"Creek in Demerara, Up a."
"Demerara, Up a Creek in."
"Up a Creek in Demerara."
"Home, The Russians at."
"Russians at Home, The."
"The Russians at Home."
In the foregoing, by giving three entries, one, by chance, may be correct; but in the following case there are two useless references:
"Baron de Marbot, The Memoirs of the."
"Memoirs of the Baron de Marbot, The."
But nothing under Marbot.
Some indexers have a fancy for placing authors under their Christian names, as these three from one index.
"Philip Bourke Marston."
"Walt Whitman."
These entries are amusing:
"Foot in it, On Putting One's."
"On Putting One's Foot in it."
Surely it is strange that such absurdities as these should continue to be published! Mr. Poole drew attention to the evil, and Miss Hetherington has done the same; yet it continues, and publishers are not ashamed to print such rubbish as that just instanced. We may add a quite recent instance—viz. Longman's Magazine for October, 1901, which contains an index to the thirty-eighth volume. It occupies two pages in double columns, and there are no duplicate entries. In that small space I find these useless entries:
"According to the Code" (not under Code).
"Disappearance of Plants" (not under Plants).
"Eighteenth Century London through French Eye-glasses" (not under London).
"Gilbert White" (not under White).
"Mission of Mr. Rider Haggard" (not under Haggard).
"Some Eighteenth Century Children's Books" (not under Children's Books).
"Some Notes on an Examination" (not under Examination).