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I've taught technical indexing through the Dept of Technical Communications
at the University of Washington (and continue to teach indexing workshops
in the Seattle-area), and I have yet to find a technical writing book that
covers indexing very well. However, I use excerpts from the following in
my classes and workshops:
. Lanyi, Gabriel _Managing Documentation Projects in an Imperfect World_
. Tarutz, Judith A. _Technical editing: the practical guide for editors and
writers_
. Woolever, Kristen R. _Writing for the computer industry_
You might also check STC proceedings for occasional sessions on indexing
(I've sometimes pointed students to proceedings from '91 and '93).
Warning: the above are not written by professional indexers. Keep this in
mind if you consult these works. I don't know how useful those would be
without hearing comments or opinions of the works from professional
indexers. 8-) (Is my bias showing?)
The _best_ book around on indexing that most indexing instructors use
(myself included) is _Indexing Books_ by Nancy Mulvany. It's a light read,
so you won't find it a chore to finish, and it gives you a very realistic
look at what is involved in writing a useful, professional quality index.
I personally would never recommend anyone attempt writing an index without
first reading Mulvany's book cover to cover.
For titles of other books about learning indexing, there is a page on the
American Society of Indexers web site (http://www.ASIndexing.org) that
lists books about indexing. Most of the books listed there are probably
more in-depth than you're interested in, unless you're thinking of becoming
a professional indexer.
P.O. Box 2748
Vashon Island, WA 98070
206-567-5696
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At 05:48 AM 7/29/98 -0700, Deborah Cooper wrote:
>Hello, everyone,
>
>I'm looking for some book recommendations for books dealing
>with technical writing and grammar in particular, as well as
>topics like indexing.
>
>I've purchased the Microsoft Manual of Style as well as a book
>called "Write Tight" (which is VERY interesting(.
>
>Thanks.
>
>
>
>
