Index Cards and a Shoebox or Two..

In the "real world", I make my living as a freelance book indexer and proofreader. I recently started a new project, indexing a World War II military history book, so my posts may be few and far between for a little while. I hope you'll bear with me. :)

Neat Vintage Office Supplies including Index Cards available from Sadieolive on Etsy.

This swell Vintage Index Card File Box is available from TheModShop on Etsy.

When I started my back-of-the-book indexing business in 1996, I actually used index cards, shoeboxes (for filing the cards alphabetically), and one of those old-timey word-processing typewriter thingies. Yes, I realize it was the 1996, not 1956, but it took several projects (and payments for those projects) before I could afford a computer. To be honest, I'm glad to have experienced indexing the "old-fashioned" way. It allowed me to develop a firm foundation in analyzing text and organizing information. The experience also gave me a great appreciation for those early book indexers who had to keep track of so many terms, concepts, and the connections between the two, primarily in the old noggin.

Amazing RED Royal Quiet De Luxe Typewriter available from RetroRubbish on Etsy.
(This is my dream typewriter - after all, it's red!)

Keen shiny Vintage Pencil Sharpener available from MoxieThrift on Etsy.


Time to sharpen my pencil and get back to work!