By Michael Stillman

What could be better than a new book catalogue? How about a sale book catalogue? Oak Knoll Books has just issued its winter sale catalogue, and the discounts are substantial. All books are at least 20% off the published prices, 40% off if you order 5 or more, and as much as 50% off if you buy 50. Considering that there are 1,226 items listed in this catalogue, reaching that maximum is not impossible.

Oak Knoll specializes in “books about books.” You won’t find a lot of light reading here, but if you are a book collector, bookseller, librarian, historian, or researcher, the chances are there is something of interest. For those who work with a particular niche related to books, this may be the only place to find the books you need. For example, if you collect English opera books published between 1703 and 1726, where on earth are you going to find information relevant to your collection? The answer is right here in Oak Knoll’s catalogue. It’s item 592 and it’s called Opera and Song Books Published in England 1703-1726, a Descriptive Bibliography. There are 521 pages of bibliographic material on this esoteric subject. Priced at $125.

For those who collect Florida, and Florida once extended well beyond the boundaries of the current state, a valuable reference is A Bibliography of Florida 1507-1880 by James and Lana Serview. This is a two-volume reference of printed works in chronological order. The authors note it is a useful guide for those who want to trace Florida from its days as “a semi-tropical Xanadu in a state of nature to a densely-populated megapolis on the brink of environmental catastrophe.” Evidently the authors do not feel all change is for the better. Item 492. $450.

Then there’s a very extensive biography for Indiana collectors entitled Indiana Authors and Their Books 1816-1916… This covers 6,700 authors from Indiana’s first century of statehood. The coverage is so extensive that Oak Knoll warns of their “excessively generous definition of ‘Indiana author.’” Fortunately, there’s enough biographical material for the reader to determine which of these writers should qualify as truly “Indiana” authors. Item 612. $150.