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Reader John Finnerty feels he's been outfoxed by Firefox. He writes something along the lines of:

In Firefox I can sort bookmarks alphabetically when I choose Bookmarks -> Organize Bookmarks and click the Name heading. But when I leave this area they aren't alphabetized in bookmark submenus or in folders I place in the Bookmarks toolbar. Help!

Correct. Here's the trick:

Choose Bookmarks -> Organize Bookmarks. Select a folder full of bookmarks in the left pane of the Bookmarks Manager window. The right pane will fill with that folder's contents. If you want to sort all the items in the right pane by name, just Control-click on an item in the right pane and choose Sort By Name from the contextual menu. Firefox will first organize folders alphabetically, and then follow those folders with alphabetized items that carry URLs. For example, in my Bookmarks toolbar, choosing Sort By Name puts my Apple, Favorites, and Mac Stuff folders first in line and then Google News, Latest Headlines (an RSS feed with a URL), and Rhapsody follow after that.

If the right pane includes folders of its own--you've chosen the Bookmarks Toolbar Folder, for example--click the triangle next to one of the folders in the right pane, select an item within that folder, and perform that Control-click/Sort By Name trick again. The items within the folder will be sorted alphabetically. And yes, the alphabetical sorting will carry over into Firefox's Bookmarks toolbar as well as submenus in the Bookmarks menu.