Search the General Catalog
The American Antiquarian Society General Catalog contains records for the Society's collections of books, pamphlets, manuscripts, newspapers, lithographs, and broadsides. The Collections page has links to more detailed descriptions of each collection, including information on uncataloged collections.
Advanced Search Options
- Keyword
- Perform simple or complex keyword searches which can be limited to specific indexes, combined or filtered.
- Exact
- Search for phrases which begin author names, titles, subjects, genres/physical formats, years of publication, printer/publisher/bookseller names, illustrator/engraver names, provenance names, or call numbers.
- Subject
- This search returns a browseable list of terms used to describe the subject of an item.
- Name
- This search returns a browseable listing of the names of people and groups who had a part in creating the work, such as authors, printers or illustrators.
- Language
- A page of pre-built links to retrieve materials published in, or translated from, specific languages.
A series of brief tutorial videos is available in the Searching the American Antiquarian Society Catalog playlist on YouTube. There is also a link to this playlist in the sidebar of all Help pages in the General Catalog. A list of links to individual videos is available on the Help Index page which can be reached by clicking on Help Index in the top menu of any Help page in the General Catalog.
The Society's vast collection of printed and manuscript material encompasses the lived and portrayed experiences of individuals from different cultures, communities, and time periods for educational and scholarly purposes. The Society’s collections are historical in nature and reflect the time and place in which they were produced. Consequently, items and their associated catalog records or finding aids may contain language, imagery, beliefs, or stereotypes that are offensive and potentially harmful when describing race, sex and sexuality, gender identity, ability, religion, and other aspects of human experience. All materials in the American Antiquarian Society’s collections have research value and have been preserved in their original state. The American Antiquarian Society does not censor materials in its care but asserts that they do not represent the values of the Society, nor does the Society endorse the views expressed therein. The Society's full statement on Harmful Language and Imagery in the Library Collections and Catalog includes a contact e-mail for reporting harmful language in collection descriptions. There is a link to this statement at the bottom of every page in the General Catalog.
There is also a streamlined 
mobile interface for the General Catalog, optimized for use with smartphones and similar devices.