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> > select * from postamt;
> select was not mentioned in the .help output.
> 

This is because it is standard SQL (Structured Query Language), rather than
a sqlite command.

> This displays all fields (as columns of information, one record per line)
> 
> If I have fields A B C D....
> 
> >select A, B from postamt displays just columns A and B
> (Space optional after the comma)
> 
> I can start with:
> sqlite -header postamt
> 
> Displays column headers but they are not lined up with the columns.
> I could pad the headers to have spaces at their ends.
> 
> Maybe sqlite3 fixes this.
> 
> A|B|
> Entry  |Entry
> Entry  |Entry

if you use column mode (by starting with -column, or entering

.mode column

column headers line up

> 
> sqlite -column postamt
> Displays in columns, one record per line
> 
> sqlite -row postamt
> Displays one field per row (similar to what dbf filename.dbf displays).
> 
> Up arrow works even within sqlite to repeat a previous command (including
> commands made during a previous usage, after quitting and restarting).
> Nice.
> 
> Minor drawback:
> 
> Unlike my DOS database programs (where hitting right arrow moves you
> to the next column and it is all lined up neatly, with some entries
> offscreen), if I have more than 80 columns it wraps instead of letting me
> scroll to the right. I could get 160 columns by using a framebuffer kernel
> and vga 793 (or a matrox video card that you can use fbset with).  Any
> other ideas?

Run in a batch file, and view the results in an editor.

e.g create a file select.sql:

.header on
.mode column
select * from postamt;

and then run

sqlite < select.sql > output.txt

and view output.txt with the editor of your choice.

> 
> For some unknown reason my large database just now imported properly into
> a db file.  I must have done something wrong before. I did not see 'syntax
> error' scroll by this time, but it does complain about \ (or was it /?)
> not being an acceptable character (in \' inside words, as opposed to '
> that delimits field entries).  But they don't seem to show up in the
> output (what you see onscreen with sqlite).
> 
> All I need to learn now is to edit, append, insert, copy, and sort
> entries, which are also not in the help output but may be in sqlite.gz man
> page.

You want to find an SQL tutorial. There are loads of them online.

e.g. 

http://www.sql-tutorial.net/

http://www.dbbm.fiocruz.br/class/Lecture/d17/sql/jhoffman/sqltut.html

SQL is a standard language for querying databases.  It takes a bit more time 
to
learn than the point and click type things you can do with access or other
simple databases, but is way more powerful.

Cheers

Ian