Books about indexing

The de facto standards for indexing are:

The Chicago Manual of Style The Editorial Staff of the University of Chicago Press 14th edition University of Chicago Press, 1993 ISBN 0-226-10389-7, 933 pages 15th edition University of Chicago Press, 2003 ISBN 0-226-10403-6, 956 pages Publishers lacking their own style guidelines almost always recommend following those in the chapter about indexing in the 14th or 15th edition of the CMS, as it is popularly known. As a result, the CMS is a de facto standard for indexers. Nevertheless, some of its recommendations differ from most adjudicated standards. The 14th edition emphasizes the use of index cards. The 15th emphasizes computers, which are much more common today. For more about the 15th edition, see   U. of Chicago Press  .

Indexes: A Chapter from The Chicago Manual of Style The Editorial Staff of the University of Chicago Press 14th edition University of Chicago Press, 1993 ISBN 0-226-10388-9, 65 pages 15th edition University of Chicago Press, 2003 ISBN 0-226-10406-0, 53 pages The chapters about indexing in the CMS have been printed as separate works, with their own indexes. The cost savings are substantial. Professional indexers, though, should be familiar with the contents of the entire CMS, and not just with its chapter about indexing. For more about the 15th edition, see   U. of Chicago Press  .

Other worthwhile books about indexing include:

	Can You Recommend a Good Book on Indexing? Collected Reviews on the Organization of Information Bella Hass Weinberg Information Today, Inc., 1998 ISBN 1-57387-041-2, 161 pages Bella Weinberg is well known in the indexing community for her forceful personality, her contributions to indexing and her book reviews, which are generally lengthy and detailed. Often, you can learn more by reading them than by reading the book. For more about this book, see   Information Today Inc.  .
	Facing the Text: Content and Structure in Book Indexing Do Mi Stauber Cedar Row Press, 2004 ISBN 0-9748345-0-5, 374 pages An excellent book about the dual processes of analyzing content and structuring an index. It discusses standard topics such as subheadings, cross references and indexability, in the context of particular texts and indexes; includes hundreds of examples drawn from Do Mi's decades-long career as an indexer of books about the social sciences and humanities, and; adds many terms to the technical vocabulary of indexing, such as Do Mi's First Rule, Do Mi's Second Rule, and the distinction between categorical, dependent, feature, relational, and subtopic categorical subheadings. It should be read by anyone interested in creating indexes that make it easy for readers to find what they are looking for. For more about the book and to order it, see   DoMiStauberIndexing  .
	Handbook of Indexing Techniques 3rd edition Linda K. Fetters, with contributions from Cynthia D. Bertelsen and Do Mi Stauber FimCo Books, 2001 ISBN 0-929599-05-5, 128 pages This is a book for occasional indexers, occasional reviewers of indexes and anyone considering becoming a professional indexer. It covers the basics of indexing books, magazines and journals, newsletters and newspapers, and electronic documents and Web sites. It abounds in examples and includes suggestions for further reading and overviews of reference works indexers should be familiar with in the fields of the humanities, the social sciences, medicine, and science and technology. To order it, see   amazon.com  .
	Indexers and Indexes in Fact & Fiction Hazel K. Bell, editor A. S. Byatt, foreward University of Toronto Press, 2001 ISBN 0-8020-8494-X, 160 pages From 1978 to 1995, Hazel Bell was editor of The Indexer, the journal of the Society of Indexers. Her book includes a brief history of indexing; excerpts from approximately seventy indexes to non-fiction, fiction and verse published from the fifteenth century on; and reviews of fiction depicting indexers. Some excerpts are of historic interest, some are funny, some are vindictive, some are truly awful. The depictions of indexers are generally unflattering. For more about this book, see   University of Toronto Press  .
	Indexing Books Nancy C. Mulvany University of Chicago Press, 1994 ISBN 0-226-55014-1, 320 pages An excellent book, with more practical information and examples than The Chicago Manual of Style. Although the University of Chicago Press publishes both books, Mulvany often disagrees with guidelines in the manual. Her view is that there is not one correct style. Instead, she emphasizes the indexer's responsibility for selecting practices that will simplify finding the information in the document being indexed. To do that, you need to know the options and when to apply them. Mulvany is clear about both. For more about this book, see   U. of Chicago Press  .
	Indexing from A to Z 2nd edition, revised and enlarged Hans H. Wellisch H. W. Wilson, 1995 ISBN 0-28242-0882-X, 569 pages Another excellent book, with strengths similar to Mulvany's. Whereas Mulvany presents information in a traditional narrative, Wellish presents it under alphabetized headings. Alphabetical organization may be viewed as a gimmick, but it isn't. Wellish doesn't expect readers to read his book cover to cover; he expects them to use it when trying to solve a specific problem. Alphabetical ordering facilitates that. Don't be put off by it. For more about this book, see   H. W. Wilson Company  .
	Inside Indexing: The Decision-Making Process Sherry L. Smith and Kari Kells Northwest Indexing Press, 2005 ISBN 0-9771035-01, 189 pages Two teachers of indexing explain the thought processes they used in writing their index for a   book   about urban growth by   Eben Fodor . One's process is based on helping readers find what's in the book; the other's on helping readers find answers to their questions. The resulting indexes are significantly different and should be of interest to all indexers, regardless of their level of experience. To obtain copies of them, see   final indexes . To obtain a copy of Martha Osgood's excellent index to the book, see   the book's index  . To find out more about the book or to order it, see   Inside Indexing  .

The   American Society of Indexers   publishes an indexing glossary and books about medical indexing, indexing historical books, running an indexing business and other topics through its agent,   Information Today, Inc.  .

The   Society of Indexers   in Great Britain publishes   Occasional Papers   on topics of interest to indexers, such as legal indexing, indexing periodicals and indexing biographies and other stories of human lives.

To top of page