Carl Howell is nationally known as Kentucky's premier vintage postcard collector. For many years, he contributed articles and postcard images to Kentucky Explorer magazine. He has co-authored three Kentucky county history books illustrated by his extensive postcard collection. His other works include Lincoln's Kentucky Years and Kentucky in the Early 1900s. Howell is a Lincoln historian and archivist and a frequent speaker at historical events and area club meetings. He served on the advisory board of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and is president of Preservation of Lincoln's Kentucky Heritage, Inc. After a stint as an FBI special agent in the late 1960s, Howell returned to his hometown of Hodgenville, Kentucky, and began practicing law. He retired in 2014. He currently lives with his wife, Sharon, in Hodgenville, Kentucky.