CHAPTER IV.
The Good Indexer.
"Thomas Norton was appointed Remembrancer of the city of London in 1570, and directions were given to him that 'he shall gather together and reduce the same [the Bookes] into Indices, Tables or Kalendars, whereby they may be more easily, readily and orderly founde.'"—Analytical Index to "Remembrancia," p. v.
HE acrostic
I I
N never
D did
E ensure
X exactness
made by a contributor to Notes and Queries as a motto for an index expresses very well the difficulties ever present to the indexer; and the most successful will confess the truth that it contains, however much others may consider his work to be good.
There are many indexes which are only of partial merit, but which a little more care and experience on the part of the indexer would have made good. If the medium indexer felt that indexing was work that must be done to the best of his ability, and he studied the best examples, he would gradually become a good indexer.
The famous bibliographer, William Oldys, rated the labours of the diligent indexer very highly, and expressed his views very clearly thus:
"The labour and patience, the judgment and penetration which are required to make a good index is only known to those who have gone through this most painful, but least praised part of a publication. But laborious as it is, I think it is indispensably necessary to manifest the treasures of any multifarious collection, facilitate the knowledge to those who seek it, and invite them to make application thereof." [12]
[ [12] Notes and Queries, 2nd Series, XI. 309.