Cornell's Albert R. Mann Library has added the first 20 volumes of The American Bee Journal, a key American beekeeping publication, to its Hive and the online library of historical beekeeping materials, thanks to support from beekeepers across the country.

The American Bee Journal (ABJ), the first English-language journal devoted to the beekeeping field, has been in print since 1861 and has featured contributions by such major apiculturists as L.L. Langstroth, Henry Alley, Moses Quinby and A.I. Root.

The ABJ's first 20 volumes, now available at http://bees.library.cornell.edu/, cover the years 1861 through 1884.

"From observations on Chinese methods for harvesting honey to tips on the use of wild onions and other herbs as honey plants, these early volumes present a treasure trove of often beautifully illustrated details on the theory and practice of 19th-century American beekeeping," says Eveline Ferretti, Mann Library's public programs administrator.

The digitization of the ABJ's early volumes is the result of a multiyear initiative supported by beekeeper associations from across the United States. Matching funds from Mann Library's preservation program have supported the scanning of an additional 20 volumes that will be available online by spring 2009.

The Hive and the Honeybee is a free, full-text digital archive of selected rare works from Mann Library's E.F. Phillips Collection, one of the world's most comprehensive apicultural libraries. The site also offers more than 30 key historical monographs, including classics such as the 1623 edition of Charles Butler's "The Feminine Monarchie" and Samuel Hartlib's "The Reformed Commonwealth of Bees," published in 1655.