Online searches are in the midst of a tectonic shift. eBay has made an intelligent science of sequential keyword searches by providing a single search field and the ability to build a string of terms that quickly narrow results to a few useful ones. In the hands of even the inexperienced such searches become highly intuitive once you realize you can do this. Adding the second term is an epiphany. Google does the same thing but is suffering through a period of irrelevant matches because it can not impose many limits on the content it searches. On eBay the lions are caged because listings are created in the eBay format. On Google they roam free in every form imaginable. Sites such as eBay that control the data fields have the ability to parse and search accurately and fast. Recently we added sequential searching to our keyword search and it works well. It in effect mimics the eBay intuitive search and is an important enhancement that's worth testing. On eBay you see material as it pours into the market. On AE, using this enhanced keyword search you see the past just as clearly. Because it is difficult for sellers to set starting prices and buyers to know what to bid, an intuitive historical approach is very useful to all participants. It is also very fast.
To begin with let's ask and answer the question "why should this matter to me?" On the net there are many ways to accomplish searches. In the AED, our database of almost 1.4 million full text records, we provide two ways to access data: via Keyword and Advanced Search. In Keyword you type in a term or two and search for records that contain these references. You can then add more terms to the same search to narrow results. It's fast so a trial and error approach is practical. It works well for the novice and even better for the pro. It's a violin or harmonica depending on your experience. Begin with a single term and add others to reduce matches to a manageable number. To add another term simply close the pop-up results window by clicking on the X in the upper right hand corner. The search screen is in the background and will again be visible. Then add another term and search again. The field progressively narrows!
If you are a member sign-in and select KEYWORD SEARCH from the menu that runs down the left side of the screen. If you aren't yet a member sign up for a $7.95 one week trial. Click here. Upgrade anytime during the week to regular membership and receive full credit toward a $14.75 monthly membership.
Keyword Search Preliminary Results Page with links to additional information
These searches are quick and unlimited so trial and error is a practical approach. Open search results by clicking on the blue links in the description field. Obtain instant estimates of current value simply by selecting records and clicking Get Current Estimate. It's that fast. All records are individually adjusted to current value, all selected records totaled and their estimates averaged. Any records found to be inappropriate can be deleted and the average current value re-estimated.
For members who wish to either buy or sell this or a similar item a GET AE Keyword link is also provided. Selecting this option calculates the frequency of appearance of terms in all selected descriptions and the resulting list becomes a term guide for keyword matches for buyers and a reference list for sellers building descriptions. It is very fast and useful.
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.")
