Index

 Finding myself lately with little energy for more demanding work, thanks to a particularly stubborn 'bug', I have been compiling, at a leisurely pace, an Index of Names and Places (and a few other things) for that 'odd book', The Mother of Beauty. It's been a long time since it came out, and I don't suppose anyone cares any more, but I did feel, and still do, the lack of an index, and I know there were readers who felt the same. So now I've gone ahead and done it, and I must admit I rather enjoyed doing it; I found it quite a relaxing and even therapeutic occupation.
  It's a fairly basic index, with none of the fun and games that make some indexes such enjoyable reading – this one, for example (see para. 4), or indeed the index to that imperishable classic, Me Cheeta. Chapter 8 of that book is devoted to one of Cheeta's bêtes noires, Esther Williams – but the entire chapter has been 'removed for legal reasons', leaving only the title ('F*cking Bitch'). In the index, however, the entry for 'Williams, Esther' gives us a comprehensive rundown of the chapter in all its libellous glory. Clever stuff.
  My index, on the other hand, is purely utilitarian (though I did get a small thrill of pleasure from writing 'Parsons, Gram ....... 199'). It exists in the form of a PDF which can be sent as an attachment to anyone who might want it. Printed out, it amounts to four pages, which could tuck into the back of the book easily enough. If anyone is interested (a big 'if', I suspect), please email me (nigeandrew@gmail.com) and I'll reply with the index attached.