Book lovers across Boston had a field day April 4 at the City-Wide Friends’ bi-monthly Book Sale at the Boston Public Library’s central branch in Copley Square.
A community-based organization dedicated to supporting the Boston Public Library, or BPL, City-Wide Friends hosts a book sale the first Saturday of each even-numbered month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Usually held in the lower McKim Building, the sale has been going on for around 40 years since the organization’s inception in 1987.
This year’s turnout was among the biggest in the book sale’s recent years, according to Frederick T. Golder, co-chair of the Book Sale Committee along with his wife, Caron Golder. Not even an hour after its doors opened, there was a line snaking around the inside of the McKim Building. The significant turnout was a welcome surprise to organizers, said Karen Peter, who currently resides in Back Bay and works in luxury retail management.
“As a customer, I don’t really want people to come because I want to be able to get to the shelves, but as a volunteer, very gratifying,” Peter said. “It’s amazing. I think the people who run [the book sale] are amazed and happy with the turnout today.”
While they typically sell paperbacks for $1 and hardcovers for $2, “special” goods such as sets, rare items and collectibles may be priced higher. They also accept cash, Apple Pay, credit and debit cards — allowing for easy purchase. Considering that book prices continue to rise with no indication of dropping, the low prices at the book sale attract plenty of shoppers every other month.
“People all over the city donate beautiful books in beautiful condition to the library all the time,” Caron Golder said. “They just come to the library and the circulation desk [has] huge storage bins and shelves. They leave them there for us, and then we come every couple of days, pick them up and sort out what’s usable and sellable.”
One frequent donor is Peter, who has been a regular customer for nearly a decade since moving to Boston from Pittsburgh, and recently decided to become a volunteer herself.
“It’s a good way to declutter,” Peter said. “I have quite a few books in my house, so whenever I go through the books that people have given me or things that I know I’m not gonna read again, I just put them in a pile and take them to donate.”
All proceeds from the event go toward sponsoring programs at BPL branches. Between sales, they sort books as they come in, and books that aren’t in good condition or have been left over from past sales are donated.
“We save huge amounts of soft-covered books and we donate those to the prison system in Boston,” Golder said. “[Prisons] will only take soft-covered books because a hardcover book is considered a weapon.”
Like Peter, Golder and her husband also started out as customer-turned-volunteers, slowly rising through the ranks until they were promoted to committee co-chairs. Golder emphasized what a great deal everything was, remarking that “the prices are so reasonable, it’s crazy not to come.”
If the incredible attendance is anything to go by, it seems a good chunk of Boston’s population is most definitely sane. Prices aside, the book sale offers a wide variety of books, from typical genres like fiction and poetry to humor and travel, politics and cookbooks. This April’s sale featured a special buy-one-get-one deal on children’s books, and they also sell CDs and DVDs for just $1 each.
“I got some books for my baby brothers. I just think it’s a great event for kids and older people and young adults,” said Paris Hamilton, a business associate at Wellington Management who recently moved to Boston from St. Louis. “I’ve been reading a bit more lately, which requires having books that are cheaper, too. It’s a good opportunity to get more books. They have great options: science, business, personal growth and many more.”
Not all visitors have to be avid readers, either. Although Leslie Bennett wouldn’t necessarily describe herself as a bookworm, she was able to pick up multiple presents for friends and family — a testament to how accessible the sale makes books even for those with no major interest in reading.
“What was nice about coming was that you can pick things up for other people really cheaply. There was something for everyone. I have a book for a friend, two friends, something for me — makes it really easy,” said Bennett, an attorney for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office who resides in Arlington, Mass.
The room was packed with buyers from all over the city and beyond, congregating simply to purchase a book, or two, or ten, as seen by a number of satisfied shoppers exiting while balancing stacks of books, and some even hauling suitcases stuffed with them.
“It made me think about how I feel like Boston is a more educated community,” Hamilton said. “I can tell the appreciation for books in the Boston area is significant. I think the turnout is a reflection of that appreciation.”
For Golder, she loves the time she spends on the book sale, and wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s a wonderful place,” Golder said. “[My husband and I] have a good time. We’re fortunate we can volunteer. Neither one of us are working anymore and it’s a nice thing to give back to the community. It gets you enthused about books with your family and friends.”
The next book sale hosted by City-Wide Friends is occurring June 6.
