The Indians, or Narratives of Massacres and Depredations on the Frontier...by A Descendant of the Hugenots, Rondout: N.Y., 1846.
Our database approach is very aggressive. To explain this I’ ll provide some background. One way to build a database is to scan pages and then convert the text using optical character recognition (OCR) into searchable fields. At first, we attempted this method, but OCR is not perfect, particularly with older texts and archaic type faces. The result is that scanning works well if you want to create a picture of a page from a book, but not so well if you want to create a sort-able, searchable database of information from that book.
Another alternative, and one accessible to anyone who uses ABE, is to employ a series of fields, typically up to six, and to input data. These fields are searchable and these searches are very fast. You need to know what you are looking for. When you do, you can find it quickly. Our approach also employs fields. We parse our data into 49 fields and manually enter the data. This is both expensive and bibliographically complex. That is why the majority of our team are bibliographers with backgrounds in library science and special collections work. But what becomes possible, over time and with patience and the help of our members, is the grand slam of bibliographical projects the reconstruction of the past. Here is what we are going to try to do. We begin by developing a comprehensive list of bibliographical sources. We then add their information to the database. Parsed into very small pieces, we then use a complex set of search combinations to extract from the data information that essentially has been lost to view to all but a few people. How complex? We provide 20 searchable fields all of which are searchable individually and in any combination with other fields, some of which accept ranges. The number of theoretical possibilities is enormous. Over time, we will develop screens for the most popular methods of searching. In the beginning, members will use our tools and their imaginations to develop their own sorting parameters.
Having said this, I need to quickly tell you that it will take time for our bibliographers to elaborate the fields in our database to meet our high standards. Here is one immediate possibility. Search a date range: say, 1775 to 1830 and by a particular printer who may have printed material in 3 or 4 locations. Instantly, you obtain a rich list of material this printer produced. Youll be able to bring up everything we have and then develop a list of potentially collectable books. With this list created, you can then upload these book details to a variety of listing sites as a wants list. Many don't charge and will let you keep the list posted for a year. You may or may not buy what you find but it is certain that material will come up. In doing this you will be pursuing a personal goal known only to yourself. Over time, material will emerge from unexpected places.
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…
Rare Book Hub is now mobile-friendly!
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.")
