Each of the following examples displays all four of the text search boxes, even when some of them are empty. Following each example are shown one or more records that will be returned by the request, along with notes explaining the example.
Example 1 (Simple search):
Example of a returned record:
GALLE – De Seyndinghe nae Indien
Notes: This request returns all records where the Map-Maker is Galle.
Example 2 (Simple search, but not using the first box):
Example of a returned record:
BOTERO – America [Reference: Burden, P.D. 86, state 2].
Notes: This request returns all records that contain references to Burden’s cartobibliography of early North American maps.
Example 3 (Search using multiple words):
Example of a returned record:
BOWLES – A NEW CHART OF THE VAST ATLANTIC OR WESTERN OCEAN INCLUDING THE SEA COAST OF EUROPE, AFRICA, AMERICA AND THE WEST INDIA ISLANDS…
Notes: This search request specified Original AMPR Title as the field to search in. This means that entries that had the word India and the word Africa somewhere in their title, as originally reported in the published AMPR volume, are to be returned. Another entry for the Bowles map is recorded with an original title that only includes the title words up to "Western Ocean". The record for this entry will not be returned, since its original title omits both of the searched-for words. Had the original search request been to look in Title or in Title or Original AMPR Title, then records for both of the entries for this Bowles map would have been returned, since the standardized title for both entries is the same, and includes the longer version of the title. In general, when doing title searches, it is recommended that you search in Title or Original AMPR Title, in order to maximize the probability of finding what you are looking for. See the description of Original AMPR Title and Title in the section on Database Fields, for more information about the differences between these two versions of title information.
Example 4 (Using wild-cards):
Examples of returned records:
BLAEU – Suecia, Dania et Norvegia Regna Europae Septentrionalia
DE VAUGONDY - Amerique Septentrionale Dressee sur les Relations les Plus Modernes des Voyageurs et Navigateurs, et Divisee Suivant les Differentes Possessions des Europeans
Notes: Since this search did not include the two wild-carded words in a single phrase (no double-quotes around the two words), any title containing the two words anywhere is returned. If the intent was to return maps of northern Europe, then the request is probably too broad, as can be seen from the De Vaugondy title that is returned (because it includes the words Septentrionale and Europeans, but not together). See the next example for how to limit the search.
Example 5 (Using phrases and wild-cards):
Examples of returned records:
BLAEU – Suecia, Dania et Norvegia Regna Europae Septentrionalia
DANCKERTS - Dania et Norvegia Regna Europae Septentrionalia. Juxta Archetypum Andreae Buraei de Boo, Secretarii Regi, et Supremi Regni Sueciae Architecti
Notes: This request only returns records where a word beginning with "Europ" is immediately followed by a word beginning "Septe" (though if any stopwords occurred between these two words in a title, that record would also be returned). The De Vaugondy title returned by the previous example is not returned in the current example.
Example 6 (Using multiple entries in a single text box):
Examples of returned records:
JAILLOT – Amerique Septentrionale … [Dutch reengraving of 1674 Paris ed.… OL color…]
SANSON (FOLIO) – Amerique Septentrionale par N. Sanson d'Abbeville Geog. Du Roy … [Paris: Mariette; 2nd issue… Orig OL color. Fine…]
Notes: This search will tend to return records based on matches with several fields in each record: The Title (for "ameri* sept*), the Information (for Paris, as the place of publication), and Condition (for the color information). See the section on All Fields for a description of what is searched when All Fields is specified.
Example 7 (Boolean search with AND):
Example of a returned record:
WYTFLIET – Nova Francia et Canada
Notes: This request will probably return records relating to just this one Wytfliet map, since only one Wytfliet map has Canada in the title. The use of AND between the first and second text box limits the search to just those records that meet both the Map-Maker and the Title or Original AMPR Title criteria.
Example 8 (Boolean search with OR):
Examples of returned records:
DE L’ISLE – Carte de l’Isle de Ceylan
VISSCHER - Insula Ceilon olim Taprobana Incolis Tenarisin et Lankawn Exactissime Delineata …
FERGUSON – Map of the Planting Districts of Ceylon …
Notes: This request tries to bring back records for maps of Sri Lanka, knowing that the place-name may be represented by several different forms and spellings. A simpler approach might have been just to search for CEYLON in the Region field.
Example 9 (Complex boolean search):
Examples of returned records:
FRIES – [Ptolemaic World]
ORTELIUS (FOLIO) – Aevi Veteris, Typus Geographicus [Category: World; Region: Ancient]
GASTALDI – Carta Marina Nova Tabula [Source: Ptolemy, Geographia.]
Notes: This search is for Ptolemaic world maps. The Gastaldi map that was returned is not categorized as an ancient (Ptolemaic) map, but the word Ptolemy occurs in the Source field, which is why this record matches. A more restricted search could have been performed where the ancient and ptolem* texts were searched for in the Region field, rather than in All Fields. (For World maps, the Region field is used to differentiate among types, the most common values being Modern, Ancient, or Ptolemaic.)
Overview topic: The Search Screen