Welcome to Litsy!

This title was just ridiculous enough to catch my attention…. Now I am curious about the history of the index.

More fun than I thought it was going to be! It's clear that the author is a lover of books, information management, and history. Following the history of the index, Duncan focuses on a number of historical figures and also touches on the history of publishing, literature, scholarship, politics, and religion in earlier eras. I admit to being surprised by how much of the story of the index was much, much older than I thought. 1/?

The pièce de résistance: the book ends with a healthy snippet of an unpruned automated index, followed by one created by a HUMAN. 😁
Point well made, Duncan. 👏🏻

THIS is my version of helpful computers. Humans are value-added professionals with specific knowledge and skills; computers speed up tasks that would otherwise bulk out a job with time-intensive drudgery.

🫢💅🏻

All hail the mighty page number! 🙇🏼‍♂️

The pointy finger has a name! I love the association with Monty Python. ☺️

You might not favour it Dennis, but I would LOVE to be able to refer to a book label as a sillyboi. ☺️

Academic throwdown: Allow me to take the time in this index to list EVERY SINGLE THING YOU ARE WRONG ABOUT. 😝

The title of this book with its words ordered as they might appear in an index entry, is a hint of the clever and witty writing contained inside. Who knew that the index - that set of pages at the back of books - had such a long and interesting history?

Done with humor and fondness I think it will appeal even if you think you are only marginally interested in the idea at first.

Full review: https://tinyurl.com/2k76ke8t

It takes a particular kind of nerd to pick up a book about the history of indexing, I am that nerd. But this book is delightful! Duncan is a funny and engaging writer. From the Library of Alexandria to political jabs coded within a book's index to the benefits and detriments of computer rather than human indexing...there's a ton of fascinating history here.

I heard the author give a radio interview yesterday, and this sounds like a fun and interesting read, though I think I'll wait for the paperback edition.
He said that the book index arose due to the development of universities and Christian preachers, both of which groups needed a quick way to find citations and references for study and sermons. 👇🏼

I love the fact that people used indexes to snipe at each other, and it even cost someone an election.

Received to review! I love taking something mundane and everyday (like white bread or indexes or whatever) and looking at its history, so I'm looking forward to this.