About the book
*A TIME, New Yorker, Financial Times and History Today Book of the Year*
'Hilarious' Sam Leith
'I loved this book' Susie Dent'
'Witty and affectionate' Lynne Truss
Perfect for book lovers, a delightful history of the wonders to be found in the humble book index
Most of us give little thought to the back of the book - it's just where you go to look things up. But here, hiding in plain sight, is an unlikely realm of ambition and obsession, sparring and politicking, pleasure and play. Here we might find Butchers, to be avoided, or Cows that sh-te Fire, or even catch Calvin in his chamber with a Nonne. This is the secret world of the index: an unsung but extraordinary everyday tool, with an illustrious but little-known past. Here, for the first time, its story is told.
Charting its curious path from the monasteries and universities of thirteenth-century Europe to Silicon Valley in the twenty-first, Dennis Duncan reveals how the index has saved heretics from the stake, kept politicians from high office and made us all into the readers we are today. We follow it through German print shops and Enlightenment coffee houses, novelists' living rooms and university laboratories, encountering emperors and popes, philosophers and prime ministers, poets, librarians and - of course - indexers along the way. Revealing its vast role in our evolving literary and intellectual culture, Duncan shows that, for all our anxieties about the Age of Search, we are all index-rakers at heart, and we have been for eight hundred years.
Editions of Index, A History of the
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780141989662
- EBook
- ISBN 9780241374245
- AudioStreaming
- ISBN 9780241548752
Read an Excerpt
*A TIME, New Yorker, Financial Times and History Today Book of the Year*
'Hilarious' Sam Leith
'I loved this book' Susie Dent'
'Witty and affectionate' Lynne Truss
Perfect for book lovers, a delightful history of the wonders to be found in the humble book index
Most of us give little thought to the back of the book - it's just where you go to look things up. But here, hiding in plain sight, is an unlikely realm of ambition and obsession, sparring and politicking, pleasure and play. Here we might find Butchers, to be avoided, or Cows that sh-te Fire, or even catch Calvin in his chamber with a Nonne. This is the secret world of the index: an unsung but extraordinary everyday tool, with an illustrious but little-known past. Here, for the first time, its story is told.
Charting its curious path from the monasteries and universities of thirteenth-century Europe to Silicon Valley in the twenty-first, Dennis Duncan reveals how the index has saved heretics from the stake, kept politicians from high office and made us all into the readers we are today. We follow it through German print shops and Enlightenment coffee houses, novelists' living rooms and university laboratories, encountering emperors and popes, philosophers and prime ministers, poets, librarians and - of course - indexers along the way. Revealing its vast role in our evolving literary and intellectual culture, Duncan shows that, for all our anxieties about the Age of Search, we are all index-rakers at heart, and we have been for eight hundred years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Index, A History of the about?
*A TIME, New Yorker, Financial Times and History Today Book of the Year*
'Hilarious' Sam Leith
'I loved this book' Susie Dent'
'Witty and affectionate' Lynne Truss
Perfect for book lovers, a delightful history of the wonders to be found in the humble book index
Most of us give little thought to the back of the book - it's just where you go to look things up. But here, hiding in plain sight, is an unlikely realm of ambition and obsession, sparring and politicking, pleasure and play. Here we might find Butchers, to be avoided, or Cows that sh-te Fire, or even catch Calvin in his chamber with a Nonne. This is the secret world of the index: an unsung but extraordinary everyday tool, with an illustrious but little-known past. Here, for the first time, its story is told.
Charting its curious path from the monasteries and universities of thirteenth-century Europe to Silicon Valley in the twenty-first, Dennis Duncan reveals how the index has saved heretics from the stake, kept politicians from high office and made us all into the readers we are today. We follow it through German print shops and Enlightenment coffee houses, novelists' living rooms and university laboratories, encountering emperors and popes, philosophers and prime ministers, poets, librarians and - of course - indexers along the way. Revealing its vast role in our evolving literary and intellectual culture, Duncan shows that, for all our anxieties about the Age of Search, we are all index-rakers at heart, and we have been for eight hundred years.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Index, A History of the?
History and Archaeology > History > History: specific events and topics > Social and cultural history
Where can I read a sample of Index, A History of the?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780141989662
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Index, A History of the?
Dennis Duncan
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Index, A History of the is available as paperback(ISBN 9780141989662) and ebook(ISBN 9780241374245) and audiostreaming(ISBN 9780241548752)
Where can I buy Index, A History of the online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Index, A History of the from below
Where can I buy Index, A History of the?