Good, analytical indexing is indispensable to any serious work of nonfiction, but curiously the indexer's technique has received scant attention until now. This book records a series of lectures sponsored by the Society of Indexers on the indexing craft, deliberately designed for beginners but rich in suggestions for the advanced indexer, the editor, and the researcher.
Training in Indexing is the only textbook of its kind so far published. It delineates in minute detail the intricacies of indexing: it provides guide rules for the compilation of specialized indexes, specifies the categorization of subject matter, explains cross referencing and the classification of foreign words and phrases, notes common pitfalls and errors, and in short, offers a method and a reason for each stage in the genesis of an index. The emphasis in each chapter is upon a common-sense approach to the subject. It is soon apparent that the comprehensiveness of an index is not commensurate with its complexity; what is important in the index design is saving the reader time and trouble and yet presenting a valid picture of the book or periodical in question. As a book endures in time, the editor feels, so must its index – it must serve readers in the present and the future equally well.
