Genealogy Books for Your Library!

Below is a list of books from basic to advanced that we suggest you consider purchasing if you are building a research library. Contributions by ProGenealogists, Inc. associates. We'll add additional commentary and comparison material in the coming days.

The Basics and Beginners Guides 

There are several basic books that every genealogy library should have. Below is a list of a few of those books that we recommend for basic and beginners.

	Clifford, Karen. The Complete Beginner's Guide to Genealogy, the Internet and Your Genealogy Computer Program, Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2001. 376 pp.
	Croom, Emily Ann. Unpuzzling Your Past: A Basic Guide to Genealogy. Fourth ed. Cincinnati, OH: Betterway Books, 2001. 208 pp. This new update, to be published in July 2001, will probably be worth the wait for most beginners. The 1995 version was clear, concise and easy to read.
	Allen, Desmond Walls. First Steps in Genealogy: A Beginner's Guide to Researching Your Family History. Cincinnati, OH: Betterway Books, 1998. 128 pp.
	Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Female Ancestors. Cincinnati, OH: Betterway Books, 1998. 152 pp.
	Melnyk, Marcia Yannizzee. The Weekend Genealogist: Timesaving Techniques for Effective Research. Cincinnati, OH: Betterway Books, 2000. 134 pp.
	Szucs, Loretto Dennis, Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. Family History Made Easy: A Step-By-Step Guide to Discovering Your Heritage. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1998. 223 pp.

Intermediate Methodology and Guides

	Everton, George B. The Handybook for Genealogists - United States of America, 9th Edition. (UT:  Everton Publishers, 1999). 619 pp. This book includes maps of each state (with counties), details regarding county formation, genealogical archives, printed sources and more.
	Eicholz and Dollarhide, eds., Ancestry's Red Book - American State, County, and Town Sources (UT:  Ancestry, Inc., 1992), is another county/state guide (like the Handybook, above). Some genealogists like this book a bit better. It has more detailed articles within each state that address various records sets, etc. and the maps in this book clearly show adjoining counties and states and this helps visualize nearby counties for additional study. This book is sold by Amazon and several other genealogy book stores - you'll want to compare prices. Sometimes one company is less expensive than the other.
	Croom, Emily Ann. The Genealogist's Companion and Sourcebook: Guide to the Resources You Need for Unpuzzling Your Past. Cincinnati, OH: Betterway Books, 1994. 256 pp.

Advanced Methodology and Guides 

Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians. (Baltimore, MD:  Genealogical Publishing Co., 2001). 654 pp. This book details the benchmarks and processes surrounding many issues facing a professional genealogist - how to become a professional, ethics, career management, research skills, presentation skills, and teaching. No serious genealogist should be without this book.

Computer Genealogy

	Cosgriff, John and Carolyn Cosgriff. Turbo Genealogy: An Introduction to Family History Research in the Information Age. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997. 200 pp.
	Rhonda McClure. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy, Second Edition Alpha; 2nd edition (January 10, 2002). 456 pp. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy is an easy-to-follow guide to sleuthing around the Internet to discover your past.

Kids Genealogy

Wolfmann, Ira. Climbing Your Family Tree: Online and Off-line Genealogy for Kids. (The Official Ellis Island Handbook), New York: Workman Press, 1991. 192 pp. $9.95.

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