Samuel Ayscough
Encyclopedia
Samuel Ayscough was a librarian
and indexer, known as 'The Prince of Indexers'.
Ayscough was a cataloguer in the British Museum
in the late 18th century, and spent two years working on a catalogue of the manuscript collection. He accumulated over 20,000 slips of paper in compiling this, which he published as A Catalogue of the Manuscripts preserved in the British Museum Hitherto Undescribed (London, 1782).
Ayscough is also remembered as the writer of the first concordance
to Shakespeare. Entitled An Index to the Remarkable Passages and Words Made Use of by Shakespeare; Calculated to Point out the Different Meanings to Which the Words are Applied, it was published by John Stockdale in 1790.
He also compiled a General index to the fifty-six volumes of the Gentleman's Magazine from its commencement in the year 1731, to the end of 1786. He died in 1804 in the British Museum.
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
and indexer, known as 'The Prince of Indexers'.
Ayscough was a cataloguer in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
in the late 18th century, and spent two years working on a catalogue of the manuscript collection. He accumulated over 20,000 slips of paper in compiling this, which he published as A Catalogue of the Manuscripts preserved in the British Museum Hitherto Undescribed (London, 1782).
Ayscough is also remembered as the writer of the first concordance
Concordance
Concordance can mean:* Concordance , a list of words used in a body of work, with their immediate contexts* Concordance , the presence of the same trait in both members of a pair of twins...
to Shakespeare. Entitled An Index to the Remarkable Passages and Words Made Use of by Shakespeare; Calculated to Point out the Different Meanings to Which the Words are Applied, it was published by John Stockdale in 1790.
He also compiled a General index to the fifty-six volumes of the Gentleman's Magazine from its commencement in the year 1731, to the end of 1786. He died in 1804 in the British Museum.