2 JUNE 1888, Page 25

Index to Shakspere. By E. M. O'Connor. (Began Paul, Trench,

and Co.)—Miss O'Connor claims for her "Index" that it combines the perfections of various preceding indexes, and not their imper- fections. Even if we allow such a result to have been attained, there still remains much that is similar to them and much that is superfluous. Those who really pretend to study Shakespeare, should not require a dictionary of phrases and topics to quicken an inefficient memory. To us, those portions of her " Index " which are due to others, such as estimates of characters, the histories of

the dramas, and the construction of the plots, appear to possess most value. It is these extracts which serve to relieve the monotony of an index partly verbal and partly topical.