Search and Thee May Find - How to Find “Lost” Articles
- by Michael Stillman
Google finds “lost” article on Steve Forbes’ book auction.
That has nothing to do with Steve Forbes’ book collection. By searching for “Steve Forbes” in quotation marks, we only find listings for the combination of “Steve” and “Forbes” together. This reduces the number of responses we get by 80%, all the way down to 70,000, which is still far to many to look through.
Here’s the trick. First enter the URL or web address of the site you want to search. The URL is that funny looking name that shows up in the address bar of your browser. It usually starts with “www” (you can ignore the “http://” that precedes it). In the case of the Americana Exchange, the URL or web address is “www.americanaexchange.com.”
It is not necessary, but I recommend putting the URL in quotation marks, as this will help filter out extraneous results. So, the first thing you do is enter “www.americanaexchange.com” quotation marks and all, into the Google search box. Next, enter the plus sign, that’s “+” (without the quotation marks) after the URL. Finally, enter the word or phrase you are looking for, in this case “Steve Forbes” (complete with quotation marks). What you enter into the Google search field will look like this: “www.americanaexchange.com”+”steve forbes”. If you look at the picture with the first page of this article, you will see exactly how to do this.
Once you submit the preceding search to Google (click the “Google Search” button), you will get a short list of highly targeted results. While not always the case, the chances are good that you will only receive listings from this website. If you look at the image to your left, you will see those results. Two responses show up, both from the Americana Exchange website. The first is the article we have been searching for. Now we know why we couldn’t find it under “S” for “Steve” or “F” for “Forbes.” The full title of the article is “Portrait of the CEO/Politico as Collector: Chatting with Steve Forbes.” We should have looked under “P” for “portrait,” but who would have known?
You will also see a second listing for the Americana Exchange. That’s because Steve Forbes was mentioned in another AE Monthly article. Then below that Google says “In order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted some entries very similar to the 2 already displayed.” Normally, Google is used to show matches from numerous different sites, not multiple results from one site. Therefore, they cover up most matches from a single site. In this case, they have covered up a few more. Click the link below this which says “If you like, you can repeat the search with the omitted results included.” If you click this link, it will bring up every location on the site that contains your search terms.
Hopefully this will help you find those lost old articles from ÆMonthlyor other favorite sites when you need them.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/00d5fd41-2542-4a80-b119-4886d4b9925f.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.")
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
