[AUCTeX] [newbie] \maketitle problem

[Tom Roche]

summary: When I add

> \maketitle

to a document in an AUCTeX buffer, all subsequent `C-c C-c` fail with

*TeX Help*
> ERROR: Missing $ inserted.
>
> --- TeX said ---
> <inserted text> 
>                 $
> l.40 

How to fix?

details:

I am very new to TeX and AUCTeX, so feel free to tell me if this
question should be directed elsewhere. Also, apologies if these are
FAQs, but I didn't see anything relevant when either searching the
auctex archive or just googling.

I enrolled for a 2-day TeX course @ my school, which is being taught
with TeXnicCenter on xp. I run ubuntu karmic and emacs (ubuntu
package=emacs-snapshot, emacs version="GNU Emacs 23.1.50.1
(x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.18.0"), so instead I

1 installed the ubuntu packages

auctex
texlive-fonts-recommended
texlive-fonts-recommended-doc
texlive-publishers
texlive-publishers-doc
texlive-science
texlive-science-doc

  and their dependencies.

2 put

> (setq TeX-auto-save t)
> (setq TeX-parse-self t)
> (setq-default TeX-master nil)

  in my init.el

I was able to follow the class (see notes from the January iteration @

http://www.unc.edu/~jjharden/latex/latex_intro.pdf

) as far as

article.tex
> \documentclass[12pt]{article}
> % preamble
> \usepackage{graphicx}
> \usepackage{indentfirst}
> \usepackage{setspace}
> \usepackage[longnamesfirst]{natbib}
> \usepackage{booktabs}
> \usepackage{rotating}
> \usepackage{amsmath}
> \usepackage[margin = .75in]{geometry}
> \usepackage{url}
> \usepackage{subfig}
>     \captionsetup[subfloat]{position = top, font = large}
> \usepackage{float}
> \bibpunct{(}{)}{;}{a}{}{,} 
> \parskip = 3pt
> \usepackage[colorlinks = TRUE, urlcolor = blue, linkcolor = black,
>  citecolor = blue]{hyperref}
> \usepackage{fancyhdr}
> \pagestyle{fancy}
> \fancyhf{}
> \rfoot{\thepage}
> \renewcommand{\headrulewidth}{0pt}
> \usepackage{color}
> \usepackage{endnotes}
> \let\footnote = \endnote
>
> \begin{document}
>
> \title{Introduction to \LaTeX}
> \author{Tom Roche\thanks{Thanks, Janet!} \\ 
> Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering \\ 
> University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill \\ 
> address@hidden
> \date{\today}
>
> \begin{abstract}
> This is the abstract for our paper.
> \end{abstract}
>
> hello world!
>
> \end{document}

I then tried to display the title by adding

article.tex
> \title{Introduction to \LaTeX}
> \author{Tom Roche\thanks{Thanks, Janet!} \\ 
> Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering \\ 
> University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill \\ 
> address@hidden
> \date{\today}
+ \maketitle

But on compiling (with C-c C-c) I get

*TeX Help*
> ERROR: Missing $ inserted.
>
> --- TeX said ---
> <inserted text> 
>                 $
> l.40 
>     
> --- HELP ---
> TeX probably found a command that can be used only in math mode when
> it wasn't in math mode. Remember that unless stated otherwise, all
> all the commands of Section 3.3 in LaTeX Book (Lamport) can be used
> only in math mode. TeX is not in math mode when it begins processing
> the argument of a box-making command, even if that command is inside
> a math environment. This error also occurs if TeX encounters a blank
> line when it is in math mode.

However 

- '$' is not inserted in article.tex

- when I insert '$' (e.g.

article.tex
> \title{Introduction to \LaTeX}
> \author{Tom Roche\thanks{Thanks, Janet!} \\ 
> Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering \\ 
> University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill \\ 
> address@hidden
> \date{\today}
+ $
+ \maketitle

  ), save, and recompile, I get the same error.

- I can't find anything in the AUCTeX info about switching to math mode.

TeXnicCenter handled the \maketitle without error, however, which makes
me suspect a configuration problem on my end, but I don't know if it's
an AUCTeX problem, or a TeX install problem, or a stupid user problem,
or what. Your assistance is appreciated: feel free to reply to the list,
to me directly, or to forward.

TIA, Tom Roche <address@hidden>