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How to Date Antique Books

When books are published, it is standard industry protocol to place a copyright page among the front pages. The copyright page will not only tell you who owns the copyright for the book, but it will also list the book's publication date. The date may be listed as a month and year, or as the year only. Not all books will have the copyright page intact, especially if the book is an antique. If you have come across an antique book and the copyright page is missing, there are other ways you can date the book.

Instructions

- 1
  Search the Library of Congress Online Catalog at catalog.loc.gov. If the book was registered with the Library of Congress when it was published, the book's information, including the publication date, will be listed in the database. You can access the Library of Congress Online Catalog for free.
- 2
  Visit your local library. Ask the librarian to look up the book's ISBN number or title in the library's database. The library may have access to the national Online Computer Library Center database. If the book can be found in the library's database, the librarian can advise you of the publication date for the book.
- 3
  Take the book to an antique book show or antique bookshop. There you will find book appraisers who can examine the book to determine its publication date. This appraisal is likely to cost you a fee.
- 4
  Visit an antique books website to see if you can find your book listed on the site. A few of the websites you can visit are Antique Books, AbeBooks, Faded Giant, Amazon's Bibliofind and the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America.
- 5
  Visit an auction website, such as eBay, Auction Fire or Americana Exchange. Search for your book's title to see if it can be found on the auction site. If the book is located, read the product details to see if the publication date is listed.

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