The Simple search options enable you to find books by entering a keyword or phrase. It does not allow for searching by keywords which are not adjacent. Use the scroll bar to select from the fields to search (e.g., Word(s) anywhere, Title, Author, etc.) and click on the field you want; select from one of the three qualifiers: Matches, Contains (which it is best to use as a default), Starts With; in the Enter word(s) or phrase box type in the word or phrase of your choice; and click on the Search button.
Word(s) anywhere
Select the qualifier Contains and type in the Enter word(s) or phrase box, for example, the word Gibbon; or the phrase decline and fall.
Title
Select the qualifier Contains and type in the Enter word(s) or phrase box type a word or phrase from a title, e.g., architecture; or, history of music. Any initial definite or indefinite articles, in all languages, have been omitted from the catalogue records and should, therefore, be omitted from any search which combines the Title / Starts With options.
AuthorUntil you are sure of the form of an author’s name used in the catalogue it is best not to use the qualifier Matches. Select Starts With and enter in the Enter word(s) or phrase box the word Wentworth in order to get a the single author whose first name in the catalogue is Wentworth; select Contains and enter the word Wentworth in order to get a list of those authors whose names contain the word Wentworth in any position.
Country house
Having selected Contains or Starts with, enter here the first word of the name of any of the houses whose libraries are listed in order to find a list of their respective holdings, e.g. Brodsworth, Burton, Castle, Harewood, Lotherton, and Temple. The holdings of each house are presented in two sequences: first, a sequence arranged alphabetically by authors’ names; and second, an alphabetical list of works for which there is no ascribed author.
Date of publication
Having selected Matches, enter here a year to get a list of all the works in the catalogue published then. Selecting Contains or Starts With will broaden the search to include initial or terminal dates of works published over two or more years; authors’ dates; and dates mentioned in the title field, etc.
Place of publication
Having selected Contains, enter here a place-name to get a list of all the works in the catalogue published there, e.g., Augsburg , or Bologna . Bear in mind that each catalogue record contains one place-name only, usually the first on the title-page reading top to bottom and left to right, and will be that of the publisher rather than the printer.
Publisher
Having selected Contains, enter here a publisher’s name to get a list of all the works in the catalogue of that publisher, e.g., Baskerville, or Froben. Bear in mind that each catalogue record contains one publisher’s name only, usually the first on the title-page reading top to bottom and left to right.
Provenance
Having selected Contains, enter here a person’s name to get a list of all the works in the catalogue with which (s)he can be associated, e.g., Colbert, or Meynell Ingram. Bear in mind that each catalogue record contains one name only in the Provenance field, though there may be several contained in the Notes field. The name in the Provenance field has been selected on the strength of the importance to a particular house and usually with those who are eldest in line taking precedence.
Country of publication
Having selected Contains, enter here the name of a country to get a list of all the works published there. Modern political boundaries are observed.
Notes
Having selected Contains, enter the word marginalia, for instance, to get a list of the works which contain manuscript marginal additions; or the word waste, to get a list of those works which contain either manuscript or printers’ waste.
The Advanced Search options enable you to find books by entering a combination of keywords or phrases. It allows, above all, searching across the whole of the catalogue or within a restriction to the records of a particular house. The use of truncation and wild cards is important and the user is referred to the section below in which they are discussed.
Truncation and wild cards can be used in either the Simple Search or the Advanced Search but are particularly appropriate to the latter. The * symbol can be used as a wild card or truncator placed at the left, right or middle of a word or phrase, and will represent any letter or letters; but it can never be used more than once within a word. Here are some examples:
Until you are sure of the form of an author’s name used in the catalogue, enter a query in the Author search box of the Advanced Search in the form of SURNAME COMMA SPACE INITIAL ASTERISK, e. g., Steve nson, R* to find Steve nson, Robert Louis; or Cooper* to find all the Coopers, including Cooper, James Fennimore. Entering on its own the name Cooper in the search box will not bring any hits.
To find all the instances of the words woman or women, anywhere in the title of a record, enter the word in the following form: *wom*n*
As there is unfortunately no facility for searching the catalogue by subject, the use of the keyword search, with its attendant truncation and wild cards, is particularly important. Use the Title search *botan* to find works in the catalogue which treat of matters botanical.