If it is July it is time for the annual Newtown, Connecticut book fair organized by the Friends of the C. H. Booth Library. This event, which begins on Saturday July 12th, runs through the following Wednesday. It is one of the largest book fairs outside of America’s major cities. As in past years more than one hundred thousand items will be offered including, in addition to books, CDs, DVDs and LPs. For the rare and collectible book acquirer there is a special section under the direction of John Renjillian who has for many years evaluated and supervised the annual cache of rare collectibles found among the generous donations the Friends of the library receive throughout the year. Here are representative examples:
SELECT LIST OF ITEMS FROM THE SPECIALS ROOM, FRIENDS OF C H BOOTH JULY 12, 2014
[Bermuda] Residence in Bermuda. Np, Bermuda Trade Development Board, 1936. #535 of 2,000 copies. Large folio. Slight wear at spine head and foot, generally very good. $50.00.
Berzelius, J J. The Use of the Blowpipe in Chemistry and Mineralogy. Boston: Ticknor, 1845. Four folding plates at rear, publisher’s one page catalog. Small chips at spine head and foot, corners slightly worn, rear upper corner slightly bumped. $75.00.
Carey, H C. The Slave Trade , Domestic and Foreign. Phila: Norton, 1859. 3rd edition. Owner’s inscription dated 1871. Backstrip slightly faded, otherwise very good. $75.00.
Chojinacki, Stanislaw. Ethiopian Icons. Milan: Skira, 2000. Fine in fine jacket. $250.00.
[Cookery] Boston Cooking-School Magazine, volume 11, 1906-7, through volume 18, 1913-14; later, American Cookery, volume 19, 1914-15, volume 22, 1919-20, through volume 30, 1925-26. Together 18 volumes, bound uniformly in brown half leather with the exception of the owner’s initial at spine foot changing from SNS to TCL between volumes 22 and 23. Ex Normal School library, occasional scuffs but generally very good. An exceptional run. $500.00.
[Crowley, Aleister] Liber CCCXXIII The Book of Lies. L: Wieland, 1913. Errrata slip, page 61. Very good. $600.00.
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. Annual Catalogue. Two issues, 1853-4 (Nothrampton: Hopkins Bridgman, 1854), 1860-1 ( Springfield: Bowles, 1861). Each with minor soiling, edge wear. $15.00 each.
______. Historical Sketch of Mount Holyoke Seminary. Springfield: Bryan, printers, 1876. Minor edgewear, dog ears. $15.00.
[Nautical] Ships’ ledgers. Record of accounts between John Fletcher and various vessels, including the ship American (1839, Charleston, Mobile,Halifax, Mater Is), ship Spring (1840, Liverpool, 1841, Rio de Janeiro), bark Moro (1842), and ship Sarah & Arsilea (1842, Rotterdam). Covers wages, pilotage, customs and other harbor fees, supplies, cargo, services (“paid the painter’s bill”, “paid for compressing cotton”, “paid for getting a man into the hospital”), repairs, and many other entries. Approximately 13 double-sided leaves of entries, some with colorful scraps pasted over. The remainder of the book has no entries and has been entirely pasted over with scraps. Some water staining, occasional leaves excised, binding weak, backstrip lacking. $125.00.
Rand, Ayn. Atlas Shrugged. NY: Random, nd(1957). Stated first printing. Slightly dulled, front hinge beginning to crack, no jacket. $50.00.
Savary, John. Poems of Expansion. NY: Neeley, nd (1898). Wear at edges and corners. Pictorial cover with crossed US and Cuban flags. $95.00.
Steere, R[euben] A[llen] [1838-1915]. Sketch of the Life, Personal Appearance, Character and Manners of Col. R. A. Steere and Wife Including the history of Their Travels, Courtship and Marriage. Danielsville, CT: Scofield for the author, 1883. 20 pp. One copy on Worldcat (Cleveland Health Science Library). Promotional booklet for the Steeres. Steere and his wife, Rebecca Ann Myers Steere, claimed to be “the two smallest married people in the world.” Some staining, worn, front wrap almost detached. As is, $250.00.
[Theater] Books from the library of Glenn Close. The highlight is Eve Ensler, The Vagina Monologues NY: Villard, nd (1998). Stated first edition. Six line inscription “To Glenn / a magnificent artist . . .”. Together with an interesting pictorial notecard with a twelve line inscription from Ensler, “dearest Glenn – To The queen of vagina land”, signed Eve with a most touching ending. Soft cover, fine. Together with: Nicholas Gage, Hellas A Portrait of Greece, NY, Villard, 1987, 7 line inscription to Close by Gage, 14 March 1995, fine with fine jacket; Ray C Anderson, Mid-Course Correction, Atlanta, Peregrinzilla Pr, 1998, 5 line inscription to Close by Anderson, 17 January 2000, soft cover, fine; Artes An International Reader of Literature Art and Music, NY, Echo Pr, 1994, with a generic letter to reviewers and a personal letter from the editors to Close pointing out an essay by Erland Josephson speaking “quite warmly of you and your work”, soft cover, fine; Wendy B Smith, Youth Leaving Foster Care, NY, Oxford UP, 2011, fine with fine jacket. Together, five books with additions. $500.00.
Trail, Mrs. The Backwoods of Canada: Being Letters from the Wife of an Imigrant [sic] Officer. London: Nattali & Bond, nd. Rear hinge, backstrip quite worn. Early owner’s name, P Pinkerton lay. $150.00.
Vera, Andre. Les Jardins. Paris: MiLe-Paul, 1919. #23 of 300 copies. Original soft binding, worn, unopened. $100.00.
Days, Hours and Offers:
Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Prices as marked
Sunday 9:00 to 5:00 pm Prices as marked
Monday 9:00 am to 7:00 pm Half Price
Tuesday 9:00 am to 7:00 pm Books by the bag – $5.00
Wednesday 9:00 to Noon All remaining material – free to a good home
Admission on Saturday July 12th is $5.00. All other days are free.
Admission to the Rare Book Room and first admissions to the entire fair is established by ticket number. Tickets for Saturday go on sale at 7:00 am. A line forms earlier.
Refreshments are available.
Driving Directions to the Book Fair
The Friends of the C.H. Booth Annual Book Sale is held at the Reed Intermediate School, 3 Trades Lane, Newtown, CT. Once you reach Newtown, keep your eyes open for "BOOK SALE" signs directing you to the school parking areas.
From Hartford, Eastern Connecticut, Central Massachusetts, Boston and Beyond
Depending on your initial location, take the Mass Turnpike (I-90), I-91, Route 9 (Connecticut), or Route 2 (Connecticut) to I-84 West. Take Exit 11 in Connecticut and make a left turn at the traffic light at the end of the exit ramp. At the next traffic light (approximately 1 mile), make a right turn into the school parking areas.
From Western Connecticut, Eastern New York State, Metropolitan New York City and Beyond
Depending on your initial location, take the New York Thruway (I-87), the Taconic State Parkway, I-684, or Route 7 (Connecticut) to I-84 East. Take Exit 11 in Connecticut and make a left turn at the traffic light at the end of the exit ramp. At the next traffic light (approximately 1 mile), make a right turn into the school parking areas.
From Mid- and Southern Connecticut, and Rhode Island
Depending on your initial location, take the New England Thruway (I-95) to Exit 27A, Route 25 North (Connecticut) or the Merritt/Wilbur Cross Parkway to Exit 49, Route 25 North. Take Route 25 north through Trumbull and Monroe into Newtown, following the "BOOK SALE" signs. At Wasserman Way (approximately 4 miles from the town line,) make a right turn at the traffic light at Wasserman Way. At the next traffic light (approximately 1 mile), make a left turn into the school parking areas.
From New Haven and environs
Take Route 34 North across the Stevenson Dam and into the Sandy Hook section of Newtown. At the traffic light right after the I-84 underpass, make a left turn. Proceed straight (past the exit ramp to I-84 and traffic light). At the next traffic light (approximately 1 mile), make a right turn into the school parking areas.
Please note that there is no bus or rail service to Newtown, Connecticut.
Here is a link to the event website
