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Re: Those confounded spaces

Subject: Re: Those confounded spaces
by Mithrennaith on 2008/5/27 10:22:29

Well, in Dutch everyone's initials get compressed - there only is a space after the last period before the surname. Nowadays, that is, in correspondence, publications, directories etc. It used to be less common.

I find on Tolkien's works published in Dutch in the 1960s that it says "J.J.R.Tolkien" (thus without any spaces) on cover, spine and title page (and half-title), but "J. J. R. Tolkien" in the blurb on the back. On/in a completely unrelated Dutch book of the same time, printing all spaces is the norm, inside and out, text and titling.

Come we to the early 1980s, and it's "J.R.R. Tolkien" on blurb, half-title, copyright page (It was "Tolkien" with the T extending over the other letters on cover and spine at the time). And that has been the norm ever since, extended to cover and spine. And it is the norm with unrelated Dutch books published at the same times.