How to Make an Index

r Univers

t nobleman, he set to work to compile an index of the contents of all the books contained in it, and this he is said to have completed in Augus

ly more evident. We often are certain that something has been written on a subject in which we are in

alous of the printed index, as some authorities are. Twelve years after-in 1854-an announcement was made in Notes and Queries of the projected formation of a "Society for the Formation of a General Literary Index." In the 2nd Series, vol. i., p. 486, the late Mr. Thomas Jones, who signed himself "Bibliothecar. Chetham.," commenced a series of articles, which he continued for several years, as a contribution to this genera

e public society will undertake the systematic cataloguing and indexing of masses of historical and scienti

index might be formed by co-operation through a clearing-house, and would pay if published in separate parts. In September, 1877, some letters by Mr. W. J. Thoms, who signed himself "A Lover of Indexes," were published in the Pall Mall Gazette, in which the foundation of an Index Society was strongl

direction, and could be kept steadily at work until its performances became so generally known and so useful as to enable it to stand alone and be self-supporting. Many readers would readily jot do

uished librarian of Harvard Univers

for years to get some organised

Library founded by Mr. Phillimore, having failed from want of popular support. This want of permanent success was probably owing to it

ggestions were made in Notes and Queries for the compilation and publication of certain needed indexes, Mr. J. Cuthbert Welch wrote that the editor of a journal offered to publish an index if he could obtain sufficient subscribers. Respecting this o

th S.,

ety had been confined to these it might have been more successful. In November, 1878, Mr. Edward Solly wrote a letter to m

ex of Biographies. An entire index of all known lives would obviously be much too large an undertaking; we can only attempt a part of the subject. Probably in the first

is evident, however, that to do this would greatly diminish the value of our index, and would cause us to put aside hundreds of memoranda which it is most important to index, I mean refe

ur to undertake an index of Biographical references of persons who have died

e, Anti-Jacobin Magazine, etc. Also such books as the Annual Necrology, Public Characters, Living Authors, etc., and thirdly of references to Biographical Mem

en whose claims to distinction or notoriety do not attain to the standard set up by the promoters of that grand work. Possibly, if such an index was undertaken by co-operation as an object in itself, and not as one among other subjects, it might be compiled in one alphabet

re of much value. In an interesting communication on his indexes he suggests the format

d Queries, 5t

is to be an impossibility, and that to attempt its preparation is a waste of time. Those who hold this opinion have not sufficient faith in the simplicity and useful

ould otherwise be lost will there find a resting-place. Always growing and never pretending to be complete, the index w

ls of the World, and Indexes to "The Times," but contributions towards a universal index? Such a work as is here proposed can scarcely be carried out unles

partly by specialised effort and partly by the reception of any stray references of interest sent by those

ld be printed. When published, it might be interleaved, so that additions might be made which coul

while a general index would be useful to all. Surely some arrangement might be made by which the various libraries would contribu

headings than any existing encyclop?dia. Every one must have felt the want of some book which would give information or references on a large number of subjects that are constantly topics of ordinary conversation, but are consistently ignored in the ordinary books of referen

separately and those included in other books. Various societies have published indexes. There are those among the publications of the Index Society and many others. The Bibliographic

phies on various subjects into the dwarf bookcases in the Reading-room. Here are a large number of aids to knowledge

aders (for the Boston Public Library); and I added a "Preliminary List of Indexes" to What

never be guessed from the titles. Attempts at general indexes of special subjects have been published, such as F. S.

circulated, a large number of helpers would speedily be found. Many persons know of places where full informatio

library of printed indexes would be a boon not only to the student, but to the general public. Ev

ch, with all its faults, is one of the most valuable helps to bibliography, and the subject index of James Darling's Cyclop?dia Bibliographica (1854-1859), many useful ref

eviews and other Periodicals (New York). In 1853 an improved edition was published as the Index to Periodical Literature. When Mr. Poole attended the Library Conference at London in 1877 he expressed publicly his pleasure in seeing on the shelves of the British Museum Library a copy of his first index,

Mr. S. Palmer commenced a Quarterly Index, which has been continued forward to the pres

and difficult undertaking. In consequence, these indexes c

(7th S., x. 345) the arrangement of the headings of Palmer's

the volume just issued (Oct.-Dec. 1842), and will serve to ill

e heading, 'Disgraceful Act.' Again, referring to the dry weather that was prevailing at the time, the entry is, 'Present Dry S

uncommon for Females.' The chance of any one looking under Rather for an occurrence of this kind must be infinitesimal, to say the least of it; and so on. A storm at Saone-et-Loire is indexed under 'Fatal Storm,' and an account of the trial of a small boy for stealing a twopenny pie will be found under 'Atrocious Criminal.' A

ectives which have no distinctive feature in them to guide the searcher, evidently arise from the fact that the simple headi

e original. This is of course more particularly the case in respect to newspapers, where the headings are drawn up to catch the reader's eye. The

lumes afresh, and do not be contented with using what has been do

DE

s a synonym

a motto for

n to be used as

tival) as h

ry of English Liter

orty ind

One) for i

e English a

Want of complet

ariety of, i

fourteen alphabet

ue of his Bibliot

that an index should be made

ion to the plura

o Dean Milles, not by M

(Bad) in i

estion of an Index S

atalogue, index of

racle, Ind

connection with the atta

d or referred to

, table of conten

o the books in the L

f the words "index" and

dex to his Annales

concordance to

need of judgment in the co

), his terri

y) maligned in

Good index to, by

of Phalaris, attack of the "Wits" up

tice), his gr

cordances

contribution to a general in

s, Humorous

ciety suggested by the Re

lan of arranging peers under their s

e "On the Indexing of the N

.), Hints on Catalog

rrent," General

Johnson, Boswell

l's admirable index

les), his attack

ded Atte

pon Bent

ns touching Natural Philosophy, ta

n Reports, index i

n of indexes in the Readi

ndex to the catalogue

ls, ill-natured index mad

he attack mad

bite lea

ait at Ox

orie of Edward IV., absurd fil

es White Knight as L

the author of a work Sur l

allusion to the power in t

to Prynne's His

to Bentham'

a synonym

ublications, Propo

arlotte) maligned

nishment for the publicatio

confess

), plea for in

ournal, ba

e of England, blund

te slips used f

unces the putters-forth o

to Prynne's His

of indexes to the standard

s a synonym

s, Indexe

ries, Index

pposed grudge again

ver, Index to,

e of the word

ndex to Trevelyan's

), her Concordance

illiam) q

thin the alphabet

Woodlands

Justice) an ina

books, Ind

es to the

s to Shakes

angers in filli

ork, Incomplete index t

the Manchester Free

roposal for a univer

es not usually

osities

f, in ind

.) paid ￡500 f

instructions how

best method of const

arrangement of peers u

es when written on

to be arranged unde

be arranged unde

Cyclop?dia Bibliog

enting repetition to be o

ncorrect use o

not to be arranged u

o be arranged unde

ey on Be

es to be arranged unde

be arranged under

talogue, its

cue's objecti

kers really i

) Literary Miscel

is use of the w

be arranged unde

, the words "index" an

, confused with Alexandre père

of the Bible, Cro

ty, Index

inal Letters

annica, Cross ref

receptacles for in

alphabetica

, blunder in the inde

er) paid ￡3000 f

), his use of th

his valuable additions

Spain, Amusing cros

) paid ￡3000 fo

ed subject index to the British

exes to the British M

at foreign names sho

bad index

omas) quot

a, humorous

e, badness of the i

n, use of the words "index"

, index to Th

ph) Vanity of Dog

to Parker Society'

the formation of an

criptionum, index to t

ry material for lay

fus), remarks on

in London,

), the index to Bromley's Trav

the formation of an Index S

the Crown, Odd cros

abetical arran

nces of

nting

ended with Prynne's

eir change o

opinions on the indexi

urd references q

ications of a

beck) admirable

, need of indexes to t

x to Pope's translat

ournals, sums paid

, index to h

ved from the drudger

is opinion on i

of the joke on Best

set, Separate

f, in compoun

e kept disti

of this name in

rder not at first con

abjured in an alpha

an index into seve

sal Index (chap.

of the

the Rom

n of the word

nglish in the nom

the Index (chap

with the wor

book, Ti

to each

s of the badnes

kinds

rning rid

ty, its for

o Trevelyan's Lif

with the Inde

racteristics of a

e indexer is "born, not made," "not bo

n his h

xer (chap. i

exer (chap.

d Satirical Indexes

s of Indexes (ch

phabetical Indexes (

indexe

l index

uthors pro

to the inventor

pgrave's Chronicle to be conq

ord used b

used by Ben

nch wo

lian w

to the use of this p

iginal of the Fr

Careless u

s a synonym

lling out of th

) index to Book Pr

Surveighed and Rev

ley), his suggestion o

ples of Scien

y by Isaacson,

red hats in Italy, b

division of neces

son to add an inde

bution to a general index

is use of the w

the inventor of sa

tley in the index to "

is parody of Lister's

ns Sloane and the Philoso

ndex to Bromle

, what is

be arranged unde

his library, inde

good ind

be arranged unde

ation, Index t

to Paris parodied

derivation o

his name often

agazine, ba

ngton mistakes his signature for

w Papers, humo

e arranged as if w

Lord) an i

ated with conte

on the index to

indexing of his Hi

foreign names appro

tley's fo

Maine, Duke de Maine,

E. H.) qu

.), remarks on

.) collection of biogra

nbite of Inwyt, ta

use of the wo

, index to Florio'

paid ￡6400 fo

Macaulay's le

tests against ind

on an absurd cr

anged under their

nd nam

es with pr

angement of comp

t of foreign and English

Norths, index to Je

emembrancer of Lon

its pages of the projected formatio

highly appr

General) prose

f, for series o

) on the need

s, Rules for

notes on the names o

reported to be author of the ind

ision of a, shou

s) pleased to m

f, an unwise ec

n the index to Bro

terial for laying

f blunders in Oxford reprint

anged under the

, vague cross re

nsactions, etc.,

badly in

, plan of arran

sactions laughed a

ndex to his Monarch

nne's atta

ie, by Holland, Use of

by North, the inde

ex to Periodical Li

at valu

by co-oper

on cross ref

of head

l type

astix, specimens

onscientiousness in

rynne's pra

ynonym of in

derivation

, issue of revised index b

the index to Brom

a synonym of

a, Index to

rks of, in an

ncorrect use o

, index to his

tised ind

attacked by

tical Indexes (ch

aloguing refe

Clavigera, I

ady) points out confu

ged in the alphab

nged under their

to Gruter's Thesauru

der), Shakespeare L

cation of a subject-index to the Br

books, Inde

of Parliament, the words "in

Contemporaries, publish

tion of the conten

s use of the wo

istress, humorous t

by Macklin in

s) laughed at b

wasted in looking up a reference in th

n early i

ormation of an In

a biographica

, The, In

s, and Guardians,

ritaine, the words "index"

indexes to the

able index to the edition o

ames) on a complete d

y digesters of

a synonym o

e of the Book

of Edmund Cur

reference to in

f a Tub q

ed by Scott,

a synonym of

ynonym of in

The, Ind

eports of Conference of Libraria

of this name in t

Historical Notes

s criticism of Palmer's

the formation of a

tructions for an index

dler, Bung

e), Index

n Palmer's

(French) of

Macaulay, Index to,

onfusion b

e kept disti

not to be indexed u

o be indexed under

Anglic? Histori? ha

to be arranged und

), inquiry for the

tters, Bad i

of bad en

y of English Po

heca Britannic

warning against i

ression of the need for

the publication of an i

amusing misreading o

e in Ford's Handb

R.) as a good

dum" in ind

nslated as Le Che

ial, Carlyle's co

Oxford re

cated the formation

previously Sir

f Corpu Christi

, Paternoste

US VOL

VER'S L

urgh Half Morocco, 7s. 6d.

By Henry B. Wheatley,

c Libraries.-General Bibliographies.-Special Bibliographie

Ancient Cuisine. By

ed into the following Sections: 1. Local Government generally.-2. The Shire.-3. The

ght of Us. Being some Notes on their Books and Opini

of illustrating books, and tracing the art down to our own day, the au

and Friend. A Chapter in Literary H

den Literature. By W

sed in the narrative are many amusing anecdotes, curious and suggestive allusions, and much out-of-the way info

entertaining volume gives a series of readable chapters on the

nd their Follies. By W. A. Clouston, Author of "The Boo

Henry B. Wheatley, F.S.A., Au

-page.-Reference and Subject-Index.-The Arrangement of a Catalogue.-Something about MSS.-Rules for a Small

To-day. By John Pendleton, Autho

Popular Subject more closely Co

ISTI. By Leonard Wheatley. With

o be Burnt. By Ja

other Bibliographical

in the History of Human Error

of Books and Book-men, from Moder

on Fishing. By R. B. Manston,

tal to their Authors. B

oks and Book-men, from the Earliest Tim

James E. Matthew, Author of

Frederic G. Kitton, Author of "Charles Dickens by Pen and Pen

ketch. By F. G. Kitton, Author of "Dickensiana," "The Novel

nth Century. By John Lawler, Compiler of

ND

K, 62, PATE

riber

nsistent hyphenation were not c

, a period was ad

on mark was removed a

mark was added after "

tion mark was added

t it" was repla

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period was plac

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