PLRE.Folger
Private Libraries in Renaissance England
Names
The Names database is designed to assist in a search of the Books database for an author, editor, translator, compiler, or commentator known by different names (example: Nicolaus Tudeschis was also known as Nicolaus Panormitanus and Abbas Siculus, Archiepiscopus) or whose name has different spellings (example: Joannes Turnout and Joannes Turnhout).
Description
With a few exceptions, STC names are the default forms adopted by PLRE for authors, compilers, editors, translators, and stationers. For names not appearing in the STC, forms are taken from a list of uniform names developed by PLRE that appear, along with selected variant forms, in the Names database.
A number of STC name forms appear in the Names database as uniform names (with STC appended), primarily to display their variant forms. There was no attempt, however, to reproduce all STC names in the Names database. Therefore, a search in Names for many prominent names will retrieve no record (e.g., Calvin, Cicero, Luther, and Tacitus, all of which are found in the STC).
NOTE: the Names database was constructed as an instrument for PLRE Contributing Editors to consult when editing a book-list. It was neither intended nor designed to be a comprehensive or exhaustive list of variant names of men and women associated with books published during the period covered by PLRE.
Searching Names
Enter a name, whole or truncated, in the first search box. Enter only one name (or truncated name) in the box. An asterisk* must be appended to a truncated name. If a Boolean search is employed, select AND or OR and enter a second name (or truncated name) in the same manner as the first. The PLRE uniform names in the Names records that contain the targeted name(s) or truncated form(s) will be retrieved in a list.
Examples:
Searching with the whole name stephanus will retrieve twelve PLRE uniform names, including: Stephanus Bodeus, Henri Estienne, Hubert Languet (Stephanus Junius Brutus, pseudonym), Stephan Reich, and Stephanus, Atheniensis. All twelve records contain the name Stephanus, either as a uniform name or as a variant form.
Searching with the truncated varr* will retrieve two PLRE uniform names: Marcus Terentius Varro and Gaspar Barreiros, the latter retrieved as a result of Caspar Varrerius and Gaspare Varrerios appearing as variants in the Barreiros Names record.
Searching with rodol* in the first box and rudol* in the second and selecting the connector OR will retrieve records that contain the names: Rodolphus, Rudolphus, Rudolph, Rodolphe, Rudolf, Rudolphinus, and Rudulphinus.
Record Contents
Clicking on a name in the list of retrieved names will generate the complete Names record, which not only contains the uniform name to use in searching for an author, translator, editor, compiler, or commentator in the Books database, but also selected variant forms, some of which appear as cross-referenced forms in Books. These forms appear in Names preceded with XRef.
(Transferring the original Names records to PLRE.Folger has resulted in the occasional conjunction of variant forms in the records; that conjunction does not adversely affect the search of those variant names.)
Some records also provide Notes such as birth and death dates, a distinguishing feature such as “medical writer” or “priest,” and frequently a warning that the particular person whose name has been retrieved should not be confused with another of a similar or same name. For example, the record for Joannes Katzschius, fl. 1549-1556 contains not only the variant name forms Joannes Katzchius, Johann Katzsch and Hallensis, but also the note: “Not to be confused with Joannes Katzius, d. 1593."