"Book bible"

[Joel S. Berson]

I'm learning.  Another correspondent writes:

>Here is a link to The Patrick O'Brian Muster Book: Persons, Animals, Ships
>and Cannon in the Aubrey-Maturin Sea Novels of Patrick O'Brian. Quite a long
>title that.
>
>You can Look Inside the book at Amazon and see the logic of his system and
>his reference methodology and even see sample entries in the As.
>
>http://amzn.to/WetOqx
>
>I reviewed an early version of this book and I was thoroughly impressed.
>It's both more than, and less than, an index as there are external sources
>that are used to explain the historical context of certain actual people or
>ships or events that are mentioned, etc.

Joel

At 2/11/2013 12:33 PM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC wrote:
>Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
>Caveats: NONE
>
>"Bibles" for fictional worlds are reasonably common, I think.  Here:
>
>http://issuu.com/rgiskardreventlov/docs/star_trek_tos_writers_guide
>
>is the one for the original Star Trek (although it doesn't refer to
>itself as a "bible".)
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_%28writing%29
>
>The one Joel refers to seems to be an equivalent document for a series
>of books, rather than a TV show.
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> > Behalf Of Joel S. Berson
> > Sent: Monday, February 11, 2013 11:07 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: "Book bible"
> >
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>---------------
> > --------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      "Book bible"
> >
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > --------
> >
> > I encountered the following on an email list.  I have not seen or
>heard
> > the term "book bible".  The description of what the author wanted
> > sounds merely like a book index, although very comprehensive.  Perhaps
> > users of the phrase apply it only to fiction series, where the writer
> > wants to be factual in succeeding publications (that is, to avoid
> > inconsistencies).  I suppose "bible"
> > because it is the truth about the fiction.
> >
> > "I hired a college student to assemble a book bible for my urban
> > fantasy series last year. I was doing edits on the second book and
> > about to begin the third, and was spending way too much time flipping
> > through the first manuscript to fact-check details (was Alex driving a
> > Mercedes or a BMW, and was it a convertible? That kind of thing). I
>had
> > her make an index of all proper nouns, character details, world
> > building details, lists of charms and potions my character made, etc.
> > She's done the first two books and will be adding details from book
> > three this year. It has saved a LOT of time."
> >
> > Googling seems inefficient (I'm an agnostic, and too many hits are for
> > The Book).
> >
> > Joel
> >
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