By Michael Stillman

Another year for book auctions is about to begin, which is a perfect time to remind everyone of the amazing search and informational tools the Americana Exchange provides for free. Auctions are an outstanding source for collectible books and ephemera, often at great prices, but only a small percentage of book collectors take advantage of the opportunity. They don't know how. AE is here to help.

The first step is finding material at auction. Over 150 worldwide auction houses regularly offer books for sale, either in dedicated sales or with other items such as paintings and photographs. At any one time, you will usually find between 5,000 and 30,000 lots posted. How do you find books scheduled for sale at auction when there are so many different houses that may post a sale at any time? Easy. Just go to AE's Auction Search. You can find it by clicking here now. Just enter the terms, author's last name, or any other words relevant to your collecting interest in the box marked "Keyword" and click "Submit." That's all. A list of matches will be provided in seconds.

Keep your keywords brief, "Twain" rather than "Mark Twain," "Boston" rather than "Boston Massachusetts." This way you are less likely to miss something relevant because the auction house assumed just "Twain" or "Boston" was sufficiently descriptive. Remember, you're not searching Google's database of millions of websites. You're only searching a few thousand listings, so you won't be overwhelmed with too many matches by searching broadly.

There is another way to search for these listings - regularly go to the websites of these 150+ auction houses and scroll through all of their listings for items of interest. However, if you would rather spend a few seconds rather than many hours, AE is the only place that gathers listings from all of these auctions and combines them into one searchable database.

Then, if you find an item that is of interest, AE provides the necessary contact information to place bids from afar if you are unable to attend the auction personally (most likely). The reality is, most buyers do not attend these auctions in person. They may be continents away. They place bids in advance, or place them by telephone as the auction is taking place, place them online, or are represented by dealers. Anyone can place their bids this way, and auction houses are more than happy to explain how to place absentee bids if you are unsure. Most auction houses provide thorough descriptions of what they offer, and guarantee the item is as described. It's a worldwide market and it is open to you. To begin, try an AE auction search here.