Description
Book SynopsisStories of human lives can be fascinating but frequently difficult to index well. The new, updated fourth edition of Hazel K. Bell’s Indexing Biographies is a valuable guide to the points for consideration when indexing life histories, biographies, autobiographies, letters and other narrative texts.
Topics include the indexing of fiction, analysis of the text before indexing, names and their various forms, appropriate language choice for index entries, impartiality of the indexer, and how to treat main characters (through appropriate subheading structure) and minor characters (where strings of locators are sometimes unavoidable).
The book also discusses more technical matters of index layout, presentation and arrangement of entries, such as how to judge whether alphabetical, chronological, page order or thematic grouping is most appropriate for the text.
Examples of good practice and outstanding indexes are provided throughout. Lists of useful reference works and relevant articles from The Indexer journal are also suggested. There is, of course, a comprehensive index.
Indexing Biographies contains fine advice on best indexing practices for book indexers, trainee indexers, authors, publishers and all lovers of life histories. It is an excellent overview of the complex, important and rewarding task of indexing such material.
Trade Review'
Indexing Biographies should appeal to indexers, authors, editors, publishing professionals and lovers of life histories. In this fine new edition, Hazel K. Bell has kindly shared her considerable insight into all that goes into making a great biography index.'Paula Clarke Bain,
Editing Matters, Chartered Institute of Editing and ProofreadingTable of Contents
- Acknowledgements viii
- 1. Narrative texts and stories of lives
- - ‘Soft’ texts
- - The narrative form
- - Sensitive content
- - History
- - Biography
- - Autobiography
- - Political memoirs
- - Diaries
- Letters
- 2. The great and good
- - Indexing masterpieces
- - Award winners
- - Other good ’uns
- 3. First read your book
- - Analysis and annotation
- - Coverage
- 4. Naming names
- - Alternative forms
- - John Brown, meet John Brown
- - Who are all these people?
- - Errors and inconsistencies
- - Lord, My
- - Pseudonyms
- 5. Coming to terms: subheadings
- - Qualities to aim for
- - Language fit for literature
- - And …
- 6. The perils of partiality
- - Don’t show your feelings
- - Putting it nicely
- - Linguistic limitation
- - What-d’you-call-her?
- - The constraint of standardization
- - ‘Have you stopped beating your wife …?’
- 7. All in order: a proper arrangement
- - Alphabetization
- - Subheadings
- - Page order
- - Chronology observed
- - The alphabetical way
- 8. Theme by theme
- - Examples of paragraphed subheadings
- - Tracing the themes
- 9. Mighty main characters
- - Leave it out?
- - Hero-treatment
- 10. The works
- - Listing volumes
- - Titles
- - Characters
- - Letters
- 11. Just mentioning …
- 12. Presentation and layout
- - Prefatory notes
- - Run-on style
- - Sub-subheadings
- - Indented style
- - Typographical devices
- 13. The user
- - Is that me …?
- 14. Fiction
- - Should fiction be indexed?
- - The indexer as literary critic
- - Indexing the fiction of A. S. Byatt
- - Novels published with indexes
- References
- Index
