Got to add a little more about load books. They have more value than just as a source of loads. An early Lyman and an early Speer load book were childhood companions. Had I known the King James Version anywhere near as well, I would have been a different sort of man.
One I dearly love is Snooky Williamson's Lever Action Legacy, and not so much for the loads--but for Snooky's personality. He had access to over three hundred Winchesters, and he liked to load them hot. I don't have nearly so many, and they're more valuable today. A bit lighter load than he would have used kills fine and keeps me fed.
I loved the way he wrote about calibers. Take the 38-70 of which only 830 were produced in the '86. He said he knew practically nothing about it because he'd only killed 15-16 deer with it. Me, I've killed at least that many with it, and I have to admit I don't run into someone every day who knows what it is.
And he could write. He established the standard for describing a cartridge. First, he told a story about killing something with it. My favorite was the 50-110. He has you going wondering what kind of trophy he has in his sights. The guide says, "There he is. Do you want him?"
Only then do we learn it's a rough weather day in the tent, and he's about to take out the mouse who is robbing the camp food.
He writes about the rifles and the men from an era who were not so much like what we see now.