The So-called Evils of Index Learning—Glanville and Swift—Thomas Fuller's Defence of the Index—Advantages of saving the Brain by knowing where to find what is wanted—Dr. Johnson's Division of Necessary Knowledge—Gradual Introduction of the Word "Index"—Synonyms—Final Triumph of Index—Interesting Indexes—Prynne's Index to his Histrio-Mastix—Index to Richardson's Novels—David Hume an Indexer—Sir James Paget enjoyed making Indexes—Amusing Blunder in Musical Index 1
CHAPTER II.
AMUSING AND SATIRICAL INDEXES.
Leigh Hunt's Good Word for Indexes—Indexes to Tatler and Spectator, and The Athenian Oracle—Table of Contents to Shenstone's Schoolmistress—Index to Biglow Papers—Dr. William King and his Satirical Indexes—"Boyle upon Bentley"—The Royal Society and Sir Hans Sloane ridiculed—Speaker Bromley's Travels—Reprint with King's Index 25
CHAPTER III.
THE BAD INDEXER.
Some of the Worst Indexes in Periodicals—Jewel's Apology—Classified in place of completely Alphabetical Indexes—Mr. Poole's Opinion of Indexes to Periodicals—Miss Hetherington's Examples of Bad Indexes—Want of Complete Alphabetization—Confusion of u and n, and Blunders caused by it—Classification within the Alphabet—Variety of Alphabets—Want of Cross References—Useless Cross References—Amusing Mistranslations—Incorrect Filling-up of Contractions—Bad Index to Walpole's Letters—Incorrect Use of the Line for Repetition of Heading—Index to Pepys's Diary—Evil of an Indexless Book—Complaints 53
CHAPTER IV.
THE GOOD INDEXER.
Difficulties of being Exact—Value of a Good Index—Scaliger, Nicolas Antonio, Pineda, Samuel Jeake—Carlyle on Indexless Books—Macaulay's Opinion of the Aim of an Index—Official Indexes—Amount paid by Parliament for Indexes—Good Legal Indexes—Indexes to Jeremy Bentham's Works, and to Ruskin's Fors Clavigera—Dr. Birkbeck Hill's Index to Boswell's Life of Johnson—Boswell's Original Index—Issue of Revised Index to Ranke's History of England—The Indexer born and made—Characteristics of a Good Indexer 85
PRACTICAL.
CHAPTER V.
DIFFERENT CLASSES OF INDEXES.
Easiest Kinds of Indexes to make—Concordances—Scientific Books—Incompleteness of some Indexes—Indexes to Catalogues of Libraries—Proposed Subject Index to the Catalogue of the British Museum—Controversy in The Times—Mr. Fortescue's Opinion—Dictionary Catalogue 118
CHAPTER VI.
GENERAL RULES FOR ALPHABETICAL INDEXES.
Rules, with Explanations and Illustrations: (1) One Index to each Book; (2) One Alphabet; (3) Order of the English Alphabet; (4) Arrangement of Headings; (5) Arrangement of Foreign Proper Names; (6) Proper Names with Prefixes; (7) Titles of Peers rather than their Family Names; (8) Compound Names; (9) Adjective v. Substantive as a Catchword; (10) Shortness of Entries; (11) Repetition of Short Entries; (12) Abstracts of the Contents of Articles in Periodicals; (13) Authorities to be Indexed; (14) Division of the Page for Reference; (15) Use of Numerals for Series of Volumes; (16) Certain Entries to be printed in Capitals; (17) Type for Headings—Arrangement of Oriental Names—Sir George Birdwood's Memorandum 132
CHAPTER VII.
HOW TO SET ABOUT AN INDEX.
Hints as to the Making of an Index—Two Kinds of Index—Arrangement of Growing Indexes—Use of Cards, Paper Slips, or Foolscap—Indexer's Knowledge of the Book to be Indexed—Selection of the best Catchword—Use of Numerals—Index for Different Editions of Same Book—Cutting up and arranging Slips—Sorting into Alphabet—Pasting down the Slips—Paste to Use—Calculations of the Relative Lengths of the Letters of the Alphabet—Preparation of "Copy" for the Printer—Correction of the Press 172
CHAPTER VIII.
GENERAL OR UNIVERSAL INDEX.
Early Proposals for an Index Society—Foundation of a Society—Indexes of History and Biography—General Index: What it should be 206
