By Bruce McKinney

The internet these days is like a baby tiger: interesting and far less intimidating than it will become in the years ahead. AE enters its third year officially at 12:01 am PST on September 3rd. During the past two years we have come to know the tiger reasonably well. We look to the future with anticipation.

For those who do not know much about AE, the book and ephemera search and ...more

By Bruce McKinney

This month we have added 41,332 [of 809,092] records to the Americana Exchange Database that now numbers more than 800,000 full text entries. Seven hundred and eighty-one of them are the contents of Michael Brown's catalogues No. 21 and 24 issued in 2001 and 2002. These records are provided here in a simplified search format for AEM readers to peak at the monolithic database that is every day ...more

By Bruce McKinney

Mao Tse Tung said that every journey begins with a single step. For James Servies, who in the midst of his library career took on the construction of two important bibliographies, there have been two long journeys and thousands of entries that ensure that both his bibliographical projects and his name will resonate with scholars, book dealers and collectors long into the future. These projects are the Bibliography ...more

by Renée Magriel Roberts

To begin with a quick question, how many of you have a "favorite poem" that you can quote at least some portion of from memory? Most of you? I thought so. And I'd be willing to bet good money that in virtually every case this particular poem is rhymed and metrical. Good poetry sings to us, and memorable poetry sings very well indeed. The human brain seems to be wired for rhythm, for ...more

By Michael Stillman

There are two sides to every internet sales story, buyer and seller. Most of what you read is taken from the seller's perspective. How many customers visit the site, how easy is it to upload your material, and most importantly, how much do they charge? This month we look from a different perspective, the buyer's. Not just any buyer. No, we take it from the slow-learning technophobic easily confused buyer's ...more

By Michael Stillman

A new online exhibition that will intrigue followers of Lewis Carroll has opened on the Library of Congress website. Carroll, of course, is the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. They are the works of a most unusual mind, reality warped into fantasy that still sucks us in today. However, that mind lived in a very different reality from the one we now know. ...more

By Michael Stillman

Vermont bookseller John Waite Rare Books is offering an eclectic collection of "Books & Ephemera" in their recently released tenth catalogue. While some of the material reflects their northern New England location, there are also items you can't help but wonder how they made their way to Vermont. Perhaps it is because Vermont has long been a vacation spot or place for second homes. Here are a few of ...more

By Michael Stillman

Hordern House, a major Australian bookseller, has issued its catalogue for 2004. While most of what Hordern House offers has an Australian connection, many items connect with other areas of the world. This is not surprising as much of the material pertains to exploratory voyages that visited many other lands as well. Americana collectors in particular will be pleased to find that there are many items ...more

By Bruce McKinney

On the 200th anniversary of the death of Alexander Hamilton [1757-1804], at the hands of Aaron Burr, Ron Chernow, the exceptional biographer, has issued a riveting account of this storied life. His book is simply Alexander Hamilton. To many Hamilton is simply an image on the US ten dollar bill but his story is an essential piece of the early American mosaic.

If Hamilton does not quite ...more

By Michael Stillman

King and Queen Books is a bookseller specializing in works from or about their home state of Florida. Many people think of Florida strictly in terms of winter beach resorts, orange trees, and theme parks, but there is much more. King and Queen is actually located far from what most people think of as Florida, in Pensacola, almost 700 miles from Miami, in that area variously known as the "Panhandle," "West ...more

By Michael Stillman

This month we are reviewing our first catalogue from Joseph Rubinfine, although it is his list number 150. Rubinfine specializes in American historical autographs and manuscripts. This particular list is a collection of manuscripts from the American Revolution, all coming from the period from 1775-1783. Most are from military figures, all the way from letters home from an enlisted soldier to messages ...more

By Michael Stillman

Oak Knoll Books, the "books about books" specialist, has recently issued its 256th catalogue. This one is divided into two sections, books about books, and bibliography and reference material. Most of these books are targeted to very specific niches, but there are also some with broader appeal. Here are just a few examples.

Americans are generally only familiar with the American Revolution from ...more

By Michael Stillman

This season marks the 25th year of bookselling for Bernard Shapero, and he celebrates that anniversary with a catalogue as gorgeous as many of the books listed therein. That is no small accomplishment as most of the items offered are illustrated books from the 18th and 19th century and the artistry is at times phenomenal. Shapero begins with a brief recounting of his career, from a 16-year-old beginner to ...more

By Michael Stillman

We recently received the Spring 2004 catalogue from Willow Bend Books. There are several thousand titles in this catalogue, so we imagine, even if this is a bit late for spring, that there are still a few left.

This is not a catalogue of old and rare books. Some undoubtedly meet those requirements, particularly "rare," but this is a catalogue for those interested in genealogy and local history, ...more