Booksellers' and Auction Catalogs
Another collection important to the history of the American
book trades is that of booksellers' and book auctioneers'
catalogs which include examples from the beginnings of the American
wholesale and retail book trades. Catalogs issued through 1840 are fully
cataloged online. Those that appeared to the present are not cataloged
and are filed alphabetically by firm name.
Recently, a good deal of interest has been expressed in making
these voluminous and almost impenetrable sources of book history
better available through compiling and filming of complete runs of
a firm's catalogs.
The Society published Robert B. Winans's Descriptive Checklist
of Book Catalogues Separately Printed in America, 1694-1800
in 1981. It also expects to publish Winans's companion work, a
checklist of book catalogues printed in newspapers. His work and
George L. McKay's American Book Auction Catalogues, 1713-1934
(New York, 1937), introduced by Clarence S. Brigham, provide
annotated guides to AAS holdings.
- Marcus A. McCorison, President Emeritus; updated by Joanne
Chaison, Research Librarian.
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Selection of catalogs
Catalogue of Mr. John A. Rice's Library
Catalogue of Mr. John A. Rice's Library
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For current information on the cataloging status of this and
other AAS collections, choose "Collection Access" below.
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