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Literary Fame for Roops

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    Literary Fame for Roops

    Great news! I have discovered that there is a recently-published novel [1] whose hero is clearly based on Mr. Roops. Here is an extract from the blurb:

    "We follow von Igelfeld from his student days, through his search for ancient Irish obscenities to an aching infatuation with a dentist fatale..."

    Admittedly the author has made the hero a Prussian aristocrat rather than an English tory, and switched his search for obscenities from Cardiff to Cork, but these are mere subterfuges to avoid legal proceedings. This is an exciting development, is it not?
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    [1] Smith, A. McC., 2004, The 2½ Pillars of Wisdom (Abacus)
    Last edited by Philos; 7 December 2004, 08:24 PM.

    #2
    This is appalling! I am just like you and everybody else – just an average guy.

    In between advising Presidents, Prime Ministers and the odd dictator, I work hard developing my business empire in order to support a sexually avaricious dentist, 3 children, 6 cats, 4 houses and domestic staff. Like I said, I am just your average Joe and I know m’learned colleagues will sympathise with me in this matter. All I need now is some author cashing in on my life history by writing a grubby tome in order to make some money.

    I have instructed my solicitor and distant cousin, Rutgert R Roopenshyster to sue Professor Alexander McCall Smith (He of No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency fame) for exemplary damages for invasion of privacy.

    Comment


      #3
      As a fully-qualified pedant and pettifogger may I welcome the exciting development of the first post to the boards to contain footnotes and a bibliography. Might I however remind you that under the Harvard referencing system, one should include the place of publication too?

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by pjay
        As a fully-qualified pedant and pettifogger may I welcome the exciting development of the first post to the boards to contain footnotes and a bibliography. Might I however remind you that under the Harvard referencing system, one should include the place of publication too?
        You're right of course. This particular citation poses three problems in advanced pettifoggery:

        1. Who is the author (the blurb writer is not necessarily the book's author).
        2. The blurb may differ from one edition to another.
        3. Who is the publisher and where located? ("Abacus" is an imprint, i.e. a brand-name. The publisher is a subsidiary of a multi-national corporation).

        This is a tentative solution, but it's messy:
        ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Blah Blah [1] blah
        "blah... "

        Notes
        1. Anon, 2004, Synopsis on back cover of Smith (2004).

        References
        Smith, A. McC., 2004, Blah blah blah, 1st paperback edn. (London: Time-Warner Books U.K./Abacus)
        ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        BTW the book itself is very funny. If you've ever been exposed to the rarified pettifogging of senior common room politics it will ring true.

        -P

        Comment


          #5
          I have been outpettifogged!!!

          Comment

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