* Resources for Book Research *
This is a list of very general resources intended to help get you started in researching books as artifacts
and to give you a sense of some of the angles that can be taken. Bear in mind that there are many more
resources available that may be more specific to the type of book or component of a book that you are
working with. All of these resources may be found in the stacks of the Winterthur Library, or accessed
through our computers.
PROVENANCE RESEARCH
Z921 P36
Pearson, David. Provenance Research in Book History.
 Overview of research techniques and resources for researchers who are trying to identify previous
owners from inscriptions, bookplates, binding stamps, or other marks.
Ownership file in Winterthur Library rare book room
 Card file that records presence of signatures and bookplates of previous owners of books in the rare
book collection. Cross-referenced with title and call number of book.
 Also, ask librarians for assistance with shelf list, a card file that includes bookseller or donor’s
name and value for each book added to the collection through late 1990s.
AUTHORITY FILES
Worldcat (Available through UD databases)
 A union catalog for over 1.3 billion items held at 10,000 libraries worldwide.
 Use to compare the descriptions of various libraries by linking through to their catalog records.
 Check for information on other editions / publishers, copies held by other libraries.
 Link through record to records of other libraries from ore information on specific copies.
 Pay attention to the citations fields in records, i.e. “Evans, 38093”, which will direct you to
reference sources
Library of Congress Authority Headings:
http://authorities.loc.gov/
 Used to ascertain authoritative names, titles and subject headings, i.e. if author is listed on title
page as Mrs. Lee Smith, may be cross-referenced to Smith, Sarah B. (Sarah Borders), 1907-.
BIOGRAPHICAL RESOURCES
Useful for looking up names of non-famous people included in book inscriptions:
Ancestry Library Edition (Available through UD databases)
 Genealogical and historical resources, including images of the decennial U.S. census from 17901930, which may be useful in researching names in inscriptions, information about obscure
authors, engravers, etc.
American Ancestors (http://www.americanancestors.org/home.html)
 Sponsored by the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and as such, provides tools useful
for researching records of lives of New Englanders.
 Available on Winterthur’s campus
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Also consider printed census indexes and city directories (esp. if you know the person’s location).
WATERMARKS
TS1115 G77
Gravell, Thomas. American Watermarks, 1690-1835.
 For American papermakers only.
International Association of Paper Historians
http://www.paperhistory.org/database.htm
 A list of links to online watermark databases
BOOKPLATES
Z994 E58br.
Howe, E.R. J. Gambier. Catalogue of British and American Bookplates… London: 1903-4.
 The standard bibliography for bookplates. Identifies over 35,000 British and American bookplates
arranged alphabetically by owners’ names. Provides a description of the style for each, but includes
very few illustrations.
Z994 A51e
Evans, Clara Therese. A census of bookplate collections in public, college and university libraries in
the United States. 1938
 Compiled from a survey of public and academic libraries in the U.S.
Z994 A51a 1968
Allen, Charles Dexter, 1865-1926. American Book-Plates: a Guide to Their Study. 1968.
Winterthur Library digital collection of bookplates
http://content.winterthur.org/index.php
 A collection of over 300 engraved and hand-drawn bookplates including those of individuals,
colleges, and circulating libraries in a variety of styles. Personal bookplates in the 1700s featured
coats of arms and heraldic emblems that symbolized owners' wealth and lineage. Noted American
engravers, among them Nathaniel Hurd, Peter Rushton Maverick, Joseph Callender, and Amos
Doolittle, designed these elaborate plates. Bookplates in the 1800s and 1900s showed more
allegorical and pictorial subjects. In the early 1900s, artist Louis Rhead designed plates with
allegorical figures and garden scenes.
DECIPHERING PENMANSHIP
Z40 S92
Stryker-Rodda, Harriet. Understanding Colonial Handwriting
BIBLIOGRAPHIES & CHECKLISTS
Ref. PN4877 M92.
Mott, Frank Luther. A History of American Magazines. (1741-1930).
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Ref. Z232 F82m
Miller, Clarence William. Benjamin Franklin's Philadelphia Printing, 1728-1766; a descriptive
bibliography. 1974.
Ref. Z1215 E92
Evans, Charles. American Bibliography; a Chronological Dictionary of All Books, Pamphlets, and
Periodical Publications Printed in the United States of America from the Genesis of Printing in 1639
Down to and Including the Year 1820.
 Each volume includes an introductory section with historical notes on the time period being
covered by that volume
 Some auction values are included
 Supplements have since been published by other authors
 Digital versions of the books described in Evans may be found online in the Early American
Imprints database:
Early American Imprints, Series I, Evans, 1639-1800.
o “History of Printing” tab allows browsing by bookseller, printer, and publisher names.
Z1215 E92b
Bristol, Roger. Index of Printers, Publishers, and Booksellers Indicated by Charles Evans in His
American Bibliography. 1961
 Intended as a supplemental index to Evans’ American Bibliography, whose index only covers
authors and titles.
Z1231 A48o
Early American Almanacs: the Phelps Collection, 1679-1900.
Z6520 F28 / Z6520 F47
Literary Annuals and Gift Books: a Bibliography, 1823-1903.
American Literary Annuals & Gift Books, 1825-1865.
Z6945 A51*
American newspapers, 1821-1936; a union list of files available in the United States and Canada.
1937
Z7164 C73h
Trade Catalogues at Winterthur: a Guide to the Literature of Merchandising, 1750-1980.
 Useful introduction as well as descriptions of Winterthur’s trade catalog holdings as of 1984.
Z7164 C73r
Romaine, Lawrence B. A Guide to American Trade Catalogs, 1744-1900. 1960.
 See introduction for a brief history of trade catalogs. Subject groups define the chapters, and
introductory essays at the beginning of each chapter provide contextual information.
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MARKETPLACE VALUES & COMPARISONS
Z1000 A51.
American Book Prices Current (most current edition on flash drive FD-1, ask at reference desk).
Abebooks
http://www.abebooks.com/
 Online marketplace for new & used books, including many rare publications. Records often
provide physical descriptions and images, making this a useful site for copy comparison.
viaLibri : resources for bibliophiles
http://www.vialibri.net/
 Describes itself as “the world’s largest marketplace for old, rare, and out-of-print books”. Searches
multiple sites simultaneously, including the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America
(ABAA). Physical descriptions and images available with most records.
Other sources:
 Printers & Engravers index in rare book reading room
 Booksellers’ catalogs – Some are cataloged in WinterCat. Many are stored in librarian’s office
 Auction catalogs
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