This year Pequot Library’s celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Book Sale. The 50th Anniversary Sale itself runs from Friday July 23th at 9:00 a.m. through Tuesday, July 27th. It takes place on the grounds of the Library in Southport, Connecticut, and it
promises to be our best sale ever.
There will also be an exhibit in the Library for the month of July on the history of the Sale along with some of the ephemera and non-book items that have come in with donations over the years, but were not included in the Sale.
This year, we have been fortunate to receive and will make available more than 100 lots of rare, valuable, collectible, unusual books and media. These will be offered at auction inside the library's main reading room in 2 sessions while the booksale is in progress.
At 6:30PM on Friday, July 23, we will feature approximately 50 books / lots to be sold via live auction. Starting on Thursday July 22, we will also open for sale via silent auction the remaining lots. The silent auction will close at 3pm on Saturday July 24.
All of these items will be on display at the library starting in the afternoon on Thursday July 22 and will be available for viewing until the closing of the auctions. Detailed descriptions of the items can be found on the Library’s web site.
A food tent will be provided by Jordan Catering of Darien Connecticut starting with coffee and danishes in the morning to a wide variety of great selections of both hot and cold food throughout the day.
The Book Sale is the biggest fund-raiser of the year at Pequot Library. The Library is a true treasure for all of Southern New England. 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. The Library is one of Connecticut’s architectural gems and is the home of countless musical programs, lectures, and forums about the pressing issues of the day.
The Pequot Library Book Sale is one of the biggest and best book sales in New England, if not the country, with over 140,000 books, of unmatched quality and variety.
to choose from and all at great prices. Every imaginable kind of book can be found in the auditorium and under the tents which surround the building during the sale. There are a wide range of selections in such areas as children’s books, current fiction, classic literature, gardening and nature, cooking, history, mystery, science, science fiction, Connecticut and New England, sports, travel, crafts and hobbies, health, music, performing arts, art and architecture, biography, and many more.
The Pequot Library Book Sale is about more than just books, however. The number of high quality, very collectible and valuable LPs, 45's, CDs, DVDs, and tapes has risen dramatically in recent years. This part of the book sale is growing dramatically and drawing in a whole new clientele to the Book Sale,” said Lee Freeman who with Paige Gillies oversees this section at the sale. In addition to DVDS and CDs, classic LP's, and tapes, this section also includes a large selection of audio books, new and antiquarian sheet music, and books on the performing arts." There are also a large number of carefully organized high quality and collectible comic books, which are becoming increasingly popular.
This Year’s Sale has received corporate sponsorship from Borders Group Inc. , based in Ann Arbor Michigan with a store in downtown Fairfield. The Fairfield store has long been a supporter of the book sale, supplying bags for customers, and boxes to the Library to store sorted and priced books prior to the Sale. “It is a great partnership, says Dan Snydacker, Executive Director of the Library. “We are both in the business of providing the best in books to our patrons, and Borders support helps the Library accomplish its goals of serving the community throughout the year. We are very appreciative of their support.”
Young Readers’ Day will continue this year on Sunday, July 25th. A day long celebration of Young Readers with the theme “Make a Splash” (the subject of this year’s Summer Reading Program at the Library) this special day will feature, a special crafts program, and the kids who come dressed up as a sea-or water-related character from a book get a certificate for a free children’s book.
In addition, Young Readers’ Day will also feature a concert at 1:00 p.m. by Marcia Louis that will be fun for the whole family. She regularly plays for the Parks Department, and will bring her ukulele, guitar, banjo, and other instruments for a great performance and sing-along.
Over the past several years, through the generosity of the Renée B. Fisher Foundation, Pequot Library has been able to offer vouchers for up to $100 to teachers in the Bridgeport and New Haven school systems. With these vouchers, teachers can purchase an extraordinary quantity of books for their classroom or their personal libraries with the cost being underwritten through a grant from the Renée B. Fisher Foundation.
These books are an invaluable resource for the teachers, and the teachers who are accepted into the program are thrilled. One teacher wrote, “It is very difficult to get books for our libraries unless we buy them ourselves. This program really helps our teachers.” Another echoed that same theme when they wrote, “I received this voucher last year and it is the first time in four years I haven't had a student complain in SSR (Sustained Silent Reading). I would really appreciate this opportunity once again. It has helped my reading program immensely. Thanks for the offer.” Finally, another teacher summed it up when she wrote, “This is for Books for Teachers, but really they're for the kids!!"
The Library has already made commitments for this year’s vouchers. To be eligible for the Books for Teacher program next year, applicants must be teaching in a K through 12th grade classroom in New Haven or Bridgeport at the time of the Sale in 2011. To apply, email Robin Jerrild at Jerrild@Pequotlibrary.org.
Each and every one of the more than 140,000 books and other items in the sale have been donated to the Library during the course of the last year. Donors come from all over the area and it is through the wonderful generosity of these donors that the sale has grown to what it is today.
Everyone can help support Pequot Library by donating books, LP records, original CDs and DVDs, comic books and other book material. All Book Sale proceeds support Pequot Library's programs and services.
To make a donation, simply drop off your books at the barn cupboards located at the driveway entrance to the Library just past the cottage on the corner. Tax donation receipts are available at the front desk during Library hours.
A pick-up service for large donations can be arranged by leaving a message on the Book Sale voicemail at (203) 259-0346, ext. 25, or by emailing us at booksale @ pequotlibrary.org.
As a special feature of this year's Sale we have two "50 for the 50th" auctions of rare, unusual and wonderful material. At 6:30PM on Friday, July 23, we will feature approximately 50 books / lots to be sold via live auction. Starting on Thursday July 22, we will also open for sale via silent auction the remaining lots. The silent auction will close at 3pm on Saturday July 24. The following documents describe the items currently up for those sales. These items may change, so check back often.
Complete Auction Catalogs-warning...these are large files and may take awhile to download. These versions supercede earlier lot descriptions. Lot #A37 from the Live Auction has been withdrawn from the Sale to be added to the Library's Special Collections. Focused on early Americana, these Collections already contain a 17th century version of the work, as well as a copy of the 1903 facsimile. This work will round out the Library's holdings nicely, and be available for all to see.
Silent Auction Catalog
Live Auction Catalog
Specials-In addition to the rare and collectible items in the Auctions, there is a whole section devoted to "Specials" in the Sale as well. These are unusual and interesting books that weren't right for the auction, but may be right for you. Follow this link to see the current listing of these items.
2010 Book Sale Specials
Silent Auction Bid Form and Rules
Bid Sheet
Terms & Conditions
Live Auction Bid Form and Rules
Bid Sheet
Terms & Conditions
 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. or email booksale@pequotlibrary.org
The 50th Annual Pequot Library Book Sale is open as follows:
Friday, July 23th |
9 AM to 8 PM |
All items double the marked price |
Saturday, July 24th |
9 AM to 5:30 PM |
Items priced as marked |
Sunday, July 25th |
9 AM to 5:30 PM |
Items priced as marked |
Monday, July 26th |
9 AM to 6 PM |
Items half off marked price |
Tuesday, July 27th |
9 AM to 2 PM |
$5 a Bag Day |
Fourth Annual “Young Readers’ Day” on Sunday July 25th
Young Readers Day Tent opens at 10:00 a.m.
For more information about any aspect of Pequot Library’s Summer or about donating books to the Library for the Sale, please call 203.259.0346 ext 25 or email booksale@pequotlibrary.org |
