Customer Reviews

Facing the Text: Content and Structure in Book Indexing

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For people faced with the task of indexing books, Do Mi Stauber provides a detailed guide to the processes involved in analyzing the content of each chapter, section and page and how to select, phrase, and structure suitable terms for the index. While there are plenty of guides available on the details of structuring and editing indexes (i.e. after the index entries already exist), this is the only one I know of that explains and illustrates in detail the mental processes involved in the step between reading the page and creating the index entries for it -- and how to make these processes clearer and easier.

Based on the author's successful workshop course on "Facing the Text" for indexers, the book has been highly recommended by professional indexers and was reviewed in the specialist journal "The Indexer" (Vol. 24, issue 2, October 2004 p. 111). It is an indispensable item for the serious indexer's library.

It seems it is still not available yet on Amazon directly, but it can be ordered directly from the author at [...].

Any indexing student should have this book listed at the top of their 'Must Have' reference works. Course materials, standards, tutor feedback on submitted indexes (only) explain and correct the way we apply the rules and standards. Do Mi's book complements the theory by providing a wealth of practical samples on what to do when one encounters a particular type of paragraph, problem, blockage... It really is as if one is sitting next to her while indexing. Do not expect to be supplied with 'fixed answers to known problems' but you will get a deeper insight in possible approaches to understanding the text at hand and how to deal with it while creating an index.

Anyone who owns the bible of indexing, Nancy Mulvany's Indexing Books, Second Edition (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) should also obtain Facing the Text: Content and Structure in Book Indexing to join it on the desk. Most indexing books cover the gamut of the indexing task, including the mechanics of developing, formatting, and editing indexes. Stauber's book particularly emphasises the analysis of the text to identify topics -- which may be fragmented throughout the text -- and developing the most useful terms. She tells you how to recognise the many types of index headings and subheadings, and how to use them effectively: for example, to recognise and include implied umbrella terms. After reading this book you will come to your next project with a methodology to index even the most discursive and unstructured work. Very highly recommended.

Hedley Finger, author of 'Survival indexing for how-to books', Hand Holding Press.

As an indexing student about to embark on a freelance indexing career I found Do Mi Stauber's "Facing the Text" invaluable. Her easy-to-read style and "matter of fact" approach to the indexing process make this book a must for all wannabe and newbie indexers. Full of hints, tips, guidelines, and personal examples, "Facing the Text" should be on every indexer's bookshelf as a ready reference to finding solutions to the hows and whys of good indexing.

If you're an indexer, or thinking of becoming an indexer, this book is an absolute must. It will augment, enhance, and significantly advance your indexing education, practice, and skill. It's literally like taking a college-level course on indexing in the privacy of your own home. Don't hesitate. Get it now!

Do Mi Stauber goes into great detail with her explanation for the reasoning for her indexing techniques, giving lots of examples of real books she has indexed. The book is clearly written and would be of great interest to those people who would like to follow this career path.