5.1.3.5 Series and Multivolume Works

Series names are normally given in roman type, while the titles of complete works issued in multiple volumes are italicized. The line between the two can be blurry. As a working rule, treat a series as a publishing container: individual books or documents appear within it, but the series itself is not usually the work being cited. Treat a multivolume work as a single project or collection that happens to be divided across more than one volume.

In Thelemic and occultural citations, apply the distinction according to how the source actually functions. The Equinox is best treated as a periodical title and italicized. A named collected work issued in multiple volumes should likewise be italicized when the collection itself is being cited. By contrast, a publisher’s imprint series, pamphlet series, lodge instruction series, or numbered monograph series should usually remain roman unless the series title has itself become the title of the work under discussion.

When a source could reasonably be handled either way, choose the form that will be clearest to the reader and apply it consistently throughout the manuscript.