Page:The practice of typography; correct composition; a treatise on spelling, abbreviations, the compounding and division of words, the proper use of figures and nummerals by De Vinne, Theodore Low, 1828-1914.djvu/74

 It is useless to insert No. before the reference figures in the explanation. Figures and letters used as references do not need the abbreviating period.

Abbreviations of honorary titles should not be divided by putting one letter in one line and its mate in the following line. These titles, abbreviated with two or more capitals, as in A.M. or LL.D., do not need intervening spaces, for the space is confusing in a list of many abbreviated titles.

When two or more pages are specified in the text, set them thus: 'pages 141, 142, 158, and not as pp. 141–2, 158, nor as 141–158. When a reference includes numerous pages, set thus: pages 141 to 150. Compactness is desirable in references, but abbreviations should not be indefinite or misleading.

When a period of time is expressed by the dates of two consecutive years, set them thus: 1895–6. When there is a lapse of a year or more, give each date in full, as: 1895, 1897, 1899. The apostrophe in such cases as 95, 97, and '99 is common, but it makes an unpleasing abbreviation.

The careful writer who has to abbreviate in his foot-notes the names of books and periodicals, or scientific terms and foreign or little-used words, should prepare an alphabetical list of abbreviations that will prevent him and the compositor from spelling the same word in different ways. As the compositor is required to follow his copy, he must abbreviate as the writer has done, even when the abbreviations are not always consistent.