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You will be reading each of these four experiential narratives just following this introduction; but suffice it to say that, in broad strokes, topics chosen include: pioneer women's narratives from 1820 to 1920; the imprints of and about the Hudson Valley in New York; the bibliographic and publication history of one book in particular, Francis Parkman's Oregon Trail; and all printed materials currently in the AE database about slavery printed in the 19th century and written by women, about women, and/or directed to women as a primary audience. However, we encourage you to read these not for their particular subjects, but to see how you too can use the AE Database to build your collection or to buy and sell books in fields of interest to you.

As you read these, we urge you to remember that this is a game that any of you can play for yourselves. Try it! Use the AE Database to form your own “wants” list for a collection. You might be surprised both about how fulfilling it is and about how much you learn about using the AE Database in the process!