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Pequot
Library
720 Pequot Avenue
Southport, CT 06890
Tel: (203) 259-0346
Fax: (203) 259-5602 |
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| Hundreds of
Book Sale patrons line up before the opening cannon fires.
Thousands attend this annual sale - one of the largest in
the entire U.S. |
This annual event has come a long way since the first official book
sale at Pequot Library in 1961. That year the sale consisted of
6,000 volumes and it took three weeks to sell everything. Two men,
Stanley Crane, then director of the library, and Fred Woods, former
owner of The Open Book Shop, sorted and priced donated books and
library discards while receiving assistance from a handful of volunteers.
Pequot Library’s 47th Annual Book Sale will run from July
25th, at 9 a.m., through Tuesday, July 29th. It takes place on the grounds
of the Library in Southport, Connecticut, and it promises to be
our best sale ever. With over 120,000 books, records, original CDs and DVDs, the
sale has become one of the largest and longest continuously-running
book sales in the nation, with unmatched quality and variety.
According to Doug Fried and Lori Hashizume, who co-chaired
the event for five years, “the Pequot Library Book Sale has
become a well-loved Fairfield area tradition.” People come
from all across the country in the hopes of finding just the right
book or simply to have a great time talking to other avid book lovers
in a beautiful setting.
Pequot Library is an American treasure. It brings literature, music,
art, and learning into the community. It is a place where children
are welcome and safe, and introduced to the magic of reading. It
exemplifies what a great library should be. The Library serves the
town of Fairfield and beyond, into Westport, Norwalk, Bridgeport,
and the entire region. It is an association library affiliated with
the Fairfield Public Library, but with a number of activities and
special Americana collections that make it unique. The Library’s
architecturally distinguished auditorium is the home of countless
musical programs, lectures, and forums about the pressing issues
of the day.
Less than 25% of the Library’s operating budget comes from
public funding. The Library relies, instead, on the generosity of
its friends and patrons, and on the success of its fundraising events
like the Book Sale to underwrite the services that make Pequot the
special place that it is.
Every imaginable kind of book can be found in the auditorium and
under the tents which surround the building during the sale. The
selections range from serious scholarship to breezy summer reading
and everything in between. Perennial favorites include novels, biographies,
non-fiction, a huge selection of children’s books and the
classics of American and European literature.
Pequot Library’s Book Sale is about more than just books.
It is also about the people who work so hard to make the sale a
success. More than 60 volunteers come to the Library throughout
the year to process the donated books. These “pricers and
sorters” diligently examine each book, assigning it a price
and a category so that visitors can easily find the kinds of books
they are looking for. They are joined by more than 150 additional volunteers
in the days leading up to the Sale itself.
If you are interested in helping as a volunteer call the Library
at 203-259-0346, ext. 25.
Help support Pequot Library by donating your books, records, original CDs
and DVDs, and of course, by re-stocking your empty bookcases
with great finds from the sale. |
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