This weekend, if you are looking for a rare 19th century book or a book autographed by a former U.S. President, then Helen Heintz has a deal for you.
Heintz is the president of the Friends of the Princeton Public Library, the nonprofit organization whose annual three-day book sale begins today, May 4.
In all, nearly 10,000 donated books will be available for purchase in the library’s community room. Shoppers will be able to buy books at discounted prices to support a nonprofit organization that contributes financially to the library. Last year’s sale raised 19,619, Heintz said.
There will be books available for purchase that have been autographed by former President Dwight Eisenhower and authors John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates and Eudora Welty, among others. One rare item is an 1893 edition of “The Tale of King Florus and the Fair Jehane” by William Morris, priced at $300.
“We live in Princeton,” Heintz said in explaining the success of the sale. “So we have a wonderful community of readers who give us an exceptional quality and quantity of donated books.”
In all, a little less than 10,000 books will be available for purchase, said Claire Bertrand, chairwoman of the fundraiser.
“But obviously, the fundamental point of the sale is to raise money for the library,” she said. “And we’re always trying to make sure we do that and also provide a nice opportunity for the community to come and get access to some great books they wouldn’t normally see.”
Heintz said many buyers are local, but there are others who are professional book brokers.
“You see at any big book sale, there are a lot of people these days who make their living reselling books,” she said. “So our pricing is very attractive to those book brokers.”
Bertrand also manages the Friends’ bookstore at the library, another way the organization makes money. But the three-day sale is one of the nonprofit’s two big fundraisers, the other being its annual gala.
Library Executive Director Brett Bonfield said the Friends have budgeted this year to contribute $200,000. The money is used on the library’s collection, from books to movies, he said.
“The Friends are hugely important in making this great collection available,” Bonfield said.
The schedule for the book sale is May 4 from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., May 5 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and May 6 (half-price day) from 1-6 p.m. For the first two hours of the sale today, guests will pay a $10 admission fee if they want to get a first crack at the books during a preview sale. Cash, credit and checks will be accepted.