The Gazette 1972

MI SCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Legal Authors, Law Librarians, Law

Publishers and Indexers

I suppose there are many of us who look with admira-

tion upon the authors of textbooks. We are but dimly

aware of the gallons of midnight oil burned in their

composition; we suspect that they are not too highly

remunerated; we have the faintest suspicion that they

must do it for knocks—as certain reviewers seem to go

out of their way to find something wrong about the

finished product. Nevertheless, the book that informs

the practitioner and instructs the student is a form of

public service, without which the wheels of justice,

instead of creaking so slowly, would probably stop

altogether.

Then I suppose that there are others among us who

look with envy upon the law librarian; there he is,

monarch of all he surveys, being able and expected to

dip into practically every book on his shelves, to better

advise and assist the users of the library.

Those who have been stuck on a point, and started a

paper-chase of going from volume to volume, getting

conflicting opinions from each but never entirely satis-

fied with any—and then having to give up because of

more pressing problems—must look at the calm and

dignified mien of the law librarian with envy. No mat-

ter how pressed he may be, he seems always the embodi-

ment of knowing where the answers are to he found,

with always yet another volume to come up with if

he existing one fails to meet expectations.

Also, there are those who actually sell law books.

Soniewat restricted as to geographical area, in the

triangle bounded by Lincoln's Inn Archway, Bell Yard

and Chancery Lane, possibly they are not so much to

he envied as to be pitied. For the bookseller ordinary,

it should have been said if it hasn't already that they

are the luckiest of men—"I wonder often what the

Vintners b u y / One half so precious as the stuff they

sell" But for law booksellers, it must he difficult for

them to wax enthusiastic about some of the titles they

sell—although, like law librarians, they must know

what they are about.

In my catalogue, we then come to the law publishers,

who as everyone knows, are virtually the book-makers

of the whole business. It is the law publisher who

decides it is time for a new hook on this, or a new

edition on that. Trying to think up subjects for a new

thesis is difficult enough, but I would suggest that one

of these days, a thesis on what actuates a law publisher

to bring out a new edition, might well prove a rather

fascinating exercise.

But all these are lost without an indexer. What use is

a law hook without an index? The index is the key to

the whole business. The law librarian will falter in his

stride if confronted by a book not properly indexed;

the author pales visiblv at any suggestion that he might

have to learn a highly specialised trade in order to

index the book himself; the law bookseller will look

rather like the Bateman cartoon—"The law book with-

out an index"—and will swoon (especially if he happens

to have bought any copies for resale).

No, look in whatever direction you may, the indexer

is the most important person involved in the production

of a law book. Without him, law books would be, to

some extent, somewhat meaningless exercises : the

needle in the haystack would be an appropriate analogy.

Doyen of legal indexers

What has all this got to do with me? Well, the other

day I met one.

I would like to call Mr. John Bray Freeman one of

the doyens of legal indexers, but he does not look old

enough to be doyen of anything.

Now I realise (as I am sure he does, he is such

a delightfully modest and charming person) that few

outside his own particular circle know and applaud hi»

as probably being one of the most important persons

involved with law books. In every day, in countless

offices especially in England and Wales, but also

throughout the world, there are unspoken tributes to

his skill and accuracy : he after all, does not only have

to index a work, but he has to read our minds to know

where we are going to look to find the item we require.

1'his must involve him in a sort of multi-clairvoyance :

every index can be prepared in literally hundreds of

ways, but to he intelligible, it must only be prepared

in one.

I saw him the other day when he came down to

Chichester to discuss a new project—I would like to

think it was a little daunting, even for Mr. Bray Free-

man. And may I say that every time we pick up either

Laws

Statutes,

English and Empire Digest, °

Paterson

or many other standard authorities, and

refer to the index, we may have to pay testimony to h

work. The latest count or "score" of current authorities

comprises 130 volumes, included among them being

Harris's

Criminal Jurisdiction

of Magistrates,

a new

edition of which is due out soon.

Now he is landed with the task of indexing the

annual volumes of the "J.P." from its inception in 1837-

Instead of blanching, as I know I would have done

the very thought, Mr. Bray Freeman satisfied himsen

with a remark of typical understatement: he said h

regarded it as an "interesting" task. The first volume is

to he for the eleven years 1960-1971, and he has alread>

started work on the project. He tells me that the secret

of a successful indexer is to concentrate upon a P

artl

cular work until it is finished—in this way, the thread

of continuity is maintained.

He is a former member of the bar, who disbarred

himself some years ago to help out the family firm

solicitors in Yorkshire. These days, he has retired corn*

pletely from legal practice, although I suppose he I

now an unspoken anonymous toast of practically ever>

practitioner who ever opens a law book. From now o*

I hope he will be a little less anonymous in their

minds-

I wonder how he will index this item? Probably

shall have to wait ten years to find out.

Justice of the Peace

(15th Jan. 197/)

120