Froogle works best in finding relatively obscure items that you wouldn't know where to look for on the internet. Do you need a pith hat? You know, those rounded hats people wear on safaris, or at least, in safari movies. Where would you look for one of those? Answer: Froogle. It finds 23 primary listings, 20 of which are right on target. That’s enough to give you a choice of styles without overwhelming you. Froogle then provides a group of secondary listings, ones it is not quite sure whether they are on target. Many aren't, but you will also find a few more pith hats to buy in this group.
But, books aren't like pith hats. There are millions and millions of them out there, and you need to be able to target your searches or they won’t be of much use. This is where the book sites, specifically designed to search millions of titles to find the ones you want, have the advantage. Froogle simply isn't targeted very well for such a huge category as books.
So we conclude that Froogle is not there yet. It has not yet arrived. But, will Froogle one day evolve into a better book search site? Who knows? Google is a very quiet, almost secretive company. They carry a big stick, but speak very softly. Google will need to design a subsection of their Froogle search that's built specifically for books in order to equal the performance of the other sites. But, if they do, watch out. They have an enormous amount of web traffic, very skilled developers, and with a public stock offering expected shortly, will soon have lots of cash to spare. If they decide they want to be a leader in the book business, and that's a very big "if", it will be hard to stop them.
Any bookseller with a listing website who would like to see those listings show up in Froogle should visit this page to learn more: www.google.com/froogle/about.html. While Froogle may not be the best book searcher, the listings on your site currently may be visible only to those who go directly to your site, and that is probably only a tiny fraction of the book-buying public. Froogle may well be the best step you can take at this time toward increasing visibility. You will also find a downloadable set of instructions on how to feed your listings to Froogle to make sure they are captured in their searches. Go to www.google.com/froogle/merchants/feed_instructions_new.html to download the file. Alternatively, you can fill out the form on the following page and Froogle will send you instructions on how to proceed: http://service.google.com/froogle/merchant_email. You certainly can't hurt your sales by appearing on Froogle. And, if Froogle grows in importance in anything resembling the manner of its parent, Google, who knows? This could be the beginning of a rewarding lifelong relationship.
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…
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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. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
![<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.")
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
