Is a comma needed to offset a title?

Question

If I were to try and describe a book called "Book", is this sentence grammatically correct? >The book _Book_ by Joe Bob is set in... I was told that this sentence is incorrect, that commas must surround the "_Book_" to create this: >The book, _Book_, by Joe Bob is set in... I think that the first sentence is much more clear, while the second places more emphasis on "book". Am I correct in this thinking? If you could provide me with some source (website, rule name, etc.) that delves more into this matter, I would appreciate it.

Answer 1

This is really based on using the title of the book as added information to the context. A clearer example is when talking about people. "My wife, Morgan, is beautiful." Her name isn't necessary to the sentence structure. I could say, "My wife is beautiful," or "Morgan is beautiful." In those cases no comma necessary.

In context of book titles, in formal writing the standard is to use italics. Example: Book by Joe Bob is...." Alternatively you might say, "The book, Book, by Joe Bob is...," but in truth that is a bit repetitive. The only exception is if you have references multiple books by Joe Bob. In that case the title is necessary information and so no commas are necessary.

All of that said, I would recomend not using the structure, "The book, Book, by Joe Bob...." Instead I would offer to use the title of the book as your subject: "Book by Joe Bob...."

I hope this helps.