Indexes Praised and Indexes Censured are extracted from Indexes Reviewed, a regular feature in The Indexer.

These extracts from reviews do not pretend to represent a complete survey of all reviews in journals and newspapers. We offer only a selection from quotations that members have sent in. Our reproduction of comments is not a stamp of approval from the Society of Indexers upon the reviewer’s assessment of an index.

Allyn & Bacon: The technical communicator's handbook, by Dan Jones (2000, 449 pp, $32.20). Rev. by Raymond E. Floyd, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 44(4), Dec 2001.
The book is organized into nine parts plus an excellent index. The author takes an interesting approach to the index material in that page references include nonobvious references to where the particular item would be found: on the general area of the referenced page, the tips section on that page, or within a figure on that page. Such an approach can narrow the reader's search quickly and will be helpful to anyone searching for a particular bit of information. (Index by ASI member Karen Lane, despite the implication of the second sentence of this extract.)

AP Information Services: The finance director's yearbook 2001, ed. by Annick Ireland. Rev. by Anna Burmajster, InformationWorldReview, Nov 2001.
The sections have clearly marked chapters and useful indexes.

Arnold: Official health statistics: an unofficial guide, ed. by Susan Kerrison and Alison Macfarlane (1999, 303 pp, £17.99). Rev. in Health Services Management Research, 14(4).
… the information contained within it is easily located through the use of descriptive chapter headings and a substantial index.

Artech House: Advanced database technology and design, by Mario Piattini and Oscar Diaz (2000, £58). Rev. by Lisa Billingham, Information WorldReview, Sept 2001.
There is a detailed index and contents table. The index is over eighteen pages long, and the contents table is over ten pages long….

Aslib: Thesaurus construction and use: a practical manual, by Jean Aitchison, Alan Gilchrist and David Bawden (4th edn, 2000, 218 pp, £42.50). Rev. by Keith V. Trickey, New Library World, 102(1170/1171), 2001.
The brief contents page and labyrinthine sections do not facilitate navigation of the work (it does have a good index).

Aslib/IMI: The financial services sourcebook: a guide to sources of information on banking, insurance and other financial services, by Robert Cunnew with Alison Scammell (2001, 336 pp, £37.50). Rev. by Christopher Murphy, Managing Information, Sept 2001.
One of the joys of the book is the rich provision of indexes. Not only a subject index is included, but also additional ones by form, author and title.
Rev. by Helen Whyte, Information WorldReview, Sept 2001.
The main section contains simply the entries followed by an alphabetical listing of publishers, which helpfully cross-indexes their sources back to the main entry. The indexes also include an unfortunately short, but helpful, list of relevant libraries such as the Chartered Institute of Bankers, as well as lists of entries arranged by subject, author and title.
Overall, the arrangement of the book and its indexes is good, and surprisingly user-friendly, given the inherent difficulties of attempting to arrange these sources into a meaningful directory, without loss of functionality.

Blackstone Press: Blackstone's guide to the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, by Diane Birch and Roger Leng (£24.95). Rev. by Ian Andrews, The Magistrate, 57(9), Oct 2001.
When originally looking at this book, it occurred to me that there was a good clear contents page at the beginning, as well as a comprehensive index provided at the back. In addition there were further cross references providing ease of access to tables of Cases, Statutes and Statutory Instruments as well as the full text of the Act itself. On the surface of it then, some 116 pages of the 274 textual pages have already been taken up with a further 30 odd pages of indexing. There should be no way that you will not be able to get to an item of detail swiftly within the book.

Bloomsbury: Einstein in love: a scientific romance, by Dennis Overbye (2001, 416 pp, AUS$49.95). Rev. by Ralph Elliott, The Canberra Times, 20 Oct 2001.
Einstein in Love is a well-researched, annotated, and indexed book, with but a few errors ... [The reference is to errors in the text, not in the index.]

British Library: Directory of organisations in allied and complementary health care, by Delphine Madge (2000, v + 171 pp, £37). Rev. by Grace M. Rose, Library Association Record, 103(8), Aug 2001.
… there are a few inconsistencies… Nevertheless, the inclusion of an index listing the organisations, and detail about a variety of European organisations (including a few from Russia and the former states of the Soviet Union) make this a pleasure to use, an invaluable tool and possibly also a unique directory in the field of allied and alternative health care.

British Library: Guide to libraries and information sources in medicine and health care, by Peter Dale and Paul Wilson (2nd edn, 2000, vi + 209 pp, £40). Rev. by Grace M. Rose, Library Association Record, 103(8), Aug 2001.
An organisation index and a subject index supplement the sequence. Very usefully there is an organisation acronym index, and a further appendix lists and provides brief details of useful internet resources not mentioned elsewhere in the text.

Broadway/ Doubleday: The Doubleday Christian quotation collection, ed. by Hannah Ward and Jennifer Wild ($22.00/$7.98 [sale price]). Rev. in Daedalus Books catalogue, Midsummer 2001.
Readers interested in particular themes can reference the index of over 500 subjects or the comprehensive index of key words.

Butterworth: A user's guide to copyright, by M.F. Flint, N. Fitzpatrick and C.D. Thorne (2001, £55). Rev. by Andrew Shearsmith, InformationWorldReview, Nov 2001.
The index is lengthy, detailed and well constructed.

Butterworth Heinemann: Capitalizing on knowledge: from ebusiness to kbusiness, by David J. Skyrme (2001, £19.99). Rev. by Shona McTavish, InformationWorldReview, Sept 2001.
The book is well organised with a good index enabling easy access to its contents.

Cambridge University Press: District laboratory practice in tropical countries, Part I, by Monica Cheesbrough (1998, 454 pp, £35). Rev. by F.X.S. Emmanuel, Tropical Doctor, April 2001, 31.
There is a comprehensive, accurate and professional-looking index that covers part I.

James Clarke: A guide to the libraries and archives of the United Kingdom and Ireland, 1998-2000, ed. by Iain Walker (2001, 493 pp, £99). Rev. by Karin Fitzsimons, New Library World, 102(1170/1171), 2001.
The directory is well designed, presented and indexed.

Chatto & Windus: The city of London, Vol. 4: A club no more, 1945-2000, by David Kynaston (886 pp, £30). Rev. by J.H.C. Leach, Times Literary Supplement, 6 July 2001.
David Kynaston's meticulous scholarship means that the nearly 800 pages of text are followed by fifty pages of footnotes; there is a detailed index.

Collins: Dress in Ireland: a history, by Mairead Dunlevy (192 pp, £14.99). Rev. in Books Ireland, Summer 2001.
The notes, glossary and index are clear and easy to follow and the entire book is beautifully presented.

Crannóg Books: On the verge of want, ed. by James Morrissey (259 pp, £30). Rev. in Books Ireland, Oct 2001.
The book has a plentiful index.

DK (Dorling Kindersley): Essential computers: personalising your PC, by Rob Beattie (2001, 72 pp., AUS$10.90). Rev. by The Silicon Kid (columnist), The Canberra Times, 16 July 2001.
Another convenient feature is the layout. There are colour-coded sections and a comprehensive index so that you do not have to read the book straight through but instead can flip to the section that interests you and dive straight in. The glossary at the back is another good feature.

Faber: Further requirements, by Philip Larkin (377 pp, £25). Rev. by Christopher Ricks, The Spectator, 6 Oct 2001.
Does Larkin really believe that the first name of the poet Dowson is Edward? Or is he just checking that we know the difference between Dowden and Dowson? (The index knows the importance of Dowson's being Ernest.)

Gower: Effective document management: unlocking corporate knowledge, by Bob Wiggins (2001, £95). Rev. by Sue Lacey Bryant, InformationWorldReview, Oct 2001.
This is a big book… Nevertheless, as it has a decent index, I anticipate that it will 'earn its keep' on my reference shelves for years to come.

HarperCollins: Critical Times: the history of the Times Literary Supplement, by Derwent May (£25, 606 pp). Rev. by Paul Johnson, Sunday Telegraph, 28 Oct 2001.
[May] has taken a lot of trouble with this book. Not only is he ecumenical and fair-minded but he provides an index, compiled by a former head of the London Library, which is a model in its clarity and comprehension of this exacting art. [This indexer can only have been Douglas Matthews – why not name him?]

HarperCollins: The letters of Kingsley Amis, ed. by Zachary Leader (£14.99). Rev. by Sam Leith, Daily Telegraph, 14 July 2001.
Zachary Leader's edition is a tidy work of scholarship; lightly but helpfully footnoted and with a big and thorough index.

Jane Austen Society of Australia: A century of wills from Jane Austen's family, 1705-1806, by Jon Spence. Rev. in Newsletter of the Jane Austen Society of North America, 17(2), summer 2001.
The Jane Austen Society of Australia has made available in print for the first time 15 fascinating documents that are primary sources of information about Jane Austen's family. An introduction to each of these 15 wills facilitates the understanding of the testators and their principal heirs – and those who did not inherit – and an index allows for cross-referencing. A pedigree of the maternal and paternal lines shows where the individuals fit into the family picture and their relationship to Jane Austen.

Library Association: Competing with knowledge: the information professional in the knowledge management age, by Angela Abell and Nigel Oxbrow (2001, £37.50). Rev. by Ruth Treharne, InformationWorldReview, Sept 2001.
The book has a clear subject index …

Library Association: Developing a successful service plan, by Sheila Pantry and Peter Griffiths (2000, 98 pp, £13.50). Rev. by Richard Turner, New Library World, 102(1163/1164, 2001).
The index is short but adequate.

Library Association: A guide to finding quality information on the Internet, by Alison Cooke (2nd edn, 2001, £29.95). Rev. by Alun Edwards, InformationWorldReview, Nov 2001.
There is an excellent index and glossary.

Library Association: Searching CD-Rom and online information services, by G.G. Chowdhury and Sudatta Chowdhury (2001, xvii + 331 pp, £39.95). Rev. by Sally Chambers, Library Association Record, 103(9), Sept 2001.
… an alphabetical glossary would have added further value to supplement the clearly laid out table of contents and subject index.

Library Association: The serials management handbook: a practical guide to print and electronic serials management, ed. by Tony Kidd and Lyndsay Rees-Jones (2000, 159pp, £39.95). Rev. by Linden Sweeney, New Library World, 102(1163/1164), 2001.
The book is well laid out and a useful index allows the reader to find subjects that he is looking for easily.

Library Association: Your successful LIS career: planning your career: CVs, interviews and self promotion, by Sheila Pantry and Peter Griffiths (1999, £13.50). Rev. by Richard Turner, New Library World, 102(1163/1164, 2001).
The book has an adequate index….

Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet healthy travel: Africa; Central and South America; Asia and India; Australia, NZ and the Pacific, by Isabelle Young (2000, 433pp, £3.99/ US$5.95). Rev. by Janet M. Andrews, Tropical Doctor, Oct 2001, 31.
I particularly liked the sections on specific illnesses which are symptom-based and very easy to follow – there is a very good index…

Macmillan Education: Neurosurgery in the tropics, by Geoffrey V. Rosenfeld and David A.K. Watters (2000, 473 pp, £21.95). Rev. by Owen Sparrow, Tropical Doctor, July 2001, 31.
Individual topics in the index are easy to find, both because the index is comprehensive, and because the contents are clearly set out with each section of each chapter clearly mentioned.

Martin and St Martin: The drawings of Andrea Palladio, by Douglas Lewis (2nd edn, $60). Rev. by Kerry Downes, Times Literary Supplement, 6 July 2001.
There is a useful and informative index.

MIT Press: From Gutenberg to the global information infrastructure: access to information in the networked world, by Christine L. Borgman (2000, 324 pp, £27.95). Rev. by Mike Freeman, New Library World, 102(1170/1171), 2001.

Oxford University Press: The agrochemical discovery: insect, weed and fungal control, ed. by Don Baker and Noriharu Ken Umetsu (2001, 317 pp, £85). Rev. by Alan Wiseman, Chemistry & Industry, 1 Oct 2001.
There is also an excellent subject index (pp. 295-317) and an adequate author index (pp. 293-4).

Oxford University Press: The Josquin companion, ed. by Richard Sherr (691 pp, £95). Rev. by Jeffrey Dean, Times Literary Supplement, 7 Sept 2001.
The volume concludes with some provocative 'Thoughts for the future' by David Fallows, a work-list and an illuminating discography compiled by Peter Urquhart, a bibliography, and several useful and well-constructed indexes.

Oxford University Press: The Oxford dictionary of thematic quotations, ed. by Susan Ratcliffe (2000, 584 pp, £14.99). Rev. by Hazel Mills, CopyRight, Nov/Dec 2001.
This is a collection of over 7000 quotations arranged thematically under nearly 600 headings [. . .] It boasts an extensive index of 156 pages - any longer and I might have had an excuse to quote Howell and complain that 'the postern gate [bears] no proportion with the building'. In fact, the index is one of the book's great strengths: it includes a brief biography of each author, a list of the themes in which his or her quotations may be found, and unusually, a brief extract to identify each quotation. [. . . ] With 7000 quotations this compilation has fewer quotes than some competitors, but an attractive typeface and layout, a thoughtful selection and a splendid index compensate for this.

Oxford University Press: Poverty, inequality and health: an international perspective, ed. by David Leon and Gill Walt (2001, £29.50). Rev. by Alistair Woodward and Tony Blakeley, Bulletin of the World Health Organization.
… there is a detailed index.

Penguin Books: Tomorrow comes the song: a life of Peter Fraser, by Michael Bassett with Michael King (2000, 445 pp, NZ$49.95). Rev. by Barry Gustafson, New Zealand Books, Aug 2001.
The authors had a vast array of secondary sources ... [which] are all well acknowledged in comprehensive footnotes, and the excellent index should also be commended. [Index by AusSI member Simon Cauchi.]

Penguin Books: Words on words, by David and Hilary Crystal (2001, £8.99). Rev. by Ian Brunskill, The Times, 22 Sept 2001.
There are surprises on every page and a brilliant index means that the reader need never be lost for words.

Pinter: Encyclopedia of British and Irish political organisations: parties, groups and movements of the 20th century, by Peter Barberis, John McHugh and Mike Tyldesley (2000, 562 pp, £90). Rev. by John Thornhill, Library Association Record, 102(8), Aug 2000.
Indexes of organisations and personal names provide excellent access to the entries.

Routledge: Historical archaeology: back from the edge, by Pedro Paulo A. Funari, Martin Hall and Sian Jones (1999, £90). Rev. by David Gaimster, Antiquaries Journal, 81, 2001.
In addition, no edited conference proceedings should cost £90 (despite the useful index).

W.B. Saunders: Cecil textbook of medicine (21st ed.), by Lee Goldman and J. Claude Bennett (2000, 2308 pp, $125). Rev. by Naomi C. Broering, Medscape General Medicine, 9 Jan 2001).
Where would we be without the detailed index so prevalent in past editions as well as in this current edition of Cecil? Once again, the authors give users, researchers, and reference librarians in search of direct access to specific information a strong, well-indexed work.

W.B. Saunders: Diagnostic surgical pathology of the head and neck, ed. by Douglas R. Gnepp (2001, £245). Rev. by Justin Weir, Journal of Laryngology and Otology, 115, June 2001.
The chapters are well referenced (most recent references from 1999) and there is a thorough index.

W.B. Saunders: Kelley's textbook of rheumatology, vols 1 & 2, ed. by Shaun Ruddy, Edward D. Harris, Jr and Clement B. Sledge (2001, 6th ed, 1908 pp, $249). Rev. by George E. Ehrlich, JAMA, 285(18), 9 May 2001.
Clear and helpful illustrations speckle both volumes, and the index is comprehensive.

K.G. Saur: Moys classification and thesaurus for legal material, by Elizabeth M. Moys (4th edn, 2001, DM 298). Rev. by David Pester, InformationWorldReview, Nov 2001.
The index-thesaurus has been updated too and is much more comprehensive than before, with many more terms added. All specific terms in the schedules, appendix and tables and some synonyms are included.

Scarecrow: Silk stalkings: more women write of murder, by Victoria Nichols and Susan Thompson (2001, 635 pp, £21.80). Rev. by Diana Dixon, Library Association Record, 101(7), July 2001.
… investigators are divided into 18 categories and a master list acts as index to these, besides adding more information.

Springer-Verlag: Clinical obstetrics and gynaecology, by Isabel Stabile, Tim Chard and Gedis Grudzinakas (219 pp, £24.50). Rev. by Harry Gee, Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Oct 2001.
Its comprehensive index and tables make it an ideal pocket reference.

UCD Press: Famine, land and culture in Ireland, ed. by Carla King (237 pp, £16.95 pbk, £39.95 hbk). Rev. in Books Ireland, Oct 2001.
The well-indexed book concludes by examining the rural problems of Ireland in the twenty-first century….

University of Illinois Board of Trustees: Saving the time of the library user through subject access innovation: papers in honour of Pauline Atherton Cochrane, ed. by William J. Wheeler (2000, 217 pp). Rev. by Richard Turner, New Library World, 102(1169), 2001.
The whole work has an excellent general index…

University of Illinois Press: Human response to library technology, ed. by Janice J. Kirkland and Michael Gorman (1999, 222pp). Rev. by Mike Freeman, New Library World, 102(1166/1167), 2001.
All in all, a well produced volume with a good index…

Weidenfeld & Nicolson: War diaries 1939-1945, by Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke, ed. by Alex Danchev and Daniel Todman (2001, 763pp, £25). Rev. by Michael Carver, Literary Review, July 1001.
The editors are to be congratulated on their work and on the excellent index, a model of its kind. [But who did the index?]