A hard sell to most people, but literally one of the best books I have ever read. Immensely funny and informative!

I've read a lot of books on the topic of how we organise our knowledge to make it manageable and this is without doubt the most entertaining book I have read on the subject. Part of me felt a pang as it's a version of a book I would like to have written myself. But better - full of reflective insights that go beyond the book history (and the humour). My one complaint is that he skates slightly over subject headings - how they are chosen, how people decide to divide up the world (in technical terms, he doesn't touch on thesauri and taxonomies). But that is probably another book. 

A fascinating, in-depth history of the index, with a few diversions into relevant subjects like the invention and adoption of alphabetical order and page numbers. 

Its clear the author's main interest lies with the medieval, as that's where we spend the most time. I think the time was well spent, though I'd have liked to spend a bit more time in the early 20th century on reference indexes used by librarians and their evolution into databases like JSTOR and Pro Quest. 

Overall it's an enjoyable and engaging book despite some meandering. I have a whole new appreciation for the humble index! 

It was somehow both too casual to be academic and too academic to be casual.

While very informative, it was such a niche subject that the information itself became redundant