Sherborn: Evenhuis - Charles Davies Sherborn and The Indexer’s Club

transcript

Charles Davies Sherborn

and the Indexer’s Club

A passion addiction obsession for list-making

The Indexer’s Club

• What is an indexer / list-maker?

– Masochist?

– Socially inept?

– Obsessive / Compulsive?

– Facilitator!

• Giving order to unordered or chaotic sets of items

• Products from work are called “references” and “finding aids”

• We perform an often thankless service to others at little benefit to

ourselves

• Leaders / Founders / ? Inspirations (B.C.*)

– Kallimachos

*Before Charles [Davies Sherborn]

• Leaders / Founders / ? Inspirations (B.C.)

– Roget

– Franklin

– Agassiz

1842–1846 1848–1854

– Coues

1878–1880

“Bibliography is a

necessary nuisance and

horrible drudgery that no

mere drudge could perform.

It takes a sort of inspired

idiot to be a good

bibliographer ...”

– Coues

1878–1880

“ ... and his inspiration is as

dangerous a gift as the

appetite of the gambler or

dipsomaniac—it grows

with what it feeds upon,

and finally possesses its

victim like any other

invincible vice.”

– Scudder

1882–1884

• Leaders / Founders / ? Inspired (A.D.*)

– Richmond

* After [Charles] Davies [Sherborn]

• Leaders / Founders / ? Inspired (A.D.)

– Mathews

– Schultze

1926–1954

– Neave

1939–1940

– Eschmeyer

– Thompson

1999–date

Sherborn Background

• Early Life

St. Luke’s, Chelsea

Sherborn Background

• Early Life

Sherborn Background

• Mid Life

Age 25 Age 32 Age 34

Sherborn Background

• Later in Life

Age 65 Age 74

Sherborn Background

• Home Life (49 Peterborough Rd.)

Sherborn Background

Sherborn Works

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

Sherborn Works

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

Sherborn Works

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

1893–1896

Sherborn Works

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

Sherborn Works

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

1922–1933

Sherborn Works

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

Sherborn Works

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

Sherborn Works

Sherborn Tidbits

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

“The systematist requires certain tools for his

work, of which not the least important are good

bibliographies and indexes.”–C.D. Sherborn quoted in “Squire”, p. 49

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

Sherborn’s unending quest for books ended up

helping not only “build” the library of the Natural

History Museum, but make it in many cases the

only place or one of only a few places one can

find a copy of a rare book on zoology.

Sherborn Tidbits

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

Timeline for Index Animalium I

- began work in 1890

- published in October 1902

Sherborn Tidbits

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

Timeline for Index Animalium II

- began work in 1902?

- last part published in July 1933

Total time spent indexing animal

names from 1758 to 1850:

43 years

Sherborn Tidbits

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

The rarity of errors in the Index Animalium is a

testament to the thoroughness of the 11 years of

constant proofreading of Sherborn

However, there is one name omission

from a book he did see that is worthy

of note ...

There are some names omitted and

these are virtually all from works he

did not see and also include

subspecies he tended to ignore

Sherborn Tidbits

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

The work: Macquart (1834) “Histoire

Naturelle des Insectes. Diptères.”

The name: Laphria limbata Macquart

Sherborn Tidbits

• Bibliographies

• Catalogues

• Indexes

• Dating

Sherborn Tidbits

Sherborn and Our Future

• Leaders / Founders / ?Inspirations

– Neave

– Eschmeyer

– Thompson

Thanks!

Sherborn: Evenhuis - Charles Davies Sherborn and The Indexer’s Club

Education