The Art of Indexing (Hardcover)

by Larry S. Bonura (Author) "All to often, indexing has been assigned as a clerical task to a subordinate of the writer or, even worse, to the brute force of..." (more)
Key Phrases: indexing style guide, automatic page numbers, indexing standards, American Society of Indexers, Course of the Society of Indexers, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A step-by-step guide to creating comprehensive and usable technical indexes… Numerous surveys indicate that the most common complaint about technical documents concern a poorly designed index—or the lack of an index altogether! An organized, thoughtful index not only ensures that the contents of your book are accessible, but also increases the value of your book. In The Art of Indexing, professional indexer and editorial consultant Larry Bonura addresses the indexing problems specific to technical documentation and presents practical solutions to those problems. The Art of Indexing shows technical writers, editors, and documentation managers how to chart the topics of their books, reports, and documents and present a concise and accurate map that readers, researchers, libraries, bookstores, and reviewers can use to maximize the usefulness of their book. Step-by-step, The Art of Indexing shows you how to become a better indexer by:

• Discussing the function of an index
• Showing how to estimate indexing time
• Presenting methods for selecting entries and subentries
• Reviewing reasons for cross-referencing
• Describing how to treat locators
• Offering an extensive editing checklist for reviewing indexes
• Covering indexing for online documents
• Including numerous usability tests for verifying the strength of an index
• Containing information on indexing standards
• Providing sample indexes and a sample indexing style guide
• And much more!

From the Publisher
Here is an ``instant'' course in indexing for anyone who doesn't have the time to take a seminar or semester long course. Short lesson chapters guide you through each step of the indexing process. The author discusses the function of an index, teaches you how to estimate indexing time, shows how to select entries and sub-entries, covers indexing for on-line documents and more. A practical, thorough guide that makes an excellent desktop reference book.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 23, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471014494
• ISBN-13: 978-0471014492
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #550,535 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A very disappointing book, October 3, 2000

By A Customer

Sorry dear readers, but this book is poorly written, shallow in its treatment of the subject, and often factually inaccurate.

The mostly bullet-point and numbered-list style does not lend itself to sufficient examples and explanations, and the grammar errors will absolutely drive you to distraction if you're a good writer.

Here's a sample of some of Bonura's tangled writing from page 78: "While 'see' references are usually italicized when used in indexes, the only time they are usually not italicized is when used in a cross-reference that is also italicized." Got that?

If you only buy one book on this subject, choose from among these three: (1) Nancy Mulvany's "Indexing Books," (2) Hans Wellisch's "Indexing from A to Z," or (3) the chapter on indexes from "The Chicago Manual of Style." All three are available from Amazon.com.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Four Dollars More Gets You Chicago, June 28, 2000

By	Yves Jeaurond (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews

The "Reprint permissions" (p. xii) indicate excerpts from the Chicago Manual of Style in ch. 2, 14 and 21 of Bonura's very short primer. For less than five dollars more, you can get all of the Chicago Manual of Style + its extensive chapter 17 on indexing--what a deal! Bonura's "real-world examples" to managing an index (pp.123-125) are unclear--it's hard to see what he is trying to illustrate. Sorry, the 'art' of indexing is just too much 'marketing' for the price.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will make you an expert., December 6, 1999

By	Jan Kimball (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

I took indexing for granted because I had writers who created wonderful indexes. Then I had to create some myself. This was not so wonderful.

Larry's book covers the fundamentals of indexing and the pitfalls to avoid indexes that aren't worth the time. He also defines 'achieving completeness' by detailing the key components of: exhaustiveness, precision, faithfullness to the wording of the text, and usability. And for advanced indexers, he includes the Wheatley Medal criteria...something that will help us novices, too.

Larry also spends time taking the mystery out how to assemble the index. He explores all the methods and speaks to their positives and negatives.

Larry's material is excellent, exhaustive, and concise...it's user-friendly. I especially appreciated the sample indexing style guide. Hooray for consistency!

Thanks, Larry. You're an answer to prayer.