Lea Wait, whose alter ego, Maggie Summer, is an antique print dealer in the Shadows Antique Print Mystery series, is herself a fourth generation antique dealer who has been an antique print dealer since 1977. For many years she operated her business, MAH Antiques, with her mother; now her partner is her husband, artist Bob Thomas.

Although today writing is her primary interest, Lea still sells antique prints at several antique shows each year (see EVENTS for her schedule) and by appointment at her home.

If you're interested in finding out more about the fascinating world of antique prints, here's a list of books and periodicals to help get you started:

American Historical Print Collectors Society (publication: Imprint); Post Office Box 201, Fairfield, Connecticut 06430 see www.ahpcs.org

Beam, Philip C. Winslow Homer's Magazine Engravings. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1979.

Blunt, Wilfrid and Stearn. William T. The Art of Botanical Illustration. Antique Collector's Club in association with The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 1994.

Blum, Ann Shelby. Picturing Nature: American Nineteenth-Century Zoological Illustration. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993.

Book Source Monthly; 2007 Syossett Drive, Cazenovia, New York 13035 www.booksourcemonthly.com

Cikovsky, Nicolai Jr. and Kelly, Franklin. Winslow Homer. National Gallery of Art, Washington D. C. and Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1995.

Fine Arts Trader, Sanbro, Inc., Post Office Box 1273, Randolph, MA 02368 www.fineartstrader.com

Hamilton, James. Arthur Rackham: A Life With Illustration. Pavilion Books Limited, London, 1990.

Harthan, John. The History of the Illustrated Book: The Western Tradition. Thames and Hudson, Ltd., London, 1981.

Hults, Linda C. The Print in the Western World: An Introductory History. The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisconsin, 1996.

Journal of the Print World, Inc, Post Office Box 978, Meredith, New Hampshire 03253

The Magazine Antiques; Brant Publications, Inc., 575 Broadway, New York, New York 10012

Maine Antique Digest, Post Office Box 1429, Waldoboro, Maine 04572 www.maineantiquedigest.com

Meyer, Susan E. A Treasury of the Great Children?s Book Illustrators. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers, 1983.

St. Hill, Thomas Nast (intro.), Thomas Nast's Christmas Drawings. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1978.