How to Make an Index

for Alphabet

osed that certain directions should be drawn u

ing produced separately from the books themselves, needed some introductory note. In all cases, however, some explanation of the mode of compilation should be attached to the index. The compil

iformity is not needed in all indexes, it is well that these should be made in accordance with the best experience of past workers rather tha

n the previous chapters. In the present chapter the Index Society rules are printed in italic, and to them are now added some illustrative remarks. There is necessarily a certain likeness bet

e index to the whole set, an

a work with several indexes and no general one is most inconvenient and irritating, while to have both seems extravag

s being united in one alphabet. An introduction containing some indicatio

arly in foreign indexes. Another objectionable practice frequently adopted in the indexes of periodical publications is to keep together the entries under the separate headings used in the journal itself,

s little classification as possible in an alphabetical index. Mr. W. F. Poole wisely said in reference to the proposal of one of his helpers on the Index of Periodical Literature to place Wealth, Fi

to the order of the English alphabet.

onant v. No doubt they were not distinguished some centuries ago, but this is no reason why they should again be confused now that they are usually di

s a, o, u." By this Goethe would have to be written G?the, which is now an unusual form, and I think it would be better to insist that where both forms are used, one or other should be chosen and all instances s

words are not to be treated as integral porti

hn Grave

Kherson G

f Hope

ghts not G

ot Gra

d Grave

very difficult to steer a course through the confusion. When such entries are printed, a very incongruous appearance often results from the use of a line to indicate repetition when a word similar in spelling, but not r

on L

he Flos

Sir Wil

pric

ld

tille

Bai

f this class of blunder, but her only authority is "s

i, Ad

oys

s absolutely genuine, alt

mmon even in fairly good indexes; thus, in the Calendar of Treasury Papers, 1714-

pstress and Starcher to

al of, See Attorne

s on Ireland with the marks o

are now arranged in a strict alphabetical order

te S

te'

te

echa

ai

ott

tt S

t's R

ai

g Sq

g S

d Queen

David

Edwar

illiam

s Arm

g's

ake S

sbur

ate St

comes between King William Street and King's Arms Court, while I think it ought to come immediately before Kinglake Street; but,

practically one street (although each division is separately numbered), which is always spoken of as Bond Street, and therefore for which the majority of persons will look under Bond. South Molton Street is correctly placed under South because there is no North

ers to be arranged alphabe

Da

De

Dell

Des C

Du

Cond

Le

nder the

adie not

lva " D

lace " De

boldt " V

eden " Va

When, however, as in the case of the French Du, Des, the two are joined, it is necessary to retain the preposition. This also applies t

e Qu

as De

an Mi

aningless in English, and for

for instance, if we consider Van Dyck as a foreigner, his name will appear

in English names is because they have no meaning in themselves, and cannot be translated. There is a difficulty here in respect to certain names with De before them; for instance, the Rothschilds call themselves De Rothschild, but when the head of the family in England was

ical position of these names. If the indexer had to deal with a number of these curious prefixes, it would probably be well to ignore th

historian Freeman made a curious statement which is quo

small matters as the accurate way in which he uses foreign titles. He speaks, for instance, of the 'Duke of Maine,' the 'Count of Av

to call a man by his right name-"Duc de Maine." I do not venture to censure Macaulay, but for lesser men it is cert

ceremonial title, as in the case of St. Alban, St. Giles, and St. Augustine, these names are to be arranged under the letters A and G respectively; but the

ularly in respect to the neglect of the difference

their family names, except in such a case as Horace Walpole, who is almost unknown by his title of Earl

ing. There are difficulties on both sides; but the great majority of peers are, I believe, known solely by their titles, and when these noblemen are entered under their family names cross references are required because very few persons know the family names of peers. The

first. The reasons against it are that the founders of noble families are often as well known-sometimes even better-by their family name as by their titles (as Charles Jenkinson, afterwards Lord Liverpool; Sir Robert Walpole, afterwards Earl of Orford); that the same man bears different titles in different parts of his life (thus P. Stanhope published his History of England from the Peace of Utrecht as Lord Mahon, and his Reign of Queen Anne as Earl Stanhope); that it separates members of the same family (Lo

con, Viscount St. Alban's, Benjamin Disraeli (afterwards Earl of Beaconsfield), Sir John Lubbock (now Lord Avebury), and Richard Monckton Milnes (after

ter says that ninety-nine in a hundred must look under the title first, but I doubt if the percentage be quit

be dealt with in cataloguing-that is, those who change their names. When a man succeeds to a peerage

e last, except in such cases as Royston-Pigott, where the first name is a true surname. The first name in a foreig

to bring into prominence their last Christian name when it is obtained from a surname. They then hyphen their Christian name with their surname, because they wish to be called by both. The Smiths and the Joneses commenced the prac

ot give all his children the same Christian name, but change it for each individual, as one son may be James Somerset-Jones and another George Balfour-Jones. In such a case as this the hyphen is quite out of place, and Jones must still be treated as the only surname. No one has a right to expect his Christian name to be treated as a surname merely by reason of his joining the Christian name to the surname by a hyphen. He must publicly announce his intention of treating

ral surnames made from Christian names, as, for instance, Fernando is a Christian name and

or instance, when it contains the point of the compound, as Alimentary Canal, En

dex to Hare's Walks in London (1878), where all the alleys, bridges, buildings, churches, courts, houses, streets, etc., are arranged under these headings, and not under the proper name of

ithout specification of the cause of reference to be avoided, except in particular cases. The exte

hand it is objectionable to come across a frivolous entry. The consulter is annoyed to find no additional information in the book to what is already given in the index. It will th

to the time that would be employed in looking up these references. For instance, under the name Smith there are 2,411 entries en masse, and with no initial letters. If there were these divisions, one would find Zachary Smith in a few minutes, but now one must look to each reference to find what is wanted. With taking down

f Oxford, without any indication of the reason why his name is entered in the index. This case also affords a good instance of careless i

bert) 277

(Lord

, Lord Ox

re" (Transactions, p. 88). He pointed out that often in German Indexes the entries in the Sach Register would be full and correct, while those in the Namen Register would usually be meagre, and consist merely of the surnames of the authors and the initials of their Christian name

to any of the above subjects without wading through the whole? It is, in fact, an entire system of indexing backwards from particulars to generals, instead of from generals to particulars. It is something like writing on a sign-post on the road to Bath, 'To Some

is worthy of much attention, and particular care should be taken to e

his character;

h

character of;

obert) sa

h

rt), saving

frivolous entry is th

ustice), his

trace it to its source. That has been said to be in the index to one of Chitty's law-books, and it is added that possibly Chitty had a grudge against Sir William Draper Best, one of the Puisne Judges of the King's Bench from

e of a too frequent use of cross references. These references, however, to be made from co

to them. They ought to be used where the number of references under a certain heading is large, b

e contents of the several articles or papers to be drawn up and ar

he contents, much of which might not be of sufficient importance to be sorted out in the alphabet; in the case where the entries are important they

xed under each author's name, the titles of his works being

othing to be added to it. It is evident

, b, c, d; thus if a page contains 64 lines, 1-16 will be a, 17-32 b, 33-48 c, 49-64 d. If in double columns, the page is still to be divi

often be found very useful, and

Roman numerals. In the case of long sets, such as the "Gentleman's Magazine," a special Arabic

numbers in Roman capita

chapters or distinct papers, to be p

t the italic entry is of more im

the second differs in any way from the first. The proper name to be repeated when that of a different person. In the case of joint authors, the Christian name or initials of the first, whose surn

sh is to be the length of the line which is not repeated. If it be necessary to make the repetition of a portion of t

back in order to make the alphabetical position of the surname clear; and as this is not

ian name commencing with M. The Germans are often very careless in the use of initials, and I have found in one index of a scientific periodical the following specimens of this confusion: (1) H. D. Gerling, (2) H. W. Brandes, (3) D.

it may be said that an alphabetical index is the best; but under special circumstances it may be well to have a classified index. Generally it may be said that there are sp

ies attendant on the use of Oriental names. Under "Rules f

accordance with the system adopted by

In India the last name is usually adopted, and the forenames are frequently contracted into initials, so that it is obligatory to use this name. We must never forget the practical conclusion that a man's real name is that by which he is known. But the indexer's difficulty in a larg

of the Names o

ves. The first or forename of a Parsee or a Hindoo, but not of a Mussulman if he be a Pathan, is his own personal or, as we say, "Christian"-that is, baptismal or "water"-name; and their second their father's personal name, and not his family or, as we

ccupation or place of residence, or from some notable friend or patron of his, or from some title conferred on him by the ruler whose subject he was. Thus the Patels of Bombay are descended from

official connection with this well-known "model Native State." The Jamsetjee Jejeebhoys and Comasjee Jehanghiers derive their double-barreled surnames from the first baronet and knight, respectively, of these two eminent Parsee families. Other well-known Parsee surnames are Albless, Bahadurjee, Banajee, Bengalee, Bhandoopwala, Bharda, Cama (or Kama), Dadysett, Damanwala,

th the English, they were not absolutely hereditary, but were changed after a generation or two. Thus the present Bhownaggrees

mes are derived, among the higher castes, from the names of the gods, the thousand and one names of Vishnoo and Seeva, of Ganesha, etc., and from the names of well-known mythological heroes, historical saints, etc., the name selected being

slimin-are classified as Sayeds, Sheikhs, Mo(n)gols, and Pathans. The Sayeds (literally, "nobles," "lords") are the descendants of the Prophet Mahomet, through his son-in-law Allee; those descended through Fatima being distinguished as Sayed Hussanee and Sayed Hooseinee, and those from

following surnames placed before or after their personal and paternal names: Abd, Allee, Bukhs, Goolam, Khoaja, Sheikh. But as Sayeds are a

aternal names, one or other of the following surnames: Aga ("lord"), Beg ("lord"), Meerza, and Mo(n)gol. But in Persia both Sayeds and Sheikhs assume, instead

es. But Sayeds and Sheikhs often have the word Khan placed after their class, personal, and patern

rightly reasoned rule to the indexing of such names, or any but the arbitrary rule of thumb:-to index them in the order in which the bearer of them places them in his signature to letters, cheques, and other documents? This gets

official and co

(special so

ersonal

aternal

ly or true

h a card as this with intelligent correctness. But this Hindoo gentleman would simply sign himself in

ion, being generally selected from those beginning with the initial or finial lette

slimin of Persia and Central Asia and Turkey and Arabia; but beyond these countries I have no information

personal names, I always accept that

xpression; and it will be noted I say nothing of local exceptions to the general rule regulatin

E BIR

ry 9,