Notes and Queries, Index to Eighth Volume, July-December 1853 by Various

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Notes and Queries, Index to Eighth Volume, July-December 1853 by Various

(9 User reviews) 4874

By John White Posted on Dec 22, 2025

In Category - Flight Science

Authors: Various Published By : Various

Book Language: English

Ever wondered what people in 1853 were curious about? This isn't a storybook—it's a time capsule disguised as an index. It's the table of contents for six months of a Victorian-era Q&A magazine called 'Notes and Queries.' People wrote in asking about everything: strange local customs, the origins of old sayings, historical mysteries, and odd facts. Flipping through it is like overhearing the conversations of an entire century. You won't find a plot, but you will find the raw, unfiltered questions that were on everyone's mind right before the modern world took off. It’s surprisingly addictive.

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Amateur Photographer on precision in photographic processes, 301. Amcotts' pedigree, 387. 518. American names, 638. Americus on "Vox populi vox Dei," 494. Amicus (Veritatis) on quadrille, 441. * "Amor nummi," the author, 149. Ampers _and_ (&), its derivation, 173. 223. 254. 327. 376. 524. Anathema, maran-atha, 100. Anderson (Dr. James), notices of, 198. 326. Anderson (James), his Historical Essay, 347. André (Major) noticed, 174. 277. 399. 604. 643. * Andrew's (St.) Priory Church, Barnwell, 80. Andrews (Alex.) on Anna Lightfoot, 281. ---- Irish rhymes, 602. ---- poetical tavern signs, 627. Angel-beast, a game, 63. * Animal prefixes, 270. Anne (Queen), her motto, 174. 255. 440. Anon on camera obscura, early notices of, 41. ---- Dodo Bardolf, 605. ---- door-head inscriptions, 162. ---- epitaph on Tuckett's wife, 274. ---- inscriptions in books, 153. 652. ---- manliness, its meaning, 127. ---- "peg" or "nail" for an argument, 561. ---- Sir John Vanbrugh, 65. ---- "Virgin wife and widowed maid," 56. ---- "When the maggot bites," 244. Anonymous names and real signatures, 5. 94. 181. ANONYMOUS WORKS:-- André, a tragedy, 174. * Blockheads, 174. * British Empire, Present State of, 174. * Convent, an elegy, 172. Days of my Youth, 467. Delights for Ladies, 495. De Omnibus Rebus et quibusdam aliis, 569. Devil on Two Sticks in England, 413. * Donatus Redivivus, 492. Doveton, a novel, 127. 517. Elijah's Mantle, 295. 453. * Fast Sermon in 1779, 174. * History of Jesus Christ, 386. Indians, a tragedy, 174. * Jerningham, a novel, 127. 517. Les Lettres Juives, 541. * Lessons for Lent, &c., 150. Liturgy of the Ancients, 588. Man with Iron Mask, 112. Match for a Widow, 174. * Mitre and the Crown, 80. * National Prejudice opposed to Interest, 174. Pætus and Arria, 219. 374. * Poems published at Manchester, 388. Preparation for Martyrdom, 152. * Professional Poems by a Professional Gentleman, 244. Rock of Ages, 81. * Watch, an ode, 174. Whole Duty of Man, 564. Anstruther (Mr.) on the authorship of Jerningham and Doveton, 517. Antecedents, its use as a plural, 439. Anti-Barbarus on Latin termination -anus, 386. Antipodes, what day at our Antipodes? 102. 479. 648. Antiquaries, Society of, changes proposed, 45. Antiquary on Sir Arthur Aston, 480. -anus, quantity of the Latin termination, 386. 552. Applauding, national methods of, 6. A. (P. T.) on Park the antiquary, 8. * Aquinas (Thomas) lines by, 366. Arademaravasadeloovaradooyou, its meaning, 651. Aram (Eugene), his Comparative Lexicon, 255. Archæological Institute, annual meeting, 45. Aristotle's checks, 97, 98. A. (R. J.) on naming infants in Scotland, 468. Armorial bearings, modern practice of assuming, 50. Arms, battle-axe, 113. Arms of ladies borne in a lozenge, 37. 83. 277. 448, 652. Arnim (Bettina), her German-English, 437. * Arrow-mark found in North Devon, 440. Arrowsmith (W. R.) on misunderstood words, 120. Arterus on Shakspeare's Seven Ages, 384. Arthur (King) in the form of a raven, 618. Arun on Letters respecting Hougomont, 293. ---- Shakspeare on the winds, 338. * Ash-trees attractive to lightning, 493. Astolpho on slang expression, 89. Aston (J. W.) on a mistletoe query, 621. Aston (Sir Arthur) noticed, 126. 302. 480. 629. Astrology in America, 561. Ath Chliath on chimney-piece emblem, 219. * Athenæus, fragments in, versions of, 104. Attwood (Wm.), his book burnt, 347. Audley (Lord), his attendants at Poictiers, 494. 573. Audoënus (Johannes) _alias_ John Owen, 495. Augusta on orange blossom, 341. Authors' aliases and initials, 124. ---- remuneration of, 81. Autobiographical sketch, 350. Autumnal tints, 490. Awkward, its etymology, 310. 438. 602. B. B. on the small City Companies, 470. ---- "Corporations have no souls," &c., 587. ---- digest...

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Let's be clear: this is an index. It's not a novel. 'Notes and Queries, Index to Eighth Volume' is literally the compiled reference list for a popular Victorian periodical that ran from 1853. The original magazine was a crowdsourced knowledge hub—a sort of pre-internet forum where readers sent in questions and other readers attempted to answer them.

The Story

There's no narrative here. Instead, you get a categorized list of every topic discussed from July to December 1853. The 'story' is in the subjects themselves. One entry might point you to a debate on the origin of the word 'quiz.' Another leads to an inquiry about a forgotten folk song. There are questions about heraldry, ghost stories, archaeological finds, and corrections to published histories. It's a snapshot of a society figuring out its own past and present, one query at a time.

Why You Should Read It

I love this for the sheer humanity of it. Reading the index entries feels like walking through a bustling intellectual marketplace. You see what puzzled people, what they valued enough to write down and ask about. It reveals the gaps in common knowledge 170 years ago. The charm is in the specificity—these aren't grand philosophical questions, but the small, gritty details of daily life and lore that someone desperately wanted to understand.

Final Verdict

This is a niche pick, but a fascinating one. It's perfect for history buffs who enjoy primary sources, writers looking for authentic period detail, or anyone with a deep curiosity about how people thought in the past. Don't read it cover-to-cover; dip in and out. Let your eye catch a strange phrase and imagine the conversation that followed. It's a book for browsers, detectives, and time travelers.

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