Volume 12, Number 2 · January 30, 1969
The IBM Shakespeare
By Frank Kermode
A Complete and Systematic Concordance to the Works of Shakespeare
by Marvin Spevack
Georg Olms, Hildesheim, six volumes: Vol. I, The Folio Comedies, 1333 pp., $29.50
In the old days only the Bible rated a concordance, for in it alone every word counted; as late as Johnson's Dictionary the word is defined as meaning 'a book which shows in how many texts of Scripture any word occurs.' There were numerous biblical concordances, but the one everybody knows about is Cruden's. Alexander Cruden, a contemporary of Johnson's, known as Alexander the Corrector from his trade of proofreader, published in 1737 the work from which he expected fame. There were signs that even before he started the book he was not quite right in the head, but disappointment at its failure to make his fortune drove him madder, so that in later life he became a rather well-liked, serious, and useful nut about town. A poor return for making so big a concordance by hand is surely enough to drive anybody out of his mind.
Review, 2387 words
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