Indexers and Indexes in Fact and Fiction (Studies in Book and Print Culture) [Paperback]

Hazel Bell (Author), A.S. Byatt (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Studies in Book and Print Culture | Publication Date: February 23, 2002

The index, taken for granted, perhaps considered boring - or not considered at all - is an essential part of a book. Indexers and Indexing takes a wry look at the history, uses and implications of this little-considered element of the book, and offers an anthology of amusing index extracts. Compiled by a professional indexer, it examines the history and development of the index, and highlights the debate and comment that the index has invited over the years. The author examines indexes from earlier centuries: some endearingly quaint; some deliberately humorous; some plain awful; and some which are astonishing in the vehemence of the views they present. Bell also examines the depiction of indexers in fiction - and the picture she finds is not encouraging to the professional indexer - variously portrayed as diffident, domestic drudges or incompetent and fallen pedants. A wonderful book for editors, indexers and bibliophiles.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hazel Bell is a freelance indexer, compiler of over 600 published indexes, and was editor of The Indexer, the journal of the Society of Indexers, for 18 years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division; 1 edition (February 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080208494X
• ISBN-13: 978-0802084941
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,669,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique and appealing, February 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Indexers and Indexes in Fact and Fiction (Studies in Book and Print Culture) (Paperback)

No bibliophile will want to resist this instructive, entertaining and amusing anthology, which reveals indexes as whimsical (Lewis Carroll), enticing (Pepys), hilarious (Julian Barnes), or playful (Virginia Woolf). Indexers portrayed in fiction are noted to be everything from drunk (in Trollope) to meticulous (Sherlock Holmes) to romantic (in Barbara Pym). The entries are fascinating, the brief history of indexing is engrossing, and A.S.Byatt's foreword is brilliant. A splendid and unique 'must-have' for any book lover.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jolly Good Read, March 27, 2004

By 

Nancy Mulvany "Author of Indexing Books" (Northern Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Indexers and Indexes in Fact and Fiction (Studies in Book and Print Culture) (Paperback)

It is not often that a book by an indexer about indexers and indexes can be described as fun. Hazel Bell's meticulously researched book is fun to read. Bell was editor of the British journal, The Indexer, for over 18 years. In this volume she has collected gems -- quotes about indexes, quotes from indexes, indexers that appear in fiction as characters, and much more. And, oh yes! The book includes an index.