Culture · 6 pages · 12 min
How an index is made by judgments
An index is a set of choices about which topics a reader will need to find.
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From the opening
A back-of-the-book index is a list of chosen headings, each pointing to the pages where that topic is actually discussed. Someone has to decide what counts as a topic, what to call it, and which mentions are worth a reader's trip. The opening covers chosen headings, not every word, see references and subentries, and passing mentions left out.
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Inside
- Chosen headings, not every word
- See references and subentries
- Passing mentions left out
- Why a word list is thinner
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Back-of-the-book indexing as a selective craft
- The Chicago Manual of Style on indexes