# Help with an impossibly obscure book **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 23, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-an-impossibly-obscure-book/503957 "2009-07-23T03:01:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-an-impossibly-obscure-book/503957/1 "2009-07-23T03:01:32Z")
I’m trying to find a book for my mother for Christmas - she’s endlessly fascinated by the genealogy of our family, and there’s a book she wants to have a copy of, “The Agee Family Record” by Louis Agee. It was printed in the '80s, and in a probably miniscule print run. Here is an Amazon link: > **[The Agee register: A genealogical record of the descendants of Mathieu Agee, a...](https://www.amazon.com/Agee-register-genealogical-descendants-Huguenot/dp/B0006E9RNG)** > > The Agee register: A genealogical record of the descendants of Mathieu Agee, a Huguenot refugee to Virginia \[Agee, Louis N\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Agee register: A genealogical record of the descendants of Mathieu... Alibris doesn’t have it, which is my go-to for things that Amazon doesn’t have. Google comes up short. My local library has a copy, and if I can’t find it online, I’ll have to go stand in front of a copy machine for hours on end (750-ish pages) and bind it for her or something. I’d prefer to find an actual factual copy. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-an-impossibly-obscure-book/503957/2 "2009-07-23T03:28:57Z")
The internet says that the author and his wife have passed away, but that their daughter lives in Farmville, Virginia. I’d suggest called a bookshop that serves that area. They may know of a way to get ahold of it. Otherwise, it was published (printed?) by the Gateway Press in Baltimore; they may have a way of doing it. ETA: They seem to be out of business. Worldcat finds it in 37 libraries, and none of the bookstore search sites seem to carry it. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-an-impossibly-obscure-book/503957/3 "2009-07-23T04:17:14Z")
I’d try writing a letter to the clerk of Farmville. Lisa Hricko, Town Clerk Town of Farmville Municipal Building 116 North Main Street, Farmville, Virginia Phone: 434-392-5686 Fax: 434-392-3160 It’s a small town and Lisa may know the author’s daughter and be able to pass on a message to her. ---
**Author:** ![RogueAOV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@RogueAOV](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueAOV)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-an-impossibly-obscure-book/503957/4 "2009-07-23T08:09:20Z")
[is this any help?](http://search.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=BookList&dbid=12639&offerid=0%3a7858%3a0) ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-an-impossibly-obscure-book/503957/5 "2009-07-23T11:57:34Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > They seem to be out of business. They maybe out of business, but they have a contact on their [webpage.](http://www.gatewaypress.com/) Someone [here](http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bwo/sura.html#Agee) owns the book, you could contact them and see if they might know of a way to get a hold of the book. Though I think your best bet might be to contact the daughter and see if she has any copies. I hate trying to find books like that, luckily the local library has most of the books I need. You could also try the local historical society, sometimes they have such books for sale. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-an-impossibly-obscure-book/503957/6 "2009-07-24T23:11:25Z")
These all look like wonderful suggestions, I imagine probably a M-F 8-5 thing mostly, so I’m going to wait until the next day I have off to really get to it! Thanks everyone! I’ll keep ya posted on success.