Sale of books last year at the auditorium of the town hall.
LENOX — Too many books cluttering up your shelves, floors, basements, closets?
For many avid readers, there is a solution: a particularly important Lenox Library book sale will be held this summer, offering thousands of books donated by area owners.
Books, CDs and DVDs in very good or excellent condition are welcome for what promises to be the library’s biggest sale since the establishment of the annual tradition 26 years ago (excluding 2020) .
This is the major fundraiser of the year for the Lenox Library Association, which supports the programs and services of the municipal library. All of the books in the sale are donated by members of the Berkshire community.
Donations are accepted every Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon as well as Saturday, August 6 at the same time at Spring Lawn, 10 Kemble St., just west of Shakespeare & Company. The deadline for donations is August 18. Books intended for sale cannot be accepted at the library.
The event takes place at the City Hall Auditorium, 6 Walker Street, on Saturday September 3 and Sunday September 4. Dealers and collectors pay a $10 preview fee when doors open at 9 a.m. Saturday. Free admission for the general public is from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The sale is expected to include up to 7,000 books, said event organizer Nancy Cohen, who works with up to 40 local volunteer residents. “Because space is limited, we focus on mint condition hardcover and paperback books, not the kind you find at garage sales,” she said.
Therefore, not all materials are on the welcome mat: dirty, torn, handwritten or highlighted books are not invited.
Sale of books last year at the auditorium of the town hall.
Nor are they pre-2019 travel books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesaurus, atlases, manuals, VHS video tapes, LP records, magazines, or non-fiction books. -fiction that is no longer relevant (such as Bill Clinton’s memoirs or volumes on Bush presidencies).
On sale, “like new” paperbacks cost $3; used books are $2. Hardcover books range from $4 to $6, with the exception of art books from $5 to $10.
Major categories include art books, signed and original editions, other collectibles, fiction, biography, history, local interest, children’s and young adult.
Unsold books, usually several hundred, are collected by a collector in Vermont to be sold online.
This year, Berkshire Busk singer Elizabeth Berliner as “Jaane Doe” will host from 1-3 p.m. on September 4 outside City Hall.
In previous summers the event was held in tents outside the library, but this is not possible due to extensive renovations to the library which are expected to begin in a few weeks.
The net proceeds goal is $20,000, said Maria Lynch, director of library development. The Lenox Library Association contributes approximately $130,000 to the overall annual budget; the rest, $421,000, is funded by the city.
In order to raise additional funds, a raffle is organized for the first time. Gift baskets include:
- $400 in gift cards for local restaurants.
- A day spa for two and a cooking class for four at Canyon Ranch.
- Baseball tickets for two to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park and a pair for the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
Raffle tickets at $10 a ticket, three at $25 and five at $40. They are available at the weekly Lenox Farmers Market on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. starting July 15, at the library on demand, and at library events. The draw will take place on Sunday, September 4 at 4 p.m. in the auditorium of the town hall.
The event is underwritten by the Lenox office of Apella Capital LLC and Canyon Ranch Lenox.
More information: Nancy Cohen at 413-652-1327 or nancycohen1112@gmail.com. Details are also available at lenoxlib.org.
