An unimportant little note (but one day I might start collecting these under "things I learned"

[fpb]

If anyone other than a medical doctor, bishop, or minister signs (EDITED IN a book or an article as) "Dr." so and so, you may safely conclude that s/he is a jumped-up ignoramus, and probably a snake oil salesman. Of course, plenty of bishops and ministers - and the odd medical doctor - also qualify, but in their case that is independent of their being called "Dr.".

Comments

[fpb.livejournal.com]

A slip. It still does not apply to what I was really speaking about, which is books and articles. Look at the British and American book market, and you will see that the use of "Dr" in the by-line is an absolutely reliable diagnostic of someone with unfounded pretensions. And I would say that the same is true in Italy, possibly even more strongly. I have never seen a book in Italian, not even about medicine, that uses any acquired title in the by-line. Very, very occasionally, you might have an inherited title, but that is only when the title is relevant to the matter in hand - eg, an heir of an ancient family writing on his ancestors.

[elegant-bonfire.livejournal.com]

I have never seen a book in Italian, not even about medicine, that uses any acquired title in the by-line.

Really? Over here medical/health books don't seem to be taken seriously unless the author is quite clearly a Dr.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Well, of course the notes on the author will make it clear what their qualifications are. They are normally placed in the inside back cover.

[elegant-bonfire.livejournal.com]

The 'Dr.' is always in big ol' massive letters on the front cover here. ;)

[dustthouart.livejournal.com]

My mother's coauthor got a bigger font and higher placement on the cover of their non-fiction book, even though my mother was the primary writer and researcher of the book, because the coauthor could put "Ph.D" after her name. (She has a doctorate in physics.) This was at the urging of their publisher.

I agree with elegant_bonfire, this is a cultural thing. People won't even pick the book up otherwise.