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In books and other works, a subtitle is an explanatory or alternate title. For example, Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel literature, best known for her Gothic fiction Frankenstein ....
 used a subtitle to give her most famous novel, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus
Frankenstein

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, generally known as Frankenstein, is a novel written by the British author Mary Shelley. Shelley started writing Frankenstein when she was 18 and finished when she was 19....
, an alternate title to give a hint of the theme. There are at least eight books in English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 that carry the subtitle Virtue Rewarded. Subtitles for plays were fashionable in the Elizabethan era
Elizabethan era

The Elizabethan era is associated with Elizabeth I of England's reign and is often considered to be the Golden Age in History of England. It was the height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of English poetry and English literature....
; William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English people poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist....
 parodied this vogue by giving Twelfth Night the pointless subtitle What You Will, implying that the subtitle can be whatever the audience wants it to be.






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In books and other works, a subtitle is an explanatory or alternate title. For example, Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel literature, best known for her Gothic fiction Frankenstein ....
 used a subtitle to give her most famous novel, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus
Frankenstein

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, generally known as Frankenstein, is a novel written by the British author Mary Shelley. Shelley started writing Frankenstein when she was 18 and finished when she was 19....
, an alternate title to give a hint of the theme. There are at least eight books in English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 that carry the subtitle Virtue Rewarded. Subtitles for plays were fashionable in the Elizabethan era
Elizabethan era

The Elizabethan era is associated with Elizabeth I of England's reign and is often considered to be the Golden Age in History of England. It was the height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of English poetry and English literature....
; William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English people poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist....
 parodied this vogue by giving Twelfth Night the pointless subtitle What You Will, implying that the subtitle can be whatever the audience wants it to be. In printing, subtitles often appear below the title in a less prominent typeface or following the title after a colon.

Some modern publishers choose to forgo subtitles when republishing historical works, such as Shelley's famous story, which is often now sold simply as Frankenstein.

Subtitles are also used to distinguish different installments in a series, instead of or in addition to a number, such as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 in film adventure film of the Pirates of the Caribbean , the sequel to the 2003 in film film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and the first film from Walt Disney Pictures to feature the current logo....
, the second in the Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar The Walt Disney Company franchise encompassing a theme park ride, a series of Pirates of the Caribbean and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications....
 series, and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 motion picture released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the second feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise....
, the second in the Star Trek
Star Trek

Star Trek is an American Science fiction on television entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek: The Original Series, in addition to ten feature films with Star Trek to be released on May 8,...
 series.

Examples

  • Home: A History of an Idea
    Home: A History of An Idea

    Home: A History of An Idea is a book published in 1986 by Canada architecture, professor and writer Witold Rybczynski.* ISBN 978 0 14010231 4 ...
  • One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw
  • The Goat: or, Who is Sylvia?
  • The Century: America's Time
    The Century: America's Time

    The Century: America's Time is a 15-part series of documentary film produced by the American Broadcasting Company on the 20th century and the rise of the United States as a superpower....
  • Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
  • Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance With Death
    Slaughterhouse-Five

    Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance With Death , by Kurt Vonnegut, is a post-modern anti-war science fiction novel dealing with a soldier's experiences during World War II and his journeys with time travel....
  • The Hobbit, or There And Back Again
    The Hobbit

    The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is an award-winning Juvenile fantasy and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien, written in the tradition of the fairy tale....
  • Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be a Long, Long Time)