Special Book Sale at Museum

What? You’ve never been to a library book sale? Then you’re missing out on the thrill of seeing a scrupulously quiet place go crazy with bargain hunters pawing over tables of books and the “But I saw it first” song-and-dance routine.

This weekend, you can join in the excitement and also get a shot at some pretty select inventory for this genre of book sale. The sale will be at the Braun Research Library of the Southwest Museum. Library Director Kim Walters said there will be box loads of books for sale, including fiction, and in particular lots of biology and bird books from a recently donated collection. There will also be books on American Indians, the West, anthropology and archeology, as well as some antique postcards, old photographs and magazines. Prices range from 25 cents for paperbacks to $40 for nicer volumes.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. A silent auction will be held featuring a Bureau of American Ethnology Annual Report from the 1880s. Other auction items include old photographs of Europe from the late 19th Century and a very limited edition book from the Grabhorn Press, “Watchman, What of the Night?: 1918 vs. 1945.” It’s an excerpt from a broadcast by American radio commentator Raymond Gram Swing made on Dec. 28, 1944, and published in 1945. Only 500 copies were printed. Minimum bids range from $5 to $100, and the auction will close Sunday at 3 p.m.

All the books were donated by members and friends of the library. The money raised will be used for book acquisition and library operating costs.

The sale hours will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with a preview for museum members only from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday.

If you want to get the first pick really badly, you can become a member that morning for $40, or $50 for a couple. A membership also entitles you to free admission to the museum, a quarterly newsletter and free or discounted admission to museum special events.

Getting into the sale will be free. It will be in the Norman F. Sprague Jr. Gallery in the Southwest Museum, at the corner of Marmion Way and Museum Drive in Highland Park. The cost of getting out of the sale will depend on your budget and willpower.