How To Search: Type words into the entry box that you want to search for, then click [Find Antiques].
- The more specific the words you include the more narrow your search results will be.
- Try variations on words - for instance: fabric vs. textiles, velvet fruit vs. velvet strawberry, spoon vs. teaspoon, chair vs. armchair.
- By default, search is set to "Find ALL Words" which means that all words need to appear on a page for a match to be found.
- Use the drop down to select "Find ANY Words" to find one or more of the words on a page.
- Use the drop down to select "Find Exact Phrase" or surround a phrase with double quotes for results that include the exact phrase only. Punctuation must be the same to be found between words, for example "c. 1800"
- You can also use the Boolean Operators: + -
- Use + in front of each word or a quoted phrase that you require.
Use - in front of each word that you want to exclude.
- Boolean Expressions are also allowed: AND OR NOT ( )
- Use AND, OR, NOT, (, and ) to form a Boolean expression. AND requires, OR allows, NOT excludes.
Use double quotes to protect the words "and", "or", or "not" in a phrase.
Examples:
| Query |
Gets the documents with |
| green firkin |
'green' or 'firkin' or both |
| "green firkin" |
the phrase 'green firkin' |
| +green +firkin |
'green' and 'firkin' |
| -green +firkin |
'firkin' but not 'green' |
| -blue + "pantry box" |
'pantry box' but not 'blue' |
| (sign OR gameboard) AND NOT reversible |
'sign' or 'gameboard', and without 'reversible' |
Capitalization doesn't matter. The ranked results will come from a total match on the words and phrases which you supply, so try to think of several specific terms for your topic. The search engine will automatically search for singular and plurals of the same noun. It will also automatically attempt to correct spelling mistakes. |
