‘And so to bed’: the index to The diary of Samuel Pepys

Abstract

The index to The diary of Samuel Pepys (Bell & Hyman edition) appeared in 1983 as the crowning volume to one of the most significant publications of the twentieth century, the first complete and unexpurgated edition of the Pepys diaries. This article explores the history of the index, as well as the numerous non-standard or unusual techniques that are used throughout the index. Today's indexers could usefully employ these techniques (although perhaps not all at once) in their own indexing projects.