How to Make an Index

"How to Make an Index" by Henry B. Wheatley is a handbook from the 1800s that explains how to create good indexes by giving historical information and useful skills to readers. It stresses the value of indexes in finding information and refers to Joseph Glanville and Thomas Fuller, and shows how opinions about indexing have changed over time. Wheatley also makes clear that doing this well requires skill and training, even though many people think anyone can do it. The book starts by going over the history of making indexes and sets up important ideas that it will talk about later in more detail.