Rare Book Monthly
Search Me!
BFS: A Quick Search
By Bruce McKinney
A web site that starts out as a database, develops recurring searches and daily reports, adds electronic footnoting, an inventory system and in 2006 a listing site can be accused of being over-reaching. On AE we've done all these things. For the past six months we have been shifting to faster production servers that use more processors and more current software. A week ago we substantially completed the first stage of this transition and the evidence is on display in Books for Sale.
As before there are both Keyword and Advanced searches. In both cases we have added a field to specify price range. Some collectors want only expensive material and others only bargains.
Experience has shown that examinations of search results beyond the first 1,000 matches almost never occur so we are limiting results to 1,500 matches and providing intensive ways to easily narrow search results to the 15 to 50 results that most people want. The search tools are designed to bring up the matches that most accord with your preferences.
Take a moment to try out the revised searches. If you a collector this is a good place to find interesting material that can be purchased in a commission-free environment. If you are a dealer or a collector looking to sell, this is one more fast and convenient tool for to connecting with buyers.
