A Meander through the History of Indexing

ByPeter Duncan

2010

First “Indexes”

• Cannon of the Gospels e.g. Lindisfarne 7th Century

• Masoretes 10th Century

• Stephen Langdon (1150-1228)

• Knowledge of the Alphabet

First Printed IndexesInvention of printing 1456

• Alphabet important part of technique• Specialization & commercialization • Peter Schoeffer (ca. 1425-1503)

regards his books as being superior better because they have indexes

Peter Schoeffer (ca. 1425-1503)

First Printed Indexes Named

• Dating not so clear Epistolae Hieronymi (1470?) List of first words of each section

• Clearly dated: Turrecrematta Expositio Psalteri (4 Oct 1470) printed by Ulrich Han List of words of each double sheet

• Undated possibly earlier: Augustine De arte praedicante (146-?) Two editions produced by Furst and Schoeffer

First named indexerBernardo Machiavelli (1428-1500)

Niccolò His son

Livy Fictitious

Sixteenth Century Indexes

What an index is, is not clear• Table of the contents?• Alphabetical list of subjects?

St John Chrysostom. Commentarium (1554)

St John Chrysostom. Commentarium (1554)

Toscanelli. Observationi … di Virgilio (1568)

Toscanelli. Observationi … di Virgilio (1568)

OrteliusTheatrum orbis terrarium (1570)

Ortelius

Theatrum orbis terrarium (1570)

OrteliusTheatrum orbis terrarium (1570)

Seventeenth Century

Plan of the book and indexes where we would expect them

Thevenot. Travels (1686)

Thevenot. Travels (1686)

Important indexer:

Samuel Pepys (1633-1703)

Eighteenth century

Indexing format recognizable

The ladies magazine or Entertaining companion for the fair sex. Vol. 7,

1776.Advertisement, an extraordinary oneDead, select dialogues of the letters from the,

to the livingDissipation, dangers ofDullness, humourously [sic] describedFair sex, effusions in praise of themFans, moral reflections on themI’ll tell you what, a fable ofMistake, a terrible onePerseverance, in point of loveVirtue in distress 

Important indexer:

Alexander Cruden (1699-1770) , A Complete Concordance to the Holy Scriptures (1737).

Nineteenth Century

Professionalism begins?But first the Same old thing

The ladies monthly museum. Vol. 6, 1801

The ladies monthly museum. Vol. 6, 1801.

The ladies monthly museum. Vol. 6, 1801.

Similar index entries to previous Affability and gentleness, essay on, 45 Affectation, the destruction of beauty, 127 Aigrette worn by the Queen on her

birthday, described, 217 Duties due to Society, 474 Words, remarkable ones, 429

Notes and queries. Vol. 1, 1849-50.

Anecdote of a peal of bellsBald head, defense ofB. (J.M) on finkle or finkel- -on howkey or horkey- -St. WinifredaBlack broth, Lacedaemonian, was it

coffee?Curious custom--symbolic custom

Notes and queries. Vol. 1, 1849-50.

Depinges, what are they?Ed., what are deepenings?Hints to intending editorsLimb of the law on a maiden assize and

white glovesMess (A) meaning ofSinger (S.W.) on the Dodo queries--Dodo repliesTo endeavour oneselfUse of coffins 

Fiske. Darwinism and other essays (1893)

Bow-wow theoryBuckle, H.T., his History of civilization, 43 his death at

Damascus, 211; -- his mental impatience, 212; his lack of subtlety, 214Electric girls, 129Fasting girls, 130Heredity in book-making, 350; Mr Buckle’s loose talk

about heredityLouis XIV., his injurious influence on science and

literature, 193Title pages, slovenliness of, 349Virtue and pleasureWallace, A.R., on causes of man’s intellectual

supremacy, 38, 46; his surprising credulity as to spiritualism, 127

Professional indexing

• Indexing Society, 1877-90• Mary Petherbridge

Petherbridge . Indexing as a profession for women. Good housekeeping. (1923)“There are four stages in indexing: (a) The writing of the slips; (b) The alphabetical listing of them; (c) The critical editing and its

attendant research; (d) The proof reading, which must

always be done by the indexer personally.”

Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953)

Belloc. Marie Antoinette . (1909)

Boston, British man of war arrives in harbor of, to impose tea tax, at same hour as Louis XV.’s death, 72

D’AIGUILLON, Duc de, chief Minister at end of Louis XV.’s reign after Choiseul’s fall, made by the Du Barry, 55,58,59; receives grant of public money on dismissal in the modern English fashion, 83; Fall of largely due to Marie Antoinette, 84

Elizabeth, Madame, Marie Antoinette’s relations with, 122; brought to Paris by mob in Days of October, 230, 231

Belloc. Marie Antoinette . (1909)

Joseph II., son of Maria Theresa, first association with her in the empire, 23; hastens the conclusion of Marie Antoinette’s marriage, 30,31; accompanies Marie Antoinette for the first day on journey to Versailles before her marriage, 36 his insufficient character, 103; his ignorance of La Marck and Lavoisier, 105 his ludicrous misjudgment of French military power, 105; his Bungling in religion, 131

MADAME. See AdelaideMadame Elizabeth, her passage of arms with

Pétion, 287-288; watches sun rise with the Queen before attack upon the palace, 320.

See also Elizabeth.

Charlotte Yonge (1823-1901)

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)Portrait by Erickarla

Beatrice Webb (1858-1943)

Georgette Heyer (1902-1974)

“This is not a profession to be taken up casually. Only a real student can hope to make a success of it; but to that privileged student the work is a

delight” 

Thanks