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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.
Bantam: Kublai Khan, by John Man (2006, 384
pp, £20). Rev. by John Ure, Times Literary Supplement, 30
June 2006.
Imaginative illustrations, good maps and a helpful index all conspire
to keep the reader focused on a remarkable story.
British Geological Survey: The Palaeogene
volcanic districts of Scotland, by C.H. Emeleus and B. R. Bell (4th
edn, 2005, 212 pp, £18). Rev. by David Nowell,
Geoscientist, June 2006.
The final chapter, on economic geology, provides some interesting
asides, and there is an extensive reference list and index.
Cambridge University Press: Ancient Greek ideas
on speech, language and civilization, by Deborah Levine Gera (2003,
272 pp, $125). Rev. by Andrew L. Ford, Bryn Mawr Classical
Review, 12 February 2006.
Most of the passages Gera’s topic brings to mind will be found
to be discussed somewhere among her five topical chapters, and an
excellent Index Locorum will help locate them, typically accompanied by
a good selection of parallel texts and recent bibliography.
Cambridge University Press: The written
gospel, ed. by Markus Bockmuehl and Donald A. Hagner (2005, 386 pp,
£45 hbk, £19.99 pbk). Rev. by Anthony Harvey, Church
Times, 31 March 2006.
The book is fully indexed, has 36 pages of bibliography, and 12 that
list abbreviations, all of which confirms its usefulness as a work of
reference on the present state of Gospel criticism.
F. A. Davis: Medical terminology systems: a body
systems approach, by Barbara A. Gylys and Mary Ellen Wedding (5th
edn, 2005, 559 pp, with audio CD). Rev. by Jonathan Jahns,
Respiratory Care, 51(2), 2006.
This book has a thorough index that supports each of the chapters in
the text. In addition, there are separate indexes for terms related to
genetic disorders, diagnostic imaging procedures, pharmacology, and
oncology. There is also a very thorough and complete glossary of medical
word elements.
Elsevier Academic Press: Essentials of medical
geology: impacts of the natural environment on public health, ed.
by O. Selinus et al (2005, 812 pp, £59.99). Rev. by Ian Lancaster,
Geoscientist, September 2005.
Although overlap is inevitable between chapters, and can frustrate
efforts to build up a complete picture of an element that appears in
several contexts, the index is very comprehensive and most relevant
points are likely to be picked up eventually.
Elsevier/Churchill Livingston: Practical
pulmonary pathology: a diagnostic approach, by Kevin O. Leslie and
Mark R. Wick (2005, 813 pp, $275). Rev. by Joan Gil, Respiratory
Care, May 2006.
The book is well printed, with pleasant and clear fonts, and the
index – a crucial element of a consultation book – is good
and lived up to my expectations almost every time I tried it.
Facet: The information society: a study of
continuity and change, by John Feather (4th edn, 2004, 240 pp,
£22.95). Rev. by Helen Dunford, Australian Library
Journal, 54(4), November 2005.
It is well indexed and would be of value to students and teachers of
information studies, librarianship and communication studies, as it
presents examples and statistics from a number of different
countries….
Facet: The internet and information skills: a
guide for teachers and school librarians, by James E. Herring
(2004, 171 pp, £24.95). Rev. by Richard Turner, New Library
World, 106(11/12).
A decent bibliography and index complete this useful piece of
work.
Facet: The library and information
professional’s internet companion, by Alan Poulter et al
(2005, 200 pp, £34.95). Rev. by Elizabeth Melrose, Library and
Information Update, 5(6), June 2006.
It is a very useful guide for students and library professionals,
easy to read, with a multitude of references that can be followed up and
an informative index.
Facet: The new Walford: guide to references
sources. Vol 1: science, technology and medicine (2005, xix + 827
pp, £149.95). Rev. by John Sherwell, Library and Information
Update, 5(1–2), January/February 2006.
A work on this scale cannot be checked in detail, so I decided to
look at one subject area related to my current employment —
ornithology. The topic index (there is also an author/title index)
immediately took me to the correct section; there is also a
cross-reference under ‘Birds’.
Facet: Science, technology and medicine,
ed. by Ray Lester (9th edn, vol. 1, 2006, 827 pp, $395). Rev. by Melanie
J. Norton, Journal of the Medical Library Association, July
2006.
Two indexes contain 8,000 entries, 3,000 organizations, 1,000 topics,
and 250 reference tools for information professionals. The topic index
is a single alphabetical listing of subject headings with
cross-references. The author/title index will prove helpful for users.
The table of contents, the indexes, and the systematic arrangement of
topics will help anyone find what they are looking for in this
volume.
Fairleigh Dickinson University Press: Reading
Barbara Pym, by Deborah Donato (2005, 124 pp, $35). Rev. by Norma
Munson, Green Leaves, 12(1), May 2006.
A browse through the excellent index before reading the book will set
the tone for its scope as well as provide pointers for future
reference.
Geological Society of London: The geology of
Spain, ed. by W. Gibbons and J. Morreno (2002, 349 pp. hbk
£85.50, pbk £27.50). Rev. by A. W Baird, Mineralogical
Magazine, October 2004.
The sizeable index of 40 pages makes it easy to locate descriptions
of the geology of specific areas, sedimentary basins, fossil localities,
geological structures, mineral deposits, etc.
Geological Society of London: Understanding the
micro to macro behaviour of rock-fluid systems, ed. by R. P. Shaw
(2005, 176 pp, £60.99). Rev. by Rick Brassington,
Geoscientist, June 2006.
The book is presented to the usual high standard of the
Society’s Publishing House with clear illustrations and a
worthwhile index.
Harper Collins: Reindeer people: Living with
animals and spirits in Siberia, by Piers Vitebsky (2006, 464 pp,
£20). Rev. by Caroline Humphrey, Times Literary
Supplement, 28 April 2006.
If you want to know about changing family relations, gender, the
effect of the “transition” on the reindeer economy,
attitudes to the state or a host of other topics, it is all in here (you
just have to use the excellent index to find it).
Haworth Information Press: A guide to Slavic
collections in the United States and Canada, ed. by Allan Urbanic
and Beth Feinberg (2004, 198 pp, $19.95). Rev. by Mike Freeman, New
Library World, 106(11/12).
A good Geographical Index enhances the usefulness of this reference
work.
Idea Group Reference: The encyclopedia of human
computer interaction, ed. by Claude Ghaoui (2006, 738 pp). Rev. by
Jennifer Papin-Ramcharan, Issues in Science and Technology
Librarianship, 46, Spring 2006.
Because of the excellent 10-page ‘Index of Key Terms’
supplied at the end of the book, the key terms and definitions are just
as easy to find as if there was one listed glossary.
Information Today Inc.: The accidental library
manager, by Rachel Singer Gordon (2005, 362 pp, $29.50). Rev. by
Richard Turner, New Library World,
106(11/12).
There is a thorough index…
Kevin Mayhew: One church, one faith, one
Lord (revision of Hymns old and new, details not
available). Rev. by David Ogden, Church Music Quarterly, March
2006.
There are thorough indexes…
Lutterworth Press: From the dairyman’s
daughter to Worrals of the WAAF: The Religious Tract Society,
Lutterworth Press and children’s literature, ed. by Dennis
Butts and Pat Garrett (2006, 256 pp, £30). Rev. by Bridget
Carrington, IBBYLink (published by the British branch of IBBY,
International Board on Books for Young People), 17, Autumn 2006.
The numerous black and white illustrations support the text
admirably, while the extensive bibliographical notes and references,
together with the thorough indexing, indicate the breadth and depth of
scholarship which the essays reflect.
MIT Press: The access principle: the case for
open access to research and scholarship, by John Willinsky (2005,
290 pp, £22.95). Rev. by Charles Oppenheim, Learned
Publishing, 19(2), April 2006.
The book is accompanied by six appendices providing detail (and in
some cases facts and figures), and a bibliography and impressive
index.
Neal-Schumann: Copyright for teachers and
librarians, by Rebecca P. Butler (2004, 200 pp, US$59.95). Rev. by
D. A. Cronau, Australian Library Journal,
54(4), November 2005.
A detailed index in which flowcharts are bolded adds to the
ready-reference nature of the book.
Oxford University Press: The lives of the most
eminent English poets, with critical observations on their works,
by Samuel Johnson, ed. by Roger Lonsdale (4 vols, 2006, 2200 pp,
£320 the set). Rev. by H. J. Jackson, Times Literary
Supplement, 28 April 2006.
The index of proper names (people and places) has a particularly
useful set of topic subheadings under Johnson’s name.
Oxford University Press: Oxford handbook of
palliative care, by Max Watson et al (2005, 819 pp, $42.50). Rev.
by Darrel A. Owens, Respiratory Care, April 2006.
Each chapter contains an abundance of valuable information; however,
the reader may find it more useful to reference the detailed index for
specific clinical information.
Penguin: The lore of the land: a guide to
England’s legends, from Spring-heeled Jack to the witches of
Warboys, by Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson (2005, 928 pp,
£30). Rev. by A. S. Byatt, The Guardian, 21 January
2006.
The cross-referencing and the excellent index mean that the book can
be read county by county, theme by theme, or wildly at random, following
up references that catch the imagination.
Rev. by Philip Crispin, The Tablet, 11 March 2006.
The book’s clear cross-referencing and its excellent index make
it easy to peruse the book thematically, and to home in on, say, giants,
or ‘wells and bells’.
W. B. Saunders: End-of-life care: clinical
practice guidelines for the advanced practice nurse, by Kim
Kuebler, Patricia Berry and Debra Heidrich (2002, 350 pp, $49.95). Rev.
by Deanna Hutchings, International Journal of Palliative
Nursing, 11(12), 2005.
… there are additional beneficial features: a compendium of
electronic resources; a thorough index and an appendix that provides
medical prognostic guidelines for non-cancer diagnoses such as end-stage
renal disease or dementia.
Springer-Verlag: Amazing numbers in
biology, by Rainer Flindt (2006, 309 pp, £19.95). Rev. by
Adrian Barnett, BBC Wildlife Magazine, July 2006.
Amazing Numbers is better than googling, because it has a sensible
index and you don’t have to wade through a whole load of irrelevance to
get to what you want. [But as Richard Northedge pointed out on
SIdeline, 9 July 2006, ‘It doesn’t make much sense to me to
compare a back-of-the-book index to the Google search engine, because
they are attempting to do radically different things. …But rather
than meaning “googling”, perhaps the reviewer instead
intended to compare the experience of accessing content on the web to
accessing content in the book - people often seem to confuse the search
engine with the web itself. In which case, there are advantages and
disadvantages to both … When the sought information is in a
single, defined problem domain and a well-indexed book on that subject
is at hand, of course the book is more useful. Why is this remarkable?
The web has its own, different strengths.’]
University of Hawai’i Press: Broken trust:
greed, mismanagement and political manipulation at America’s
largest charitable trust, by Samuel S. King and Randall W. Roth
(2006, 324 pp, $26/$16). Rev. by Eve Lichtgarn,
www.associatedcontent.com.
Kudos for the superior index, which is a necessary tool for keeping
tabs on the hefty cast of characters here. [Index by ASI member Jan
Williams.]
UVK Verlagsgesellschaft: Verlagswirtschaft:
Ökonomische, rechtliche und organisatorische Grundlagen, by
Wulf-Dietrich von Lucius (2005, 368 pp, £19.90). Rev. by Klaus G.
Saur, LOGOS, 17(2), July 2006.
The index is extensive, and the book can be used as a desk
reference.
Yale University Press: London: a musical
gazetteer, by Lewis Foreman and Susan Foreman (2005, 371 pp,
£15.99). Rev. by Diana Dixon, Library & Information
Update, 5(6), June 2006.
The index is commendably helpful.
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