A human single-chain Fv (scFv) library as fusion to phage was constructed from donors with a high titer of autoantibodies. The library was subjected to three rounds of positive selection on human melanoma cells and negative selection on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Two scFv clones, B3 and B4, were isolated that bound melanoma cells in cell ELISA and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The scFvs were characterized further by immunohistochemistry on a large number of normal human tissues. No cross-reactivity with normal tissues was observed. On the other hand, the target antigens were expressed in sections from several different melanoma patients and in some breast cancer and basal cell carcinoma sections. The unusually high tumor specificity of the B3 and B4 antigens makes them attractive targets for the specific therapy of melanoma. The selection strategy used should be generally applicable to the identification of novel cell surface antigens by antibody phage display.