Oregon Trail</i> Part II Finding Gems Along the Trail
- by Michael Stillman
AE Database Keyword Search Screen
By Mike Stillman
Last time, I began my search looking for one title, Francis Parkman’s classic Oregon Trail. The AE Database taught me how to distinguish one edition from another, and how to estimate what the value of this book should be. Armed with this information, I went to Abebooks.com and located half a dozen first editions for sale, some later editions with updated forwards printed during Parkman’s lifetime, and many much later and very cheap copies perfect for someone who wants to read this book rather than collect it.
Where do I go next? That’s easy. West, of course. Along the Oregon Trail. Like Parkman, I may never physically make it to Oregon, but in my imagination, the wagons are already hitched. Isn’t that what books let you do? So it’s back into the AE Database to locate a ticket for the next wagon train to Oregon.
When I was looking for information about Parkman’s Oregon Trail, I used the “Primary Search” in the AED. This allows you to search for specific authors and titles. This time, I want to find more books about the Oregon Trail, but I don’t yet know their authors or titles. So instead I will use the more general “Keyword Search.” This allows me to locate any book or other material that mentions the Oregon Trail anywhere in its description. And, remembering that Parkman’s book was actually called The California and Oregon Trail, I’m going to add “California Trail” to my search for “Oregon Trail.” And “Mormon Trail,” as many of the Mormon pioneers traversed at least part of this trail before veering off to Utah. I just enter “Oregon Trail,” “California Trail,” and “Mormon Trail,” each separated by a “/” (a slash, database-ese for “or”) into my "Keyword Search" and all listings for any of these trails come up.
What I find are 226 listings, though well-known titles, such as Parkman’s, have multiple records. I’m looking for the early ones. Many books have been written about the Oregon Trail after the fact. I’m looking for the occasional book or document printed while these pioneers were still traversing the trail, not the interstate. Immediately one title stands out. It’s a Journal of Travels over the Rocky Mountains, to the mouth of the Columbia River; Made during the years 1845 and 1846; Containing minute descriptions of the Valleys of the Willamette, Umpqua, and Clamet; A general description of Oregon Territory; its inhabitants, climate, soil, productions… Enough already! Titles were too long back then. I can’t repeat all of this each time I mention this book, so we’ll describe it simply by the author’s name: Joel Palmer.
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. 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>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.")
