In this well-researched and informative book, the author charts the evolution of the humble index from its origins in 11th-12th century scrolls, right up to today’s hashtags and powerful online internet search engines that have become so much a part of day to day life that the term “Google” has been largely adopted as a verb.

While the subject matter might not be the most fascinating for some people, for those that do have an interest the author tells the story of the index with levels of both clarity and humour that make it a pleasure to read. I particularly enjoyed some of the real-life (the man who used an index to prove that he wasn’t in fact a witch) and fictional (the index maintained by Sherlock Holmes) examples of the use of indexes that he referenced throughout the book.

Also interesting was how reading behaviours were seen to change as the index became more commonplace, with readers tending to reference the index and read only sections of books rather than full texts, and the worry that this would lead to a dumbing down of the reading population. This carried the additional risk that the perceived gist of a book could be altered based on how an index was put together, particularly by a potentially devious indexer!

All in all lots of food for thought, and an enjoyable read.

As someone who used indexes a lot during my undergrad and graduate work I never stopped to think that they weren't just a thing that books always had. Or that it isn't always the author who creates the index. Or that someone could influence users through what they include in an index. This is a wonderful history of an unsung hero of research.

Also, I feel both seen and scolded by historical figures because I am unfortunately often the student who uses an index without reading the work.

Do not expect an engaging never-before told story that elegantly ties the history of the index to something greater. This is just a history of the index. There is no central story and the stories told often involve insufferable British intellectuals squabbling, which the author at one point desperately relates as a boxing match in a failed effort to make it more interesting than it is.

The history of the index can be interesting and I am glad I read it and now understand how a biblical concordance eventually led to Google, but it could have been a long-form article.