# Why are UK and US titles different for the same book? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2007, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553 "2007-07-29T01:45:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/21 "2007-07-29T14:33:48Z")
[QUOTE=Rysto] 😕 I’d certainly heard of the Philosopher’s Stone when I was young, but anything called the Sorcerer’s Stone? Never. Put me down as someone who hates the name change. [/QUOTE] Must be yet another of those Canadian/US differences 😃 . But yes, I dislike title changes myself. You would think that the author’s at least had the right to approve a title name. Are book titles copyrighed? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/22 "2007-07-29T14:42:28Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] Must be yet another of those Canadian/US differences 😃 . But yes, I dislike title changes myself. You would think that the author’s at least had the right to approve a title name. Are book titles copyrighed? [/QUOTE] No. Titles cannot be copyrighted, though they can be trademarked (e.g., “Star Wars” in a book title). And the author has no say, unless you’re well established (Rowling wouldn’t have her titles changed today, for instance). One an author is established, their name is the selling point, so the title doesn’t matter as far as sales are concerned, but before that, the publisher wants a title that will sell the book, In my case, the novel was originally titled “Syron Song.” The publisher changed that because they had already bought a book titled “Siren Song,” and there would have been confusion. My editor suggested “Quarnian” (the name of my main character). I hated it, but had no choice. Luckily, the marketing department decreed the title be “Staroamer’s Fate,” which was close to a title I had considered (“The Fate of the Staroamer”), so I was happy. But it was purely a Marketing Department decision: my editor called and said, “This is the new name.” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/23 "2007-07-29T15:00:55Z")
I have a mental image of JK Rowling’s editor calling her up and saying of her first book (before she was famous), “We’re changing the title to _Potter_.” ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/24 "2007-07-29T15:24:54Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] No. Titles cannot be copyrighted, though they can be trademarked (e.g., “Star Wars” in a book title). [/QUOTE] This brings up another possibility, in that there could be a _theoretical_ non-US country that does allow copyrighted titles. In which case, it might need to be changed to avoid a conflict. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/25 "2007-07-29T15:36:42Z")
[QUOTE=SmackFu] This brings up another possibility, in that there could be a _theoretical_ non-US country that does allow copyrighted titles. In which case, it might need to be changed to avoid a conflict. [/QUOTE] There are no such countries. And it wouldn’t make even a nanoiota’s of difference. As I said before, book publishing is licensed. You can only print a book when you have a legitimate contract with the original publisher. The contract would always allow the title to be translated, changed, or otherwise adapted for the new country. This would negate any issues of changing the title. A book could be pirated, of course, but no laws are honored by pirates in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/26 "2007-07-29T15:48:00Z")
How would it not make a difference? I’m saying that an existing different book might have used the title already, so they would be forced to change the title of the new book. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/27 "2007-07-29T16:48:07Z")
[QUOTE=SmackFu] How would it not make a difference? I’m saying that an existing different book might have used the title already, so they would be forced to change the title of the new book. [/QUOTE] Since your world is totally hypothetical and no such examples exist in the real world, I’m free to say that hypothetically no publisher would deal with such a country and allow its books to be published there. We can make similar hypothetical cases against the laws of alien worlds when they want to publish Harry Potter. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/28 "2007-07-29T17:23:52Z")
A question about Harry Potter… was the text of the book also changed so that references to “the philosopher’s stone” were changed to “the sorcerer’s stone”? If it was, that’s dumb, because there’s no such thing as the “sorcerer’s stone” (well OK, there’s no such thing as the philosopher’s stone either, but you get my point!) and it’s just playing fast and loose with historical fact. If it wasn’t that’s equally dumb as the title of the book would then make no sense. Very confusing all round… ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/29 "2007-07-29T17:30:35Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] A question about Harry Potter… was the text of the book also changed so that references to “the philosopher’s stone” were changed to “the sorcerer’s stone”? [/QUOTE] Yes; and the movies as well, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/30 "2007-07-29T18:04:01Z")
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] We can make similar hypothetical cases against the laws of alien worlds when they want to publish Harry Potter. [/QUOTE] You’re no fun at all. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/31 "2007-07-29T18:31:10Z")
I collect Maigret books and I have found many title variations between British and American editions of the same book. Some examples are :- UK = Maigret and the Dosser ; US = Maigret and the Bum UK = Maigret and the Minister ; US = Maigret and the Calame Report UK = The Patience of Maigret ; US = Maigret Bides His Time UK = Maigret Takes the Waters ; US = Maigret in Vichy Because of this I have a list of all the alternative titles for each book to avoid ending up with duplicates. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/32 "2007-07-29T18:43:20Z")
Those kind of makes sense… [QUOTE=Rayne Man] UK = Maigret and the Dosser ; US = Maigret and the Bum [/quote] Dosser? > [@](#): > > UK = Maigret and the Minister ; US = Maigret and the Calame Report I assume they mean government minister, where Americans would mistakenly read that as religious minister. > [@](#): > > UK = Maigret Takes the Waters ; US = Maigret in Vichy Does “takes the waters” mean something in the UK? ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/33 "2007-07-29T18:50:15Z")
[QUOTE=SmackFu] Those kind of makes sense… Dosser? I assume they mean government minister, where Americans would mistakenly read that as religious minister. Does “takes the waters” mean something in the UK? [/QUOTE] A dosser is another name for a tramp . He would sometimes lodge in a “doss house” which is another name for what is now called a “night shelter”. “take the waters” means to visit a health-spa and drink the medicinal waters. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/34 "2007-07-29T18:55:17Z")
Or to bathe in the waters of a spa town such as Vichy, for therapeutic purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/35 "2007-07-29T18:55:44Z")
[QUOTE=SmackFu] Does “takes the waters” mean something in the UK? [/QUOTE] In the US its an old-fashioned term for going to a spa. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/36 "2007-07-29T19:37:42Z")
The most recent example of this is the latest in the Die Hard series. In America I believe it is called “Live Free or Die Hard”, in Ireland and the UK it is “Die Hard 4.0”. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/37 "2007-07-30T04:33:06Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] The most recent example of this is the latest in the Die Hard series. In America I believe it is called “Live Free or Die Hard”, in Ireland and the UK it is “Die Hard 4.0”. [/QUOTE] [Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=411823&highlight=Innocent) is the thread I started on goofy fim-title translations. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/38 "2007-07-30T11:19:07Z")
Besides the Harry Potter titles, whast came to mind when I saw the thread titlr was James Herriot. His Hymn-based "heartwarming titles, with their Reader’s Digest cover paintings (“All Creatures Great and Small”, “All Things Bright and Beautiful”, etc.) are completely changed in the UK editions, which give the books a completely different flavor. The books have titles like “It shouldn’t Happen to a Vet!”, with cartoony illustrations. In the Us, these books are in Nonfiction. In the UK, they’re in Humor. (Or Humour). Big difference. ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/39 "2007-07-30T11:53:21Z")
[QUOTE=SmackFu] It was the first Harry Potter book, and I’m not so quick to judge them on it. They didn’t know it would be a smash and that people would buy it regardless of the title. It’s actually a reference to a patriotric song/poem [My Country](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Country): Maybe it was too cliched, or something? [/QUOTE] How on earth does a guy from Naugatuck CT know about a cheesy piece of doggerel from 1904 (before I am accused of lack of patriotism, it may be cheesy doggerel but it’s _our_ cheesy doggerel, K?) of utterly no interest to anyone outside Australia? Harold Bloom doesn’t have that much stuff stored in his head! Dopers never cease to amaze… ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553/40 "2007-07-30T12:01:28Z")
Re the Herriot books - the first six books as originally published in the UK are \*If Only They Could Talk, It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet, Let Sleeping Vets Lie, Vet in Harness, Vets Might Fly, \* and _Vet in a Spin_. Because these are quite slim volumes, for the US (and also available in the UK) they were repackaged into three volumes: _All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful_ and _All Things Wise and Wonderful_. The seventh published book is more substantial, and stands alone as _The Lord God Made Them All_. Incidentally, I’ve got some of the paperback originals, and they are categorised as Autobiography/Humour. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-uk-and-us-titles-different-for-the-same-book/413553.md?page=3)