +0000 http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2008/01/02/source-checking/#comment-143 "Anonymous" or "author unknown" is a cop-out. It just means you haven't looked hard enough, or maybe the quote is fabricated and shouldn't be used. Plus, improper or insufficient attribution could get us sued. And if we're not concerned about accuracy, then we should just give up and make up all our quotes. “Anonymous” or “author unknown” is a cop-out. It just means you haven’t looked hard enough, or maybe the quote is fabricated and shouldn’t be used. Plus, improper or insufficient attribution could get us sued. And if we’re not concerned about accuracy, then we should just give up and make up all our quotes.

]]> By: weezer http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2008/01/02/source-checking/#comment-142 weezer Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:35:23 +0000 http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2008/01/02/source-checking/#comment-142 You could put "anonymous" or "author unknown" if you grow tired of searching for the person quoted. And that way the quote doesn't have to be entirely accurate either. You could put “anonymous” or “author unknown” if you grow tired of searching for the person quoted. And that way the quote doesn’t have to be entirely accurate either.

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