Book Donations and Sales

The Annual Book Sale

Sept. 20-22 in the Community Room

We will have thousands of gently used hardbacks, softcovers, trade books, academic books and more, all carefully sorted and priced, in a broad range of categories for readers of all ages and interests. Most books will be priced $3 and below, with some categories, such as art books and rare and collectible items, priced higher. This event is open to everyone and will be held in the Community Room. 

PREVIEW SALE (admission fee): Friday, Sept. 20, 9 a.m. to noon

Numbered admission tickets will be on sale at the door starting at 8 a.m. The first 40 tickets will be $25 per person, and the remainder will be $5 per person. Customers enter the sale in numerical order and the number of customers in the room will be limited to 40 at a time. 

REGULAR SALE (no admission fee): Friday, Sept. 20, noon-5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 21, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

HALF PRICE DAY (no admission fee): Sunday, Sept. 22: noon – 5:30 p.m.

Buyers Information:

• Scanners are allowed at the tables but stockpiling and “clearing” are not permitted.
• Cash, checks and credit cards accepted.
• All proceeds benefit the Princeton Public Library and prices are non-negotiable.
• Parking (with a fee) is available in adjacent municipal garage; enter garage from Spring or Wiggins streets.

The sale includes an excellent selection of literary classics, fiction, mysteries, art, history, biographies, food and wine and performing arts, as well as children’s books and many other genres. Special categories this year include an unusually large selection of books on Science and Mathematics, and a collection of books from the late Professor Donald Gibson of Rutgers University on African American history, culture and literature, including many first editions and some rare items.

Highlights include:

• “Ask Your Mama” by Langston Hughes (first edition, first printing)
• “Eloise in Paris” and “Eloise in Moscow” by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight (first editions signed by Knight) 
• “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood (first edition, first printing)
• “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand first edition, second issue) 
• Walter Scott’s Works, Edition des Bibliophiles (limited edition leatherbound set)
• “The History of Freemasonry” by Albert Gallatin Mackey et al (7-volume set)
• “The Secret of the Near East” by George Mamishisho Lamsa (scarce, 1923)
• “Flatland” by “A Square” a.k.a. Edwin A. Abbott (scarce 1941 edition)
• “Die Frankfurter Pessach-Haggadah” (limited edition facsimile on vellum) 
• “The Selfish Gene” by Richard Dawkins (first U.S. edition)
• “The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster (signed copy)
• Signed first editions by Gwendolyn Brooks, Lee Child, Nora Ephron, Gunther Grass, Aleksander Hemon, Donna Tartt, M.B. Tolson and Herman Wouk

Questions? Please contact booksale@princetonlibrary.org

Book/CD/DVD Donations

As we prepare for our Annual Sale (Sept. 20 – 22) we will not be accepting any book donations from Friday, Sept. 6, through Tuesday, Sept. 24. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. 

We gladly accept donations of books, CDs and DVDs in good condition whenever the library is open. However, we can only accept up to five boxes or bags at a time. If you have more than five boxes, please contact the Friends and Foundation Book Sale Manager (booksale@princetonlibrary.org) so we can schedule an appointment.

Please pack items in sturdy bags or boxes which can be easily lifted, or tie them securely with string. Then, bring them to the Lending Desk, or deliver them to the staff entrance on Sylvia Beach Way, and ring the bell. A staff member will assist you, and can provide a tax receipt for donations.

We gladly accept:

• Hardcover and paperback books, including textbooks and graphic novels, manga and comics in GOOD condition for resale
• Audio books on CD, DVDs, Blu-rays & music CDs in excellent condition. 

Unfortunately we cannot accept:

• Badly worn, marked up, stained, musty or moldy items
• Magazines or journals
• Encyclopedias or English language dictionaries
• VHS or cassette tapes, computer games or vinyl records 
• CDs or DVDs without their cases and cover art/paper inserts
• Computer, business, finance, health or travel guides which are more than 3 years old