Indexing Books, Second Edition

by Nancy C. Mulvany

University of Chicago Press, 2005
Cloth: 978-0-226-55276-7 | Electronic: 978-0-226-55017-6
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226550176.001.0001

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ABOUT THIS BOOKAUTHOR BIOGRAPHYREVIEWSTABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Since 1994, Nancy Mulvany's Indexing Books has been the gold standard for thousands of professional indexers, editors, and authors. This long-awaited second edition, expanded and completely updated, will be equally revered.

Like its predecessor, this edition of Indexing Books offers comprehensive, reliable treatment of indexing principles and practices relevant to authors and indexers alike. In addition to practical advice, the book presents a big-picture perspective on the nature and purpose of indexes and their role in published works. New to this edition are discussions of "information overload" and the role of the index, open-system versus closed-system indexing, electronic submission and display of indexes, and trends in software development, among other topics.
Mulvany is equally comfortable focusing on the nuts and bolts of indexing—how to determine what is indexable, how to decide the depth of an index, and how to work with publisher instructions—and broadly surveying important sources of indexing guidelines such as The Chicago Manual of Style, Sun Microsystems, Oxford University Press, NISO TR03, and ISO 999. Authors will appreciate Mulvany's in-depth consideration of the costs and benefits of preparing one's own index versus hiring a professional, while professional indexers will value Mulvany's insights into computer-aided indexing. Helpful appendixes include resources for indexers, a worksheet for general index specifications, and a bibliography of sources to consult for further information on a range of topics.

Indexing Books is both a practical guide and a manifesto about the vital role of the human-crafted index in the Information Age. As the standard indexing reference, it belongs on the shelves of everyone involved in writing and publishing nonfiction books.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Nancy C. Mulvany is a professional indexer and the owner of Bayside Indexing Service. She has taught many indexing courses and is the publisher of i-TORQUE, a newsletter for indexers.

REVIEWS

"Mulvaney's book is widely used as a textbook in North America, and the release of a revised second edition will quite likely ensure its continued popularity. . . . I have utmost respect for anyone with enough patience to write, let alone revise, a thorough textbook that covers all aspects of indexing. Mulvaney's pertinent . . . discussions of important issues facing our profession gives this volume an importance beyond the realm of mere instruction."

— Ruth Pincoe, The Indexer

"[Indexing Books] should be on every aspiring indexer's reading list."

— C&RL News

"When you are an acknowledged leader in your field, and you have literally 'written the book' on indexing, what do you do for an encore? If you are Nancy Mulvany, professional indexer and author of the industry standard Indexing Books, you write a second edition that reflects the concerns of indexers in the 21st century."

— Dick Evans, Technical Communication

"I am a huge fan of this book. It is engagingly written in jargon-free English with a well-designed format. I highly recommend it for all faculty of information studies libraries and those libraries that may have among their users would-be indexers or authors that are interested in knowing about the methods of indexing their books. . . . This second edition should replace the first edition on library shelves."

— Jean Weihs, Technicalities

Preface

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction to Book Indexing

Information Overload

Open-system vs. Closed-system Indexing

The Future of the Book

The Index as Paratext

What Is an Index?

The Purpose of an Index

The Audience: Who Uses Indexes?

Terminology

References

2. The Author and the Index

The Book Contract and the Index

The Writing Process and the Index

Who Should Prepare the Index?

Relationship between Author and Indexer

3. Getting Started

The Book Production Process

The Nature of Indexing Work

What Not to Index

What Is Indexable?

How to Index the Indexable Material

Interpreting the Publisher’s Instructions

Usability and Index Style

Estimating the Size of an Index

4. Structure of Entries

External Structure

Internal Structure

5. Arrangement of Entries

Order of Characters

Letter-by-Letter Alphabetizing

Basic Rules Affecting Both Alphabetizing Orders

Other Alphabetizing Guidelines

Nonalphabetic Arrangement in Indexes

How to Choose an Arrangement Order

6. Special Concerns in Indexing

Abbreviations and Acronyms

International Characters

Numerals, Symbols, and Other Nonalphabetic Characters in Entries

Multiauthored Works

Multivolume Works

Multiple Indexes

Translations

Single-source Indexing

7. Names, Names, Names

Personal Names

Names with Only a Forename

Names with Particles

Non-European Names

Geographic Names

Organization Names

Alphabetizing of Names

Names of Works

8. Format and Layout of the Index

Overall Index Style

Indented Style

Run-in Style

Other Styles

Cross-reference Format and Placement

Special Typography

Final Submission Formats

Layout of the Index

9. Editing the Index

Editing by the Indexer

Review by the Author

Editing by the Editor

Reducing the Length of an Index: Tips for Editors

Revising an Index for a Revised Edition

10. Tools for Indexing

Manual Methods

Automatic Indexing

Computer-aided Indexing

The Future

Appendix A: Index Specifications Worksheet

Appendix B: Resources for Indexers

Professional Associations

Internet Discussion Group

Training in Indexing

Publishers of Dedicated Indexing Software

Winners of the ASI–H. W. Wilson Award forExcellence in Indexing

Internet Resources

References

Index