I have a book coming out with the University of Nebraska Press. It has been a longtime coming. Three years to be precise (from dissertation defense to rehabbing it for publication). Editing a book is tedious, boring, and a risk to your self-confidence. You second guess your claims, your ideas, your writing–everything!
But this past week I have been crafting the book’s index (h/t to Dr. Elana Levine for guidance) and it has reenergized my belief in the book. It is an index that I am proud of because it represents the book that I always wished existed.
When the book comes out in July, I will have an accompanying website with images that didn’t make it into the book (note to new authors: any pictures you want published in a book, use an actual camera and not your phone).
For now, wouldn’t you love to see some of index entries? Great!
African American
bicycle advocates (subcategories include: focused on equity, mainstream, working with city government)
bicyclists (black, Latino, racing, Somali, upwardly mobile)
creative class
gentrification
invisible cyclists
neighborhoods
transportation
youth
phmelody 
I can’t wait! Looking forward to a volume that can ably ” [puncture] a general liberal, middle-class complacency over the implicitly assumed superiority of the bicycle.”
Thanks so much Jonathan!
Hi. Just want to say thanks for putting time into a useful index. I’m currently an nonworking librarian, former grad student, and fan of a well-done index. It’s something a lot of people don’t think about when finishing up a book. Even worse, they use an auto-indexing program and wind up with something that is not very useful. Your book sounds interesting, I’ve put it on my reading list.