NEWTOWN — The 48th Annual Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Book Sale will take place from Friday, July 12 through Tuesday, July 16 at Reed Intermediate School, 3 Trades Lane. Shoppers at the book sale — the Friends’ biggest fundraising event in support of Newtown’s C.H. Booth Library — will again enjoy a huge selection of items in an air-conditioned venue with plentiful parking. “With around 120,000 books, jigsaw puzzles, games, CDs, DVDs and classic vinyl, this event is the largest sale in the region,” said Book Sale Chair Denise Kaiser.
“The selection is unmatched and well organized. Knowledgeable volunteers are available to assist patrons, as well as help with efficient check-out.”
The sale kicks off from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, July 12. Tickets are $40, and attendance will be capped at 200. Tickets go on sale at the school at noon.
The sale will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 13. There is an admission fee of $5 for adults, 18 and those under 18 enter free. Tickets go on sale that morning at 9 a.m. To accommodate the morning crowd, the admissions table at the entrance to Reed will have additional staffing.
The sale will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 14. Discounted prices start that day, when all items, except current-year tee shirts, are 25% off.
Prices will be even lower on Monday, July 15: 50% off list price. Sale hours will be extended from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the convenience of customers who prefer to shop in the evening.
Tuesday is “Free Day,” and the venue will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The 2024 sale features more than 90 well-organized categories of books, including children’s (arranged by reading level), and popular adult categories like mystery, romance, sci-fi, thriller, comic books, manga, literature, and current and classical fiction.
The range of non-fiction books will satisfy every interest from history to art, sports, cooking, gardening and crafts. Hundreds of jigsaw puzzles, and thousands of CDs and DVDs are also on offer, as are video games and computer software.
Prices remain the same as last year. Adult books range from $1.00 (small mass-market paperbacks) to $3.00 (trade paperbacks and some hardcover) and up, depending on the title and condition. Children’s books start at 50 cents, but most fall in the 75-cent to $2 range. Media prices (CDs, DVDs and LPs, including many collectible items) start at $1 per disc.
The Specials Room is located in the Auxiliary Gym at the rear of the main gymnasium. The eclectic collection ranges from rare books of value to attractive, leatherbound books; artwork; sought-after graphic novels and manga; and unusual children’s books, CDs and DVDs. The ephemera are particularly well-priced.
A list of highlights in the Specials Room and on the expansive sales floors will be posted at boothbooksale.org in late June and then updated right before the book sale starts.
For more details and updates about the sale, visit boothbooksale.org.
