Cordell Pre-1901 Collection of Dictionaries

Subject Terms Used

The subject terms used in the Cordell Pre-1901 database are offered as a selective and simplified guide to the holdings of the collection. They are neither exhaustive nor standardized. We apologize beforehand for the inherent inadequacy of this approach, especially since the searchable title field is both limited to 255 characters in search length and frequently short to the extent of being of little use. A formal, online cataloging project is underway, but it is years away from completion, so the data in some parts of the current database may be enhanced from time to time, based on perceived needs or user requests.

The subject terms themselves are limited to a 255-character field and are listed together separated by semicolons. The terms are based on standard terms found in online catalogs and on emphases that seem particular to dictionaries and other word books. However, the terms used were as broad as possible to include similar items. It is hoped that familiarity with the works by specialists will not require subject indexing that is probably unsupportable in the current database. Finally, some terms are derived advertisements or claims made by the works themselves which may not borne out by content. This approach was highly selective and the product of more than one individual, so while perhaps useful for certain kinds of historical research, we cannot claim that even the same work in subsequent editions will be treated completely similarly. A great deal of review needs to be undertaken to make the database both more useful and reliable.

Explanatory remarks in brackets or parentheses should be ignored in searching. Proper names are in all caps on the list to make them stand out; the search online engine ignores case. For convenience, grammars of languages are cross-listed both on this list and on the language listing. As well, there are subject headings, e.g., "at head" or "association copy," that are designed to facilitate off-line searching by staff of fields currently unavailable to the public. If you have queries about particular terms with respect to a title or titles, please inquire (see below).

An effort is made to achieve accuracy and to keep this listing up to date. Please report any errors or ask questions with the provided form. A browser-based e-mail link is available at the bottom of the page. You may call the department at 812 237-2610 with inquiries as well.

Cordell Pre-1901 Dictionaries Etc. Searchable database
Access by author, title, subject/language, publication data, or date.
You may also browse authors.

Terms
abbreviations
aborigines
added foreign
added tp [added title page]
AESCHYLUS
agriculture
alchemy
ALASKA
allusions
alphabets
americanisms
anatomy
anecdotes
antiquities
antonyms
aphorisms
appendix
ARAM
archaic
archeology
architecture
ARISTOTLE
art
association copy [inscription by a notable person; from a famous library, etc.]
astronomy
at head [text appears before title on title page]
ATHENS
atlas
attributed
[authorship is assigned to what would otherwise might be a title entry] authors
b/w [bound with another work or works]
bib file [document or documents of interest were found in the item]
bible
bibliography
biography
birds
BOCCACCIO
borrowings
BOSTON
botany
BROCKHAUS
BURNS
BYRON
c15 [15th-century publication]
c16 [16th-century publication]
c17 [17th-century publication]
c18 [18th-century publication]
c19 [19th-century publication]
c20 [20th-century publication; completes an earlier range or is a facsimile reprint]
c21 [facsimile reprint of a pre-1901 imprint]
c-eng [English only or primarily in work or works]
c-for [not a primarily English-language work]
c-see [a "see" or "see also" reference to another name form or title]
CAESAR
cant
catalog
CHAUCER
chemistry
chronology
CICERO
classic
clergy
collection
colloquialisms
concordance
conversation
cookery
correspondence
counting
court
cryptography
CUBA
customs
DANTE
[date or date range; ####, ####-## or ####-#### when dates cross century]
dates [contains listings of dates; similar to chronology with other emphasis]
deaf
decorum
dialects
dialog
DICKENS
diction
DON QUIXOTE
drama
eclogues
encyclopedia
engineering
England
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
epigrams
epitaphs
epithets
etiquette
etymology
fables
facing title
facsimile
farriery
fishing
folklore
friends
GALEN
gazetteer
genealogy
gentlemen ["women" is the corresponding term for the opposite sex, based on usage in most works]
geography
geology
geometry
glossary
glosses
government
grammar
GREECE
GREEK GRAMMAR
GUATAMALA
gypsies
handwriting
heraldry
HERODOTUS
hieroglyphics
HIPPOCRATES
history
home economics
HOMER
homonyms
horticulture
humor [not satire, instead comedy or comic]
husbandry
idioms
ILIAD
illustrations
image [an image of a page or entire document may be selected in the item view]
incunable [identifies a book published before 1501; more specific than c15]
index
INDIA [see also gypsies]
indians
inscriptions
insults
jargon
jewelry
KIPLING
language
LATIN GRAMMAR
law
lexicography
lexicon
lists [contains lists, and "list" may appear in title or subtitle]
literature
LONDON
LOUISIANA
love
MAJORCA
manufacturing
manuscripts
maps
marginalia [book contains marginalia as feature]
marine
MARTIAL
math
maxims
measures
medicine
metallurgy
metonyms
MEXICO
MIDDLE AGES
military
mineralogy [includes "mining"]
miniature collection [refers to a collection of miniature dictionaries]
miniature johnson [refers to small, handbook-size S. Johnson dictionaries, few of which are genuine miniatures]
mixed ed. [a set made up of more than one edition; may have been sold this way by booksellers or publisher]
mnemonics
MOLIERE
money
monuments
mottoes
music
mythology
names [either deals with names as subject or contains listings of names, including place names]
NAPLES
natural history
n.d. [used to signify books without a known publication date or "circa" dates]
new19## [fiscal year when a book was acquired, beginning in 1993/94]
new20## [fiscal year when a book was acquired from 2000 onward]
NEW ZEALAND
nicknames
nomenclature
numismatics
obsolete [deals with out-of-date language]
ODYSSEY
OED [aggregate Oxford English dictionaries regardless of title]
OREGON
other title [information about versions of main title or other titles, e.g., series, cover]
paronyms
pasigraphy
PETRARCH
pharmacology
philology
philosophy
phonography
phonology
phrases
picturesque
PINDAR
plans
PLAUTUS
poetry [contains or treats poetry; includes prosody, poetics, etc.]
politics
prefixes
pronunciation
proverbs
provincialisms
pseudonym
punctuation
quotes
RABELAIS
religion
reporters
rhetoric
rhyming
ROME
ROUSSEAU
rpt [the work is a reprint; may or may not be a facsimile if reprinted before 1901]
runes
sample [selection(s) published to advertise works]
science
SCOTLAND
semantics
series
SHAKESPEARE
shorthand
SICILY
slang
sobriquets
speeches
spelling
sports
study
suffixes
surgery
SWIFT
SWITZERLAND
symbols
synonyms
syntax
TALMUD
teaching
technology
TERENCE
textbook
textiles
theology
THEOPHRASTUS
title entry
topography
trade
translation
transportation
tropes
TUSCANY
usage
verbs
VICTORIUS
VIRGIL
vocabulary
VOLTAIRE
volume title
vulgar
weights
WEST INDIES
with [a separate publication issued & bound with another or others]
women
writing [the nature or history of the act of writing, not style]
zoology

Cordell Pre-1901 Dictionaries Etc. Searchable database
Access by author, title, subject/language, publication data, or date.
You may also browse authors.

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