Marian Aird, MA (Cantab) MA MSocInd

Location: Cussy en Morvan, France

Membership Grade: Advanced Professional Member

Contact Info

Phone: 0033 (0)385 546515
Mobile: 00 33 (0)6 21 43 94 90
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.marianaird.co.uk

Social Links

General Experience

I’ve been indexing for over ten years, specialising in biography, history, music, art, literature, current affairs and books of general interest.  Before becoming a freelance indexer I worked in libraries.  I live in France but work mainly for UK publishers and academics.

Subjects

European History

I have indexed major studies of the First and Second World Wars, the Franco-Prussian war, the French revolution, Italian politics, Russian history, histories of revolution and war, and historical biography.

British History

Books on British history range from Stone Age archaeological studies through Tudor and Stuart histories, 17th century religious dissent, the Scottish clearances, histories of London and an analysis of post-Brexit Britain.

Cultural Studies

I have indexed a wide range of books on aspects of cultural life and history, including books on women’s history, gender studies, publishing, social mobility and religious and political movements.

Economics

I recently provided the index to the updated Penguin History of Economics, as well as other books on economic growth and the history of economics.

Religious History

How Religion Evolved, by Robin Dunbar
Defining God, by Patrick Whitworth
And Did Those Feet, by Patrick Whitworth
The Catholics, by Roy Hattersley
Fields of Blood, by Karen Armstrong
The Encyclicals of Benedict XVI

Art History

I recently indexed The Story of Art without Men, by Katy Hessel. I’ve also indexed exhibition catalogues, books on art, aesthetics and architecture, and studies of Linda Nochlin and Jackson Pollock.

Music

I’ve indexed books on Scottish song, Korean Music drama, French piano music, organ recitals and 17th century French song, as well as biographies of Richard Wagner, Benjamin Britten, Michael Tippett and recently Paul McCartney’s Lyrics.

English Literature

Books on poetry, American literature, crime fiction, and on literary figures including Milton, T.S. Eliot, Mary Wesley and David Lodge.

Politics

I’ve indexed books on Greek and Roman politics, American politics, Middle Eastern politics, Marxism, the history of the Liberal Party, the European Union and Brexit. I’ve also indexed several political memoires, including those of Chris Patten and Harriet Harman.

Classical Studies

I’ve provided the index for the Pelican introduction to Greek and Roman Political Ideas, Roger Tomlin’s Britannia Romana, and Stephen Fry’s Heroes and Troy

Mental Health

Books on autism, depression, mental health and memory and women’s mental health.

Related qualifications

MA in Information Studies


Other skills

Cataloguing And Classification
MA in Information Studies
Former librarian/ cataloguer at the Jerwood Library for the Performing Arts, Trinity College of Music

Proofreading
I have proofread several of the books I've indexed, and also proof-edited various documents for local groups and individuals.

Recent indexes include

Peter Kemp, Retroland: a Reader’s guide to modern fiction, Yale University Press, 2023
Joachim Häberlen, Beauty is in the Street: Protest and Counter-culture in post-war Europe, Penguin Press, 2023
Rachel Chrastil, Bismarck’s War, Penguin Allen Lane, 2023
John Darlington, Amongst the Ruins: Why Civilizations collapse and Communities disappear, Yale University Press, 2022
Tim Blackburn, The Jewel Box: how moths illuminate Nature’s hidden rules, Orion publishing, 2023
Henry Sutton, Crafting Crime Fiction, University of East Anglia, 2023
Borg et al, Moral AI and how we get there, Pelican Books, 2023

Clients Include

Penguin Allen Lane
Penguin Press
Cornerstone
Folio Society
Yale University Press
Orion Publishing
Faber

Special Publication Type

Biographies/ Autobiographies

I have indexed biographies of Richard Wagner, Margaret Thatcher, Edward VII, Milton, T.S. Eliot, Emma Hamilton, Karl Marx, General De Gaulle, Charlemagne, Michael Tippett, Edward Grey, Josiah Wedgwood and George III.

I have also indexed memoirs of Chris Patten, Harriet Harman, David Jason and Annie Nightingale.

Catalogues

Germany: Memories of a Nation (catalogue of the British Museum exhibition)
The Encounter: Drawings from Leonardo to Rembrandt(National Portrait Gallery exhibition)
Emma Hamilton: Seduction & Celebrity (National Maritime Museum exhibition)

Diaries And Letters

My Beloved Man (personal correspondence of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears)
Darling Pol (personal correspondence of Mary Wesley and husband Eric Siepmann)

Directories And Yearbooks

Royal Society Yearbook (2016)

In-House Documents

London Underground Design Idiom (guide for design in new developments)
Health and Safety documents for the Construction Industry
Sustainability guides for the Construction Industry
Catalogue for Rolls Royce

Tools

SKY INDEX