George Mason Friends

Planning ahead - end-of-year donations to the George Mason Friends

2011-11-16T15:36:00.000-05:00

If you are planning to bring donations of books, CDs, and DVDs to the Friends of George Mason Regional Library around the holidays, please be aware that the library is closed on the following dates:

November 23 - 24
December 23 - 26

Please do not leave donations outside the library when the library is closed - no one will be available to bring them in. Also, please help the hard-working library staff by not putting donations in the library book-drop.

Thanks!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

2011-09-26T07:03:00.000-04:00

The Fall Book Sale has ended. It wouldn't have been possible without:

the generous contribution of time, muscles (and sweat) of our volunteer adult and student workers who set up the sale; worked during the sale; and cleaned up at the end of the sale.
donations of the wonderful books, audio books, DVDs, CDs and videos from our community.
the George Mason Regional Library staff who cheerfully put up with the disruption in their normal operations to support the sale.
the year-round hard work of our Friends who sort and process the donations.
all of you who came to the sale!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Sunday at the Book Sale - half price!

2011-09-25T06:35:00.000-04:00

Sunday, September 25, is the last day of the Fall Book Sale. All books, dvds, audio books, and videos are 1/2 price. The book sale begins at noon (before the library opens for regular service) and ends promptly at 5 pm. We hope to see you!

The money raised at our book sales helps fund the Summer Reading Program and other Fairfax County Public Library needs.

The Fall 2011 Book Sale Reminders

2011-09-22T07:23:00.000-04:00

The George Mason Friends Book Sale is on!
Thursday, 9/22: 5 pm - 9 pm
Friday, 9/23: 10 am - 6 pm
Saturday, 9/24: 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday, 9/25: noon - 5 pm

Now for the fine print:

We can only take cash or checks for payment of your purchases. NO CREDIT or DEBIT CARDS, sorry.
No strollers or large bins in the sale areas, please.
The book sale ends each day promptly at the announced closing time.
We haven't viewed videos or DVDs that are on sale. We also haven't listened to the thousands of CDs and audio books that are on sale.
At busy times, we may limit how long you may leave your boxes or containers.
Please be careful to park only in marked parking spaces.

Happy browsing and shopping!

Fall 2011 Sale - Adult Display Case

2011-09-13T15:36:00.000-04:00

The left side display case in the lobby of the Library is now full of special finds of adult books which will be for sale at the book sale starting September 22. Warning: we reserve the right to correct any mistakes we have made in the prices or descriptions being published here. We may remove a book if we detect a mistake and we may add books without updating the list.

DISPLAY CASE BOOKS---09/11

Seto and Mino Ceramics $60

Louise Allison Cort 1992, Smithsonian Institution

HB in DJ

The Freer Chinese Bronzes $50

(Volume I, Catalogue)

John Alexander Pope et al 1967, Smithsonian Institution

HB in DJ

History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, 1892 $60

edited by John F. Meginness

HB, 1996 Reprint

Godey’s Lady’s Book, 1868 $40

HB; some loose pages, cover also loose

Mada’in Saleh $25

Mohammed Babelli Second Edition 2007

HB in DJ

Process: Architecture, Volume 32, $25

The Legacy of Marcel Breuer

PB, in English and Japanese

Process: Architecture, Volume 19, $15

The Heritage of Walter Gropius

PB, in English and Japanese

Firearms Identification, 3 Volumes $350

J. Howard Mathews 1962, University of Wisconsin

HB in DJ, Volume I signed by author

The Crying of Lot 49 $40

Thomas Pynchon J.B. Lippincott, First Edition

HB in DJ with small tears

The Marble Collegiate Church $75

edited by Blanche Tessaro Cleaver 1954

HB signed by Norman Vincent Peale

Memoirs of the Court of King Charles the First, 2 Volumes $50

Lucy Aiken 1833

HB, leather and board binding, well rubbed but intact

Diccionario de la Lengua Espanola $40

Decimoctava Edicion 1956

HB, shelfworn and binding cracked

The Judson Burmese-English Dictionary $50

Revised & Enlarged by Robert C. Stevenson 1921, Rangoon American

Baptist Mission Press

HB, title retaped on front and spine

Virginia Ancestors and Adventurers, $50

3 Volumes in One

compiled by Charles Hughes Hamlin 1975

Going Rogue $25

Sarah Palin, 2009

HB in DJ, signed by author on label pasted on endpaper

The Scarlet Cockerel $20

C.M. Sublette, illustrated by Frank E. Schoonover 1931

HB with pasted-on illustration on front cover

Twenty Years of Congress: From Lincoln $50

to Garfield, 2 Volumes

James G. Blaine 1884 &1886

HB, spines loose

Douze Journees de la Revolution $30

Poemes par Barthelemy 1832

HB in rubbed leather and board cover, in French and German

Three Gringos in Venezuela and Central America $30

Richard Harding Davis copyright 1896

HB, illustrated

A Soldier With the Arabs $45

Lieutenant-General Sir John Bagot Glubb 1957

The Construction and Reconstruction of the Human $100

Body, A Manual of the Therapeutics of Exercise

Eugen Sandow, with Foreword by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 1907

HB in red cloth badly worn and stained but intact

Official Proceedings, St. Louis Railway Club $25

Volume 17 from May 1912 through April 1913

HB in leather and decorated boards, front cover loose

Lhasa and Its Mysteries With a Record of the $60

Expedition of 1903-1904, Third and Cheaper Edition

L. Austine Waddell 1906

HB, ex-library

Cuadernos de Poesia, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriquena

Volume 3: Luis Pales Matos $12

illustrated by Rafael Tufino 1989

Volume 4: Jose Gautier Benitez $12

illustrated by A. Marin 1960

Volume 5: Lola Rodriguez de Tio $12

illustrated by S. Sanchez 1960

Volume 10: Santiago Vidarte $12

illustrated by Carlos Marichal 1965

Volume 13: Francisco Matos Paoli $12

illustrated by Augusto Marin 1976

Washington, D.C., Celebrated Chefs, Volume 1 $35

Edited by Melissa McCart, Photographs by 2010

Angie Norwood Browne

The Touch of the Artist, Master Drawings from $20

the Woodner Collections 1996

Edited by Margaret Morgan Grasselli, National Gallery of Art
PB

With Ossie & Ruby, In This Life Together $25

Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee 1998

First Edition, signed by both authors on book plate

The Edna Lewis Cookbook $75

Edna Lewis & Evangeline Peterson 1972, Bobbs-Merrill

HB VG/VG First Printing

American Self-Taught, Paintings and Drawings $20

by Outsider Artists

Frank Maresca & Roger Ricco, with a Foreword by

Lanford Wilson, 1993, Alfred A. Knopf

HB NF/NF First Edition

Imogen Cunningham, Flora $25

Text by Richard Lorenz, 1996, Bullfinch Press First Edition

HB NF/VG

Aniu, From Snowflake to Iceberg $50

Bernard Voyer, Explorer, Preface by Sir Edmund Hillary,

2005, Neve Editions Signed by author

HB NF/NF

Korean Art: 100 Masterpieces $75

1995, Editions API

HB Boxed, Like New /Like New

Fall 2011 Book Sale - Children's Case in the Lobby

2011-09-02T12:24:00.002-04:00

The right-hand display cases in the lobby of the Library is now full of children's books which will be for sale at the book sale starting September 22. We may be adding to the display in the next week or so. Warning: we reserve the right to correct any mistakes we have made in the prices or descriptions being published here. We may remove a book if we detect a mistake.

On display:

The Curious Cruise of Captain Santa

The Curious Cruise of Captain Santa $50

Ruth Plumley Thompson illus John R. Neill

Reilly & Lee 1926

No dust jacket, color paste-down on cover, illustrated in 3 colors on every page. The only non-Oz collaboration by Thompson and Neill

Raggedy Ann Helps Grandpa Hoppergrass $10

Johnny Gruelle Perks 1946

Soft cover, stapled wraps

The Stars $10

H.A. Ray Houghton Mifflin 1966

Book is near fine, dust jacket is price-clipped and in very good condition, decorated end papers

Home Run Feud $10

Clair Bee Grosset & Dunlap 1964

No dust jacket, pictorial boards, Chip Hilton #22

Mr. Charlie's Gas Station

Mr. Charlie’s Gas Station $25

Edith and Clement Hurd Lippincott 1956

Unpaginated, dust jacket in fair condition and not price clipped

Fox Eyes

Fox Eyes $10

Margaret Wise Brown Pantheon 1977

Illus Garth Williams

Jacket in good condition and not price-clipped

Doctor Dolittle’s Return $10

Hugh Lofting Fred A. Stokes 1933

15 color illustrations

Pictorial end papers, no dust jacket, paste-down color illustration on cover, all illustrations present

In the Nursery of My Book House $10
Olive Beapre Miller 1971

Decorated end papers, no dust jacket, pictorial front cover, in very good condition

Chinese Fairy Tales $10

Marie Ponsot 1^st edition

Golden Press 1973

Book in very good condition, pictorial boards

Russian Fairy Tales, Chinese Fairy Tales

Russian Fairy Tales $10

Marie Ponsot 2^nd Printing

Golden Press 1973

Child’s name inside, book in very good condition, no dust jacket but pictorial boards

Shanty Brook Lodge

Shanty Brook Lodge $25

Fjeril Hess Macmillan 1938

Fair dust jacket which is not price clipped, illustrated end papers

The Statue of Liberty $15

Joseph Forte 1^st edition

Paper Engineer Penick Holt Rinehart Winston

Near fine condition, all pop-ups work

Up the Hill $10

DeAngeli Doubleday 1942

Dust jacket in fair condition and is price clipped, has decorated endpapers

The Very Little Girl $20

Krasilovsky Doubleday 1953

The dust jacket is in very good condition and the price is intact, unpaginated

Shirley Temple Edition of Heidi $10

Johanna Spyri Photoplay Illustrations

Saalfield

12 photos of Shirley Temple from the movie, no dust jacket, the pages are brown but the movie photographs are beautiful

Betty Wales, Senior

Betty Wales, Senior $75

Margaret Warde Early Edition

Grosset & Dunlap 1907

Dust jacket in fair condition, book has illustrated end papers

New Neighbors at Bird-a-Lee $30

Clementia The Bookery 1932

Jacket is in shreds but included, pages are tan from age

Marjorie Dean, Post-Graduate $10

Pauline Lester A.L. Burt

Dust jacket in fiar condition, decorated end papers

Omnibus $15

Hilda Boswell Collins 1972

Dust jacket in good condition and price is intact, decorated end papers

Uncle Wiggily and His Friends $10

Howard Garis Platt & Munk 1955

Unpaginated, no dust jacket, library binding but not a former library book

Raggedy Ann’s Lucky Pennies $5

Johnny Gruelle M.A. Donohue 1932

No dust jacket, blank spine

Raggedy Ann in Cookie Land $5

Johnny Grueele M.A. Donohue 1931

No dust jacket, blank spine

Tales of a Grandmother $10

George Sand Lippincott 1930

12 full page color illustrations, many line drawings, decorated end papers, dust jacket in fair condition

52 Stories for Girls $10

Alfred Miles Hutchinson & Co

No date, preface says 1880, embossed with gilt, gilt-edged pages, no dust jacket.

True Love for Jenny $10

Mebane Burgwyn 1^st edition

Lippincott 1956

Dust jacket in good condition, not price-clipped, stated 1^st edition

Old Man Rabbit's Dinner Party

Old Man Rabbit’s Dinner Party $10

Carolyn Bailey Platt & Munk 1949

Pictorial end papers, illustrated on every page, unpaginated, dust jacket in very good condition

Mother Goose

Mother Goose $25

Illus Tasha Tudor Henry Z. Walck 1944 (1972)

Dust jacket is price-clipped and in good condition, illustrated on every page

Silver for General Washington $10

Enid Meadowcroft Thomas Crowell 1944

Dust jacket in fair condition

Our other sale...

2011-08-28T20:33:00.000-04:00

While you are waiting for our huge semi-annual book sale, beginning September 25, you might want to browse our Amazon storefront to see some of the special items we have listed for sale on Amazon. Included in the storefront are

Textbooks that we don't want to hold for the sale (which occurs after classes have started)

Books relating to subjects that are not normally purchased at our sales, such as books for teachers and educators

Other collectible and niche items that are priced higher than our usual materials, including

If you are interested in purchasing and picking up any item in our Storefront, please contact us at 703-813-6616 or georgemasonfriends@gmail.com. You will save the shipping charge and postal service delivery time.

The Fall Book Sale Is Coming!

2011-08-19T19:32:00.000-04:00

The George Mason Friends are busy preparing for our Fall Book Sale (September 22 - 25). We currently have more than 1,000 large boxes of books for adults and children, DVDs, CDs, VHS tapes, and audio books processed for the sale, thanks to the generous donations from the community. We are still accepting donations for the sale.

As always, we have a large quantity of hardback and softcover fiction and nonfiction.We will have a good selection of Korean and Vietnamese language children's books.

Some of the books we will have available are:

A wide variety of popular adult fiction, including mystery, adventure and suspense, westerns, and romances. We also will have literature classics, drama, short stories, and literary essays and biographies.

Our nonfiction categories include history, philosophy, religion, math and science, medicine, education, self-help, business, and computers. We also have a large selection of art and architecture, music (including a large selection of sheet music), cooking, crafts, gardening and travel books. We also have reference (including test prep books and dictionaries) and a section devoted to foreign language materials and ESL.

And did we mention that we have a number of rare older books, both fiction and nonfiction? Most will be in the meeting room area, although some will be in our Adult Case in the Lobby.

We hope to see you at one (or more) of the sale days -- September 22 to 25. Check back as we publish lists and photos of items that will be in our special Children's and Adult cases in the GM Library lobby.

Our Phone Number Has Changed!

2011-06-09T12:03:00.000-04:00

Our telephone number has changed. We can now be reached at:

703-813-6616

We are still located at George Mason Regional Library and able to accept donations during normal Library hours.

Grandma Moses prints

2011-05-25T16:02:00.001-04:00

SOLD OUT!

We have received a lovely donation of 8 Grandma Moses prints in a cardboard portfolio. We are offering these for sale now, for pick up from the George Mason Regional Library Friends Room. The prints are 14 1/2 inches by 20 inches, with the image size on each print 11 3/4 inches by 15 inches.

Each print is $5. At this price, we regret that we cannot mail the prints. Please contact us at georgemasonfriends@gmail.com or 703-256-3800, ext 220 to see or purchase the prints.

THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS

2011-04-17T20:52:00.000-04:00

The Spring George Mason Regional Library book sale, held April 14 - 17, could not have happened without the many hours spent by our adult and teen volunteers. We haven't tallied up the total number of hours yet, but among the accomplishments are:

Unboxing over 1,250 boxes of books and materials and placing them on tables in the library
Manning cashier stations for 4 hours on Thursday, 8 hours on Friday, 7 hours on Saturday, and 5 hours on Sunday
Tidying up tables and adding books from boxes on the floor throughout the sale
Helping customers

Thank you all!

Sunday's Book Sale - half price!

2011-04-17T12:26:00.000-04:00

Today from noon until 5 pm, all of our remaining books and other items are half price. We still have some great materials, now at even better prices.

Fiction (adult and teen, romance, mystery, adventure, sci fi)

Literature, poetry, drama

Children's

CDs, DVDs, and VHS

Art, Photography, Architecture, Performing Arts

Foreign Language

Travel

Cooking

Religion

History (American, European, World)

Philosphy

Sports and games

Business

Computers

and more!!

Cash or checks only

Book Sale Do's and Don'ts

2011-04-14T15:22:00.000-04:00

The book sale starts today at 5 pm and runs through Sunday at 5 pm. We look forward to seeing you! Here are a few reminders of book sale policies:

We can only take cash or checks for payment of your purchases. NO CREDIT or DEBIT CARDS, sorry.

No strollers or large bins in the sale areas, please.

The book sale ends each day promptly at the announced closing time.

We haven't viewed videos or DVDs that are on sale. We also haven't listened to the thousands of CDs that are on sale.

At busy times, we may limit how long you may leave your boxes or containers.

Happy browsing and shopping!

Spring 2011 Book Sale - Children's Books Display Case

2011-04-11T14:24:00.002-04:00

The right-hand display cases in the lobby of the Library is now full of children's books which will be for sale at the book sale starting April 14. Warning: we reserve the right to correct any mistakes we have made in the prices or descriptions being published here. We may remove a book if we detect a mistake.

On display:

Stories that Never Grow Old, Watty Piper, Platt & Munk, 1938, price $10

The Old Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme Book, Thomas Nelson & Sons, price $10

Kor and the Wolf Dogs, Robert Green Lopthrop, Lee and Shepherd, 1956, price $20

Happy Moods of Happy Children, Poems, D. Lothrop, 1878, price $10

Marcella, a Raggedy Ann Story, Johnny Gruelle, P.F. Volland, 1929, price $15

Peter and Wendy, J.M. Barrie, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1911, price $50

Voyage Beyond Three Seas, Afanasy Nikitin, Raduga, Moscow, price $10

The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum, Bobbs-Merrill, 1944, 8 color illustrations, 8 black and white drawings, price $10

My Play is Study, L. Lermont, Davis Porter & Co, 1866, price $10

Pop-Up Riddles, Bennett Cerf, Random House, 1967, price $10

Pop-Up Silliest Riddles, Bennett Cerf, Random House, 1967, price $10

What am I?, Ben Berenberg, Wonder Books, 1946, price $10

Walt Disney’s Pinocchio, 1st Edition, Harmony, 1982, price $20

Mother Goose Primer, Belle Wiley, Charles E. Merrill, 1910, price $15

Little Susy’s Six Birthdays, Mrs. E. Prentiss, Anson Randolph, 1853, price $10

Uncle Remus Stories, Marion Palmer, Golden Press, 1970, price $10

Happy Birthday to You, Dr. Seuss,1st printing, 1959, price $50

Little Red Riding Hood, Marjorie Priceman, pop-up, 1st edition, 2001, price $10

The Bumper Book, Watty Piper, Platt & Munk, 1946, price $25

Inside front flap Nancy Drew

The Mystery of the Tolling Bell, Carolyn Keene, 1st printing, Grosset and Dunlap, 1946, price $50

Granddad’s Island, Reeny Jenkins,1st edition, Vantage Press, 1961, price $10

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne, Illustrations by Milo Winter, Rand McNally, 1922, price $10

Myths and Legends, Anne White, Golden Press, 1959, price $10

Mickey Never Fails, Robin Palmer, Walt Disney, Heath, 1939, price $10

Little Lulu, Marge, Rand McNally, 1937, price $10

The Sneetches and Other Stories, Dr. Seuss,1st edition, Random House, 1961, price $50

Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift, Illustrations by Arthur Rackham, E.P. Dutton, 1909, price $100

No Children, No Pets, Marion Holland, Weekly Reader Book Club, Alfred Knopf, 1956, price $15

The Story of Juliette, Beatrice Washington, Roberts Brothers, 1892, price $20

Spring 2011 Book Sale - Adult Display Case

2011-04-09T16:01:00.003-04:00

The left side display case in the lobby of the Library is now full of special finds of adult books which will be for sale at the book sale starting April 14. Warning: we reserve the right to correct any mistakes we have made in the prices or descriptions being published here. We may remove a book if we detect a mistake and we may add books without updating the list.

Picturesque New Orleans, Ten Drawings of the French Quarter, Wm. P. Spratling, price $50

The Great Songs of Harry Warren from 42nd Street to Hollywood, paperback, price $20

Famous Negro Spirituals: A Collection of 25, transcribed and arranged by Hugo Frey (sheet music), price $20

Three Spirituals from Earth to Heaven, illustrated by Allan Rohan Crite; hardback, no dj, price $22.50

Spalding’s Official Baseball Guide 1931, paperback, price $50

La Veritable Cuisine de Famille par Tante Marie; hardback, covers detached, price $20

Delicate Feasting, Theodore Child; hardback, no dj, owner inscribed book in 1904, price $20

Collecting Hooked Rugs, Elizabeth Waugh and Edith Foley, c. 1927; hardback, damaged dj; price $20

Coffee and Waffles, Alice Foote MacDougall, 1927; hardback, no dj, price $20

Loudon’s Lady’s Country Companion, Mrs. Loudon, 1846; hardback, no dj, price $25

The Dog in Action, McDowell Lyon, 1950; hardback, dj chipped but intact, price $25

Old Homes Made New, (Being a collection of plans, exterior andinterior views illustrating the alteration and remodeling of several suburban residences), William Woollett, 1879; hardback, no dj, price $200

My Last Expedition to the Antarctic 1936-1937, Lars Christensen, Oslo, 1938; hardback, no dj, price $150

Real Peace: A Strategy for the West, Richard Nixon; hardback with bright but chipped dj; autographed copy of author’s private limited edition, price $40

The Challenges We Face, Compiled and Edited from the Speeches and Papers of Richard M. Nixon, inscribed, hardback, chipped dj, price $25

Naturalist’s Library (Vol. 35), Entomology (Beetles by James Duncan), Volume II, 1843; hardback with marbled endpapers and gilt top edge, ¾ leather binding, beautiful colored illustrations of beetles; no dj, price $75

the Hawaiian Canoe, Tommy Holmes, 1981; hardback in vg dj, price $75

Trust: Photographs of Jim Marshall, autographed by photographer, hardback in vg dj ; photos of 60s-era musicians, price $20

Front Porch, Reginald Wright Kauffman, 1933; hardback in OK dj, inscribed by author to Kenneth Clark, price $30

A City of Bells, Elizabeth Goudge, 1936; hardback in mylar-covered good dj, price $20

American Stuff, An Anthology of Prose and Verse by Members of the Federal Writers’ Project, hardback, no dj, price $50

Charles Dickens in America, W. Glyde Wilkins, 1912; hardback, no dj, price $50

Mark Twain’s Autobiography and First Romance, 1871; hardback, no dj; title in gold, price $25

Flowers and Folk-lore from Far Korea, Florence-Hedleston Crane, 1969; no. 481 of “a deluxe reprint edition limited to 1,000 copies”, hardback with gold letters on embossed cover; no dj; price $40

Henri Cartier Bresson Photographer, 1979, softcover, price $30

Chinese Currency, Currency of the Far East, A Comprehensive Text: Chou Dynasty (1122 BC - 255 BC) through Ch’ing Dynasty (1644 AD to 1911 AD), revised and edited by Virgil Hancock, 1965; hardback in brightly illustrated cover, no dj, price $40

Ernst Fuchs, 1977; hardback, good dj, oversized art book in German, price $75

I Bronzi Degli Etruschi, Mauro Cristofani, 1985; vg/vg, case in need of some paste; oversized art book in Italian, price $40

A History of Russian Architecture, William Craft Brumfield, 1993; vg/vg, price $20

The Colour-Prints of Hiroshige With 52 Plates including16 in Colour, Edward F. Strange; hardback in poor condition, no dj, price $35

Tender is the Night facsimile of 1st edition, F. Scott Fitzgerald, vg/vg in good slip case, price $17.50

Algebre Superieure, 2 Volumes, J.A. Serret, 1885; hardback, ¾ leather binding, old gilt at top, price $70

Washington City and Capital, American Guide Series, 1937; hardback, no dj, price $30

History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, George Smith, 1862; hardback, loose spine, no dj, price $25

Oscar Wilde Discovers America (1882), Lloyd Lewis and Henry Justin Smith, 1936; hardcover, no dj, 1st edition, price $20

Russia on Canvas: Ilya Repin, Fan Parker & Stephen Jan Parker, 1980; hardback, vg/vg, price $30

Picasso Malaga, 3 volumes; vg paperback in vg slip case, price $50

Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Literature and Antiquities, 1896, hardcover tome, no dj, price $35

The Smithsonian Book of Books, Michael Olmert, 1992; vg hardback in in slip case, price $30

The Book of the Thousand Nights and A Night. A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments. 16 vol., translated and annotated by Richard F. Burton, privately printed by the Burton Club, n.d., price $350

Personal Memoirs of Gen’l. W.T. Sherman, vol. 1, 4th ed., Revised, Corrected, 1892, price $45

Light and Illusion: The Hollywood Portraits of Ray Jones, edited by John Jones, price $20

Water Dance, Howard Schatz, price $30

Chinese Cloisonne: The Pierre Uldry Collection, Helmut Brinker and Albert Lutz, translated from German by Susanna Swoboda, price $35

Meisterzeichnungen des Deutschen Aus dem Besitz der Stadischen Kunstsammlungen Augsburg, price $35

Villas on the Hudson: A Collection of Photo-Lithographs, Da Capo Press 1977; reprint of D. Appleton 1860 edition, price $75

Waiting for Filippo, The Life of Renaissance Architect Filippo Brunelleschi, a pop-up book by Michael Bender, price $20

Spring Book Sale ~ April 14 - 17, 2011

2011-04-05T15:43:00.000-04:00

We are excited to share with you some of the special books we have been collecting for the Spring Sale, which starts at 5 pm on April 14. If you are visiting George Mason Regional Library before the sale starts, take a look at our Adult and Children's Display cases in the lobby. The listings of the case contents will be published to the blog in the next several days.

Closings at Fairfax County Public Library

2010-12-20T10:48:00.000-05:00

If you want to make a year-end donation to the Friends, plan ahead. The library is closed for seven days in the next 14 day periord. We only accept donations during library hours and the library has lots of closed days during this holiday period.

The schedule for the next two weeks follows.

Monday, December 20, regionals including GM open at 1pm - 9 pm

Tuesday, December 21, regional branches open 10 am - 9 pm

Wednesday, December 22, open 1 pm - 9 pm

Thursday, December 23 CLOSED

Friday, December 24 CLOSED

Saturday, December 25 CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 CLOSED

Monday, December 27 George Mason Regional opens at 1 pm

Tuesday, December 28 open 10 am - 9 pm

Wednesday, December 29 open 1 pm - 9 pm

Thursday, December 30 CLOSED

Friday, December 31 CLOSED

Saturday, January 1 CLOSED

Sunday, January 2 open 1 pm to 5 pm

No Strollers or Large Bins in the Sale Areas

2010-10-19T12:47:00.000-04:00

The book sale has a long standing rule that strollers are not allowed in the sales areas. That means you can bring the stroller into the building but you may not bring it into the small room where children's material is being sold, into the large sales room off the lobby, or into the aisles of the sales material out in the main library.Child carriers with solid frames that people wear like back packs are also not allowed in the sales areas. We do understand that it is inconvenient but it is just too crowded, especially Thursday night and Sunday afternoon.

Bin too big to bring into sales area

This year again large bins are not allowed in the sales areas. Again, there are places in the library you can leave them.

Box 10" high, 12" wide, 15" long

You may bring in boxes of the type frequently called Stor-Alls or Bankers Boxes. You may also bring boxes that printer paper came in, roughly 11" wide by 17" long. We will have containers you may use in the sales areas but we are going to ask that those big bins be left somewhere else.

Copy paper box is a good size.

If the containers you bring are disposable like these boxes, we ask that you bring a coat or blanket or something non-disposable to mark your collection. A few times we have had the unfortunate experience of people abandoning their piles. Most shoppers don't mess with other people's piles. An abandoned pile means books aren't available to someone who may want them. An object that most people wouldn't abandon helps us know that the shopper is shopping and will be back. At busy times, we may limit how long you may leave your boxes.

I am one of those people who walk into the grocery store intending to buy two bags of stuff and walk out with four bags of stuff. If you are one of those people, do not fear. We will have bags and boxes here for you to use if you don't bring your own.

Now is a good time to remind readers that we do not accept credit cards or debit cards. We have a large number of banks in the vicinity so stop at the ATM before parking.

Do come to this sale. While I haven't counted each book, I can tell you that we have more boxes than any time in the past two years.

Fall Book Sale - Adult Display Case

2010-10-15T21:08:00.000-04:00

The left side display case in the lobby of the Library is now full of special finds of adult books which will be for sale at the book sale starting October 21. Warning: we reserve the right to correct any mistakes we have made in the prices or descriptions being published here. We may remove a book if we detect a mistake.

The Haunted House Mystery, L.P. Wyman; Publ. A.L. Burt, 1936 $75

No DJ; red cloth; volume 26 in series.

Seekrieg und Seemacht , Friedrich Lutzow; 1941 2 volumes $75

In German; no DJ; some sunning and fading, tears and wear on binding.

Boots and Saddles, Elizabeth B. Custer; Harper & Bros., copyright 1885 $50

Brown cloth cover with gold decoration; with portrait and map.

Annual Register or a View of the History, Politics, and Literature, for the Year 1770. The fifth edition. $60

No DJ; printed in 1794; Leather spine and corners with decorative paper; wear to covers; tight binding.

Kyoto Romance, Teruhide Kato with Liane Grunberg; First Edition by Unsodo Publ., 1992 $25

Soft cover; very good/near fine.

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam; Edward Fitzgerald transl.; First printing of Pocket Book Ed., 1941 $20

Good; lovely illustrations by Gordon Ross.

Rossetti, Evelyn Waugh; Duckworth, 1975 $25

A new edition of Evelyn Waugh’s first book with an introduction by John Bryson; VG/VG; previous owner’s name on end paper.

A Boy’s Will, Robert Frost; Henry Holt and Co., no date. $75

No DJ; binding worn and spotted.

One Hundred Years of Korean Calligraphy (1848-1948) $60

VG/VG in VG box; Plates translated into English.

All the Best, George Bush; My Life in Letters and Other Writings; Signed on pasted-in label; Scribner, 1999 $50

VG/VG; some wear on corners.

Vlemk, the Box-Painter, John Gardner; Lord John Press, 1979; stated first edition, signed & numbered. $50

NF/NF in mylar cover; illustrated by Catherine Kanner.

The Art of Building Cities, Camillo Sitte; Rheinhold Publ., 1945 $50

No DJ; worn red binding; translated by Charles T. Stewart

Augustus Saint-Gaudens 1848-1907, A Master of American Sculpture; Musee des Augustins, 1999 $40

Soft Cover, VG.

Manual of Wireless Telegraphy for the Use of Naval Electronics, by Lt.Commander S.S. Robison, USN; US Naval Institute, 1909 $40

Binding worn and dirty with owners’ names on endpapers; tight binding.

The Convert Rolls, edited by Eileen O’Byrne; Irish Manuscripts Commission, 1981 $40

No DJ; VG maroon cloth binding with gold lettering.

Know Thyself, The Science of Life, George Howard Jones, M.D.; Peabody Medical Institute, 1881 $20

No DJ; bright blue cloth cover with bright gold and black decoration; gold page edges.

The Lives of Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Hernando Cortes, and Francisco Pizarro; publ. Marsh, Capen, Lyon, and Webb, 1840; $25

No DJ; worn and spotted green cover; possible water damage.

Women’s Suffrage; The Reform Against Nature, Horace Bushnell; Scribner, 1869 $25

No DJ; lower fifth of spine cover missing; upper spine taped; owner’s name on front end-paper.

History and the Art of Printing, P. Luckombe; printed by W. Adlard and J. Browne, 1771 $65

Spine mended; decorative paper boards; ink markings on first few pages, rest clean; paste-ins from private library.

The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, Maria Augusta Trapp; J.P. Lippincott Co.; 1949, 4^th impression; autographed by members of Trapp family. $35

DJ has several tears; book good.

Bedu, Humberto da Silveira; Genoud Entreprise D’Arts Graphiques $150

Fine/Fine in VG box; deluxe limited edition of 6000 copies; contains 176 photographs of Bedouins of Arabia

The Double-Faced Tablets from the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod, by V.N. Lasarev; Iskusstvo Art Publishers, Moscow, 1983 $30

Decorative boards, front and back; corners worn but body square.

Dones y Promesas: 500 anos de arte ofrenda (exvotos mexicanos), Fundacion Cultural Televisa, 1996 $60

Soft cover; VG with some wear on edges, spine

Traditional Papermaking and Paper Cult Figures of Mexica, Sandstrom; Univ. of OK Press, stated 1^st ed., 1986 $25

DJ clean but with tears, book slightly cocked; address label on front endpaper.

Early Netherlandish Carved Altarpieces, 1380-1550, Medieval Tastes and Mass Marketing, by Lynn Jacobs; Cambridge Univ. Press, 1998 $60

NF/NF

Cristo, Esencia y Trascendencia, Xavier Escalada S.J.; Enciclopedia Guadalupana $45

Good/good; corners bumped; oversized

Cyprus, Byzantine Mosaics and Frescoes; NY Graphic society, 1963 $50

DJ good but with some tears; book binding clean; oversized volume in UNESCO World Art Series with 32 full-page color reproductions.

Pskovska Ikona XIII-XVI Vekov; printed and bound in USSR, 1990 $40

VG/VG; Cyrillic inscription on front endpaper.

French Costumes Designed by Lepage-Medvey, with a Preface by Andre Varagnac; Hyperion Press, 1939 $30

Covers worn and some loose pages; prints crisp and bright, each with cover sheet.

The Working Farmer Devoted to Agriculture, James J. Mapes; Volume IV; Frederick McCready, 1853 $50

Very worn leather spine; decorative boards, also worn; pages show foxing and stains but text in good condition.

Florentine Codex, General History of the Things of New Spain, Fray Bernardino de Sahagun; 12 volumes; translated by Arthur J.O. Anderson & Charles E. Dibble; School of American Research & Univ. of Utah, 1975 $200

No DJ; red cloth binding in very good condition.

Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan, Commodore Perry; 3 volumes; 1856 $1000

Volume 1—lithograph opposite p. 144 missing; binding needs repair; all woodcuts and pages present

Volume 2—maps present but fragile; water damage to back binding and several pages at end with no printing

Volume 3—very good condition; all pages and charts present

All volumes have some yellowing of paper, particularly around margins, and some fading of binding.


Plate from Perry

A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method, Sir Banister Fletcher; 16^th ed., B.T. Batsford, 1954 $25

No DJ, good condition.

Kokai Nikki: The Diary of the First Japanese Embassy to the United States of America, Muragaki Awaji-No-Kami; 1^st printing, Foreign Affairs Assn. of Japan, 1958 $100

Soft cloth covers hand sewn; box is broken in several parts.

First Annual Report: Resettlement Administration, 1936 $100

DJ in good condition except for split along spine with small pieces missing; book has sun damage, crack on back endpaper, and loose in front; large fold-out map bright and intact.

Batalla Contra el Olvido, Jaime Ardila & Camilo Lleras; Editado por Ardila & Lleras Ltda., 1985 $25

VG/VG

Henri Le Secq PHOTOGRAPHE de 1850 a 1860, Eugenia Parry Janis & Josiane Sartre; Musee des Arts Decoratifs, 1986 $17.50

NF/NF

Walk in Beauty, Connie Seabourn; autographed; Milbourn Publ. 1993 $30

VG/VG

The Wood and the Graver, The Work of Fritz Eichenberg; autographed by artist; Clarkson N. Potter, 1977 $30

DJ intact but with stain and some tears; book top dirty; contents clean and prints sharp and clear.

Vida y Obra del Pintor Francisco Pradilla Ortiz, Ana Garcia Loranca & Ramon Garcia-Rama; Caja de Ahorros de Zaragoza $20

VG/NF; some wear along DJ edges.

Yellowstone, A Century of the Wilderness Idea, Ann & Myron Sutton; autographed authors and Pat Nixon, et al; Macmillan, 1972 $35

G/VG in good box

Earthquake Conditions in Chile, Studies in Comparative Seismology, Bailey Willis; Carnegie Institution, Publication Number 382, 1929 $30

Soft cover; cover shows wear and some stains, but contents clean and tight; maps in back pocket.

Special Children's Books in this Sale

2010-10-06T14:10:00.000-04:00

One of the display cases in the lobby of the Library is now full of children's books which will be for sale at the book sale starting October 21. Warning: we reserve the right to correct any mistakes we have made in the prices or descriptions being published here. We may remove a book if we detect a mistake.

Dear Readers and Riders by Marguerite Henry, first printing from 1969, no dj, $10

The Christmas Cat by Efner Tudor Holmes, illustrated by Tasha Tudor, unpaginated, has a price-clipped dj, from 1976, $10

Cowboy Andy by Edna Chandler, illustrated by Raymond Kinstler, intact dj from 1959, a Beginner Book, $10

Hugh Loftings' Travels of Dr. Dolittle adapted by Al Perkins, illustrated by Philip Wende, intact dj from 1967, a Beginner Book, $10

Robin Hood by Paul Creswick illustrated by N.C. Wyeth, has 8 color plates with tissue guards, no dj, from 1917, $12

East of the Sun and West of the Moon by Kay Nielsan, 6 illustrations, 1 illustration missing, no dj, from 1932, $10

A Big Ball of String by Marion Holland, Beginner Book #5, intact dj, from 1958, stated 1st printing, $20

Prairie School by Lois Lenski, 1st edition, price-clipped dj, from 1951, $10

Take Joy selected and edited by Tasha Tudor, illustrated by Tasha Tudor, with dj, 1966, $10

The Private World of Tasha Tudor by Tasha Tudor and Richard Brown, illustrations by Tasha Tudor, photographs by Richard Brown, stated first edition, has a dj, 1992, $5

The Catholic Child's Bible in two volumes (Old and New Testaments), no dj, Giant golden books, 1958, $10 per volume

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth, 13 illustrations with tissue guards, 1 illustration missing, no dj, from 1911, $10

The White Company by A. Conan Doyle illustrated by N.C. Wyeth, 13 illustrations, no dj, reprint from 1930's or 1940's, $12

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth, 14 pictures with tissue guards and a map, no dj, 1913, $12

Me by william Saroyan, illustrations by Murray Tinkelman, unpaginated, no dj,1st edition, 1963, $15

What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry, unabridged, no dj, 1968, $20

Pinocchio by Collodi, illustrated by Copeland, has decorated end papers, no dj, 1904, $10

Pointers for Little Persons by Virginia Parkinson, photographs similar to claymation, 6 collectible hard covers with dj's, 1943, $20

Poo-Poo and the Dragons by C.S. Forester, illustrated by Robert Lawson, 1st edition, no dj, from 1942, $20

Little Black Goes to the Circus by Walter Farley, illustrated by James Schucker, a Beginner Book, with dj, from 1963, probable 1st edition, $12

The Day the Guinea-Pig Talked by Paul Gallico, illustrated by Dulac, price-clipped dj, from 1963, $10

The Giant Golden Book of Mathematics by Irving Adler, illustrated by Lowell Hess, no dj, from 1960, $10

The Pop-Up Book of Gnomes paper-engineering by Tor Lokvig, no dj, from 1979, $10

Panama's Jungle Book by Susan Core, illustrated by Anne McKeown, unpaginated, with dj, from 1942, $10

Christmas on the Isthmus by Susan Core, illustrated by Anne McKeown, a story in rhyme, with dj, from 1936, $10

The Little President by Don Calhoun, printed in black, pink, and green, with dj, from 1946, $15

Frances Tipton Hunter Picture Book by Marjorie Barrows, illustrated by F. T. Hunter, 20 full page illustrations, no dj, from 1935, $10

Phones at the Library on Sunday

2010-10-05T00:36:00.000-04:00

The recession has hit the libraries in Fairfax County very hard. The hours have been reduced, again. Staffing has been cut. One fall-out to the reductions is answering the phones. The staff no longer answers the phone on Sunday even when the library is open. The system went further and set the computer so the phone doesn't ring on Sunday even when the library is open. If the phone doesn't ring, the person calling can't leave a message and get a call back. The person calling will hear a message about the phones not being answered.

On Mondays, Regional Libraries in Fairfax County open at 1 pm. Before opening, the odds are good that the phone service will stay at the Sunday message. Just because Monday morning is a work day for most of the world, don't expect to be able to leave a message until after 1 pm.

If you try to call us, please make the attempt on Saturday before 5 pm or on Monday after 1 pm. I know it is frustrating but it is not in our control.

Stamps, United States Postage Stamps and Canadian Postage Stamps

2010-09-22T17:30:00.000-04:00

Sample page of Stamps

We have been given a nice collection of postage stamps. They range in age from 1946 to 1984. Some of them are in binders with special pages describing the stamps. The stamps themselves are slid into holders, not attached in anyway. The donation was from a serious collector and includes about 15 binders of these pages plus some pages not in binder. It makes for fascinating browsing to read about people and events commemorated in U.S. postage stamps. It is also interesting to see the change from largely monochromatic stamps to full color stamps.

In 1946 the Post Office commemorations including ones for the Smithsonian Institution and Statehood for Iowa. The Smithsonian stamp is monochromatic in brick red. The stamp for Iowa is monochromatic in blue.

I like the full color ones. The stamp here is Spirit of 76. You need to see a pane of 3 stamps to see the full picture. Looking at things like this makes me understand the fascination of stamp collecting.

Box of 1983 Stamps from Canada

There are also annual collections of Canadian Stamps. This one is labelled 1983. It is unopened and in shrink wrap. We also have the ones for 1982 and 1984 unopened.

If you are interested in acquiring some or all of these stamps or just want to know more about this collection, please contact us. If you are local, we can arrange a time for you to see this collection. If you are distant, perhaps, I can take more photos.

Book Sale Dates Announced: October 21 to 24

2010-09-15T12:48:00.005-04:00

The Fall Book Sale will start on Thursday, October 21, at 5 pm. For opening night, we have permission from Fairfax County Public Libraries to stay open until 9 pm. This is good news for shoppers because, normal library services will end at 6 pm. From 6 to 9 pm, the shoppers won't need to compete with library users for parking places. Since most of the staff will leave at 6 pm, we will have their parking places to use, too. Another bonus, after 6 pm, buyers have more choices inside the library for space for collecting their purchases before check out.

The bad news for shoppers is that you won't be able to combine book sale and library use unless you arrive before 6 pm. After 6 pm, you will not be able to check out books, use the library computers, get a library card, ask for help from the Information Librarian, or pay bills.

The sale will follow library hours on Friday and Saturday. Friday hours are 10 am to 6 pm. Saturday hours are 10 am to 5 pm. On Sunday, we will get a one hour jump on library hours (and get more parking spaces) by opening the sale at noon. Library services will start at 1 pm. Sunday hours end at 5 pm.

As an added bonus for families planning to come to the sale on Saturday, Annandale is having their Fall Festival. The morning parade will include the Annandale High School Marching Band at over 100 strong. Generally, there is a fair showing of candidates for public office as well. The Fall Festival continues with activities in the parking lot of Safeway on Little River Turnpike, about a mile from the George Mason Regional Library.

Graphic Novels in Japanese

2010-06-18T12:09:00.005-04:00

Graphic novels are popular with a lot of people these days. This collection is unusual because they are in Japanese. I believe they are the Shonen Jump magazines because that is what some of the mailing envelopes say in English. The cover with the English word Boy appears to be number 50 with a date from 1992. (Fortunately for me, the date and the word printed is in English). The cover with the word DVD on the cover is dated 2007. These are just two from 3 boxes full.

We are running a trial of publicizing them on this blog. If you are interested in one or more, please contact the Friends at George Mason Regional Library by phone or email. The price is a bargain at $2 per volume if you pick them up. Please make the contact and an appointment first; don't just show up because only a select few people at the library can show you the magazines.

If you know someone who reads Japanese and likes graphic novels, please tell your friend about this great offer. I think they would make great summer time reading for a special person.

Rain, Rain, Sweet Summer Rain

2010-06-18T00:58:00.005-04:00

Have you gotten rained on unexpectedly this week? Did you leave your umbrella at home to your eternal regret? Did the rain cancel some of your errands?

I can answer "yes" to all of those questions. I can also add a plea to our donors. When it rains, protect your books. Leave them indoors, safe and dry. Put them in a closed bag or box if you must take them out. Don't put the box on the ground when you open your trunk or your car.

Why do I care? I care because this week we were given some lovely books. Unfortunately the box was wet. When the box gets wet, the books inside get wet. The dust jacket wrinkles. The pages glue themselves together. The colors on the binding run. Mold or mildew grows. Wet books get other books wet. Our only recourse is to put them in the trash.

A related plea: bring your donations during library hours. We find books left outside at the back door. We find books left outside at the front door. One day, I found a bag of books under the opening for the library book drop. Many, many times these treasures have been rained on (or snowed on) before they are found and brought in.

We love your donations. We love them best when they are clean and dry.

Spring Book Sale Over

2010-05-06T22:23:00.002-04:00

Our spring book sale has ended. We had wonderful books, generous customers, delightful volunteers, and beautiful weather.

Now we are starting to process books and CDs and VHS tapes and DVDs and Blu-ray DVDs and Sheet Music and Video Games and I don't know what-all for the next sale which will be in October 2010.

The dates aren't set in stone yet so I can't publish them.

I can tell all those who patronize Fairfax County Public Libraries to start noting the hours to take effect July 1, 2010. Most people are aware that only Regional libraries have Sunday hours now. As of July 1, the hours will also vary on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday so you will have to pay attention to the time of day and the type of library to know whether it is open.

The Spring 2010 Sale Is On!

2010-04-30T07:40:00.005-04:00

The book sale has started! We are open today from 10 am to 6 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from noon to 5 pm. Sunday, the books are half-price, but the selection is better today and tomorrow.

Our sale is made possible by:

countless donations of books, CDs, DVDs, videos, etc. throughout the year
hours and hours of volunteer time sorting and pricing the books
more hours and hours of volunteer time setting up, running, and taking down the sale
lots of wonderful customers. Hopefully you will be one of them!

Come. Shop. Buy.

Book Sale Quirks

2010-04-25T22:07:00.007-04:00

First off, I find that technology is sneakier than I am. I had time at the beginning of April and I was thinking about various book sale blogs so I wrote several and only posted one. I thought that the date on the blog post would be the date I published the blog. I got surprised. It turns out to be the date I wrote the original entry. So now you know why we published so many entries for April 5 and 6.

Now about quirks in finding books at the book sale:
Today I was looking at the best seller lists. I was surprised to learn the Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert has been listed for over two years. The Washington Post has it on the paperback non-fiction list at over 120 weeks. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson has been going longer at over 150 weeks. That is amazing to me.

Both of these books are memoirs and selling them poses a challenge to us. The George Mason Friends have roughly 50 different categories for books for adults. The one category for adults we don't have is "Memoir" or even "Biography". We have found that people interested in History might be interested in biographies of historic figures. Therefore, we keep the books about Lincoln with American History and the books about Napoleon in Military History. Following that line of thought, the latest book about a celebrity would be in Performing Arts. So Melissa Gilbert's book Prairie Tale would be with the books about Acting and Dance. A book about Michael Jackson might be in Music and might be with Celebrity Bios.

Under this scheme, where would we put Eat, Pray, Love? We have settled on the category of Travel. Our reasoning is that Elizabeth Gilbert wrote about her time in Italy, India, and Indonesia. Therefore, the book is similiar in some ways to the books people have written about there time in south of France (Peter Mayle comes to mind).

Where would Three Cups of Tea belong? We are still struggling with that. Since we put a lot of politics and current events in the History section, we decided to try Three Cups of Tea in with the World History, which is where you would find other books about current events in Afghanistan.

Are you looking for a particular biography or memoir at the sale? Ask one of the volunteers wearing a GM Friends apron if you need help finding a category.

Come to our sale April 29 -May 2. Shop. Buy.

D. L. Moody Signature

2010-04-06T22:03:00.004-04:00

One of the famous evangelists of the late 1900s was D. L. Moody. We have been given a Bible inscribed by him to someone in Baltimore. This is a well-used Bible but if you would like to touch something handled by D. L. Moody, then come to the sale. It should be in the display case on the left-hand side of the lobby.

We are hoping it finds a good home at the sale on April 29.

Books in French for sale April 29 to May 2

2010-04-06T21:34:00.011-04:00

Do you read French? Are you studying it at school and would like something different from the usual literature? Consider coming to the book sale.

The pictured books are just a small sample of some of the fiction in languages other than English. I picked these because they are so varied in content.

We usually have books in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean. There may be one or two books in various other languages as well.

Are you travelling this year? Consider getting a phrase book. Need to brush up on your grammar, check with us for that, too.

Don't forget to check the children's room for picture books in other languages.

Wordless Books: What Good are They?

2010-04-05T22:34:00.007-04:00

There are people at universities who study all sorts of things and provide scholarly sounding terms for their students to learn. The terms enable those in the field to have a standard vocabulary to discuss their field. To the rest of us, it is jargon.

In Early Childhood education, seven different areas have been identified as important steps toward Early Literacy. As my own early childhood was a long time ago, I didn't fully appreciate some of those steps when I was first told them recently.

One of the steps involves being able to tell a story. So, Jack and Jill did three things. Jill fell down. Jack fell down. They went up a hill. Now, most of us know this English nursery rhyme. We know I just put those events in the wrong order. A person learning to read needs to be able to tell a story and put the events in the right order.

The only words in this book are on the cover. The story is told by the pictures. Any words you put to them are up to you the reader. These stories can be told in any language. They can be shared by readers and non-readers. They can be used to get people to write their own words to the story. Would a child of five put in the same level of detail as a middle-school student?

The book pictured is one of the books that will be available at the sale starting April 29. Our room with children's books always has someone staffing it who can direct you towards items of interest to you. It can be a pretty popular place with shoppers, so strollers must be parked in the lobby. The Fire Marshall tells us that the strollers in the room are a safety concern.

Special Books for sale April 29 to May 2

2010-04-05T22:23:00.005-04:00

The George Mason Friends have two large book sales each year. The spring sale will be April 29 to May 2. If you go into the George Mason Regional Library, you will see that one display case has many old children's books. These books are not listed on Amazon for sale. They will be on display until 5 pm Thursday evening when the sale opens. They won't be sold in advance of the sale. The only reason for us to remove the book from the case is if we find a problem in the condition of the book that we had not previously noticed.

I know the display includes two books based on Walt Disney's movie Fantasia. There are two books by Marguerite Henry. There are seven softcover books of Uncle Wiggily stories. One book is described as being annimated which generally means there are moving parts. One is a Golden Book from the time when Little Golden Books had dustjackets.

Easton Press: Aeschylus' The Oresteia

2010-04-05T21:34:00.011-04:00

We are selling two different copies of The Oresteia by Aeschylus published by Easton Press. Both are bound in leather with gilt edges, moire endpapers, and a ribbon sewn in as a bookmark. The title pages give the same information. The way to tell them apart is by their covers designs. The books also have different heights and widths.

We have two separate listings on Amazon for these books because each listing comes with a sample of what the cover looks like. When I was preparing to list the book on the right, I was looking for the translator, and illustrator, and the author of the Introduction, I also found the Publisher's Note. At the end of the Publisher's Note, I found that the bookplate with a previous owner's name, had been pasted onto the blank space at the bottom of the page. The book on the left has no bookplate.

Easton used the translation by E. D. A. Morhead. The introduction is by Rex Warner. The illustrations are by Michael Ayrton. The book is part of the series of the 100 Greatest Books Ever Written.

Now, for my disclaimer about my abilities as a photographer. I think the photographs are in focus. I think a true photogrpher would be hardpressed to find any other redeeming characteristic. I know the colors aren't accurate. The paper appears too yellow. The bit of the satin bookmark that is showing is too yellow. The bit of the moire endpaper is too yellow. The book doesn't look straight; that is my fault not the book's. The list goes on and on. I hope the photgraphs do provide enough information for you to think the books themselves would be a good addition to a collection.

Easton Books: Virgil's Aeneid as translated by John Dryden

2010-04-05T20:52:00.010-04:00

A potential buyer contacted the Friends asking for photos of two books we have listed on Amazon. We are happy to try to comply with such requests. Unfortunately, the query came so that we need to reply through Amazon. We learned that replying through Amazon, limits the size of the photographs you can send. We couldn't figure out how to get the pictures small enough. Therefore, we are blogging about these books today. If the potential buyer doesn't like what is shown, maybe someone else will.

The first book is Virgil's Aeneid. Like all of Easton Press's books, this one is bound in leather and decorated in gilt. The color is a steel gray. The design is very interesting. I have no idea of the meaning of this design.

Easton Press used the John Dryden translation of The Aeneid. The illustrator is Carlotta Petrina. It is part of Easton's series of The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written.

The photograph on the right is the front edge of this volume. If you look closely, about the center of the photo will be marks on the gilt. Below is a photograph of the top edge of the book. The gilt is unmarked. You can see the edge of the ribbon bookmark in this photograph.

In some of these books, on the copyright page, it will state that the books are printed on archival paper. I am not sure if this particular book has that statement. I do know that the copyright of these books is not a reflection of the publication date. I will explain more about that later.

Grand Larousse de la Langue Francaise

2010-03-24T14:56:00.006-04:00

In 1971, the Librarie Larousse published its first volume of a massive french dictionary. At that time the editors thought they could do this project in only six volumes. They were able to publish volume 2 in 1972 and volume 3 in 1973. About then, they figured out that six volumes wasn't going to cut it and they changed the title page to read "in seven volumes". Volume 4 was published in 1975, followed by 5 in 1976, 6 in 1977, and the final volume in 1978. According to Books in Print, this dictionary is still in print.

This great set of books is for sale through Amazon.com.

Next Book Sale April 29 to May 2

2010-03-19T11:02:00.001-04:00

The Spring Book Sale will be April 29 to May 2.

The sale starts on Thursday night at 5 pm. Those who live in Fairfax County will wonder about that because the Library Hours end at 6 pm since the first round of budget cuts went into effect last July. We got special permission to keep the book sale open until 9 pm even though library services will end at 6 pm. For the casual library patron, checking out books and asking questions of librarians and paying fines and using the library computers all ends at 6 pm. The building stays open for those of us buying and selling books. We do this so we can offer some evening hours for people working most office hours.

On Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1 the sale hours match the library hours. On Sunday, May 2, the sale will begin an hour before the library services start. The sale opens early in the hope of letting our buyers get here and find parking.

For those who have never been to our sale, I will tell you that the library lot fills up. I ask that you find a legal parking space because those parking tickets can just ruin a perfectly good day. On Thursday when we are especially busy, the police are here to ensure public safety and that includes enforcing no parking in the fire lanes.

For people who don't want to come to the sale but are in the habit of using the library for study or meeting space, the Thursday of the book sale and the Sunday of the book sale are two times you might want to arrange to study somewhere else. The book sale doesn't use the Quiet Study Room and about two other tables in the library. The book sale does use the meeting rooms and 90% of the tablespace. The noise level also grows with the number of shoppers so it is not a quiet place to study during the sale.

Easton Press

2010-02-02T09:08:00.000-05:00

Easton Press has a well-deserved reputation for producing beautiful books of incredible quality. They use a quality leather for the binding, decorate them with 22K gold, and gild the page edges. That is just the outside cover. Inside, they use archival paper, sew in a satin ribbon for a book mark, and use a silk moire on both the pastedown and front end paper. The pastedown is what you see when you open the cover on the cover side. The end paper is the first paper on the opposite side.

Easton Press sells directly to the consumer in a subscription. They have a number of series. One very popular series is The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written. The attention to detail continues in the selection of the writer and the title and the illustrator. Then they top it all off with a thoughtful Introduction. When collecting from Easton, you only get a book every month. Some of us are too impatient to wait. Fortunately, now there are Internet booksellers.

We have received a number of Easton Press books. We are still in the process of examining them for condition. Because we expect the buyer to be a critical and knowledgeable person, we are trying to be critical ourselves. We look for knicks in the leather, for anything marring the gilt edges, for the gilt of the binding to be flaking, for fraying of the ribbon, for discoloration of the silk moire endpapers. It is time consuming but we think that being able to describe a volume accurately is important.

Next posting, I will try to give you a list of the books we have. If you are impatient, contact us.

Petition for Fairfax County Public Libraries

2010-01-29T21:12:00.000-05:00

Last week I promised to give the URL for the on-line petition regarding funding for the Fairfax County Public Library. I thought it would be a simple matter. I have found several references in print, including in a Washington Post article and a Connection article. It seems there are at least two on-line petitions. One is www.gopetition.com/petitions/restore-fairfax-county-public-library-budget.html. The other is www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-fairfax-county-public-libraries.

I have learned that some Friends' groups are pushing people to sign a paper copy of a petition. This weekend, I hope that people who come in to George Mason Regional Library will see someone in the lobby with a copy of the petition.

Last July, the Fiscal Year 2010 began. The budget for the Library was cut 18% from the previous year. A lot of people lost their jobs. The budget to buy books, and magazines, and other matericals to circulate at the library was cut in half. Some people are beginning to notice because magazine subscriptions have expired. Each branch had to cut their spending on magazines and newpapers by 50%. A lot of bare shelves are now in the periodical area.

Other people are beginning to notice because the Library is getting fewer copies of newly published books. It used to be the policy that when a title was chosen to add to the system, every branch got at least one copy. Now, instead of 22 copies for the system, sometimes only four copies are added for the whole system.

If you go out on Saturday despite the snow in the forecast, stop in your neighborhood library. Ask about the next round of budget cuts.

Sulking isn't Pretty

2010-01-21T21:15:00.000-05:00

OK. I admit it. There was Thanksgiving and Christmas and a bunch of snow days since I last blogged but the real reason is that I have been sulking. I know it isn't very adult of me. I am just so ticked that those who make the financial decisions in Fairfax County view Libraries as luxuries. They have always ranked as necessities to me. So, I have been sulking that I can't get my way.

I will try start telling you about the great books that pass through my hands. I even have some pictures of some of the books because I like the pictures better than the words I put together.

In the meantime, I hear there is an on-line petition in support of libraries. Tomorrow I'll get the address for anyone who is interested. In the meantime, do let your supervisors know what is important to you.

Volunteers make it happen

2009-11-17T10:46:00.000-05:00

The George Mason Regional Library book sale was a month ago. I am still amazed. This was an unusual sale in that the ebb and flow of customers was not what we expected. The crowds on Thursday night were down making parking much easier for those who did come. Friday, on the other hand, was a constant stream of people. Saturday was a rainy day and many people stayed out of the wet. Finally, Sunday came and the people came and they came and they came.

What made it all happen, though, were the people who worked at the sale. There were people who have been cashiering at the sales since the sales started twenty years ago. We had people who just decided to sign up right before the sale. There were middle school students, high school students, and recent retirees. One was a doctor taking a break. It was amazing.

We had people pop into the library to return a book and stay to work at the sale. We had people come for two hours and stay all day. We had people who came for one day and then returned and then returned. Thanks to all these people, we were able to keep lines to a minimum when it came time to actually tally and pay.

Let me not forget the behind-the-scenes people, the ones who got the books out of the boxes and the ones who cleared away the books at the end of the sale. It takes a lot of time to unpack 48 boxes of books in various languages, sort them out, and then display them so that shoppers can find their particular language. It takes a long time to unpack 100 boxes of Suspense novels. All these efforts greatly contributed to the success of the sale.

In the midst of the bustle of the book sale, I doubt that I was effusive enough in my thanks for all these people. I did notice your efforts and I did and do appreciate them. I hope you had a good time and were able to meet a few new people. When I first started volunteering with this group, one of the benefits I gained was a community of readers who wanted to share their favorites. I hope you experienced this as well.

Taking Things for Granted

2009-11-08T20:12:00.000-05:00

We are counting down to the final meetings regarding the 2011 budget in Fairfax County. I know that when my kids were still in public school, that I heard much from the school system, the PTAs, and fellow parents regarding the needs of the school system. It is only since I became involved with the library system that I have begun to learn about the libraries.

It is easy to take things for granted. I never paid attention to the fine print when I took my kids to programs at the Library. I took it for granted that a library near me would have a weekly story hour. I took it for granted that most common magazines would be available at the local library. I took the library hours for granted.

I have learned not to take so much for granted. If the staff is cut back so that management has to choose between staffing the information desk and providing a story hour, the story hour will lose. The magazine subscriptions are running out. Start looking for big holes in the displays.

When my kids were in school, we made a lot of trips to the library on Sunday pulling together a project due on Monday morning. Years ago, I could go to the library on Sunday any time up until 8 pm. Those hours got cut back to 6pm in the previous recession and were never restored. In this recession, two more hours were cut so Sunday hours are now 1 to 5 pm. Are all Sunday hours the next to go?

We made our fair share of dashes to the library on weekday evenings as well. We might have supper, then scouts, then the library, then home. Now, the library is closed before I have supper except for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Those weeknights, the library closes at 8 pm. Judging from the volume of books to be checked in early on Friday, a lot of people are surprised to find the library closed on Thursday evenings.

Next July, what changes are we going to see at the library?

If you haven't gone to a budget meeting, then visit the Fairfax County website. Read about it. There is still time to attend a meeting.

My Life in France and High on Arrival

2009-11-03T08:11:00.000-05:00

I handled lots of books yesterday. Three stand out in my mind. The books were My Life in France by Julia Child, High on Arrival by Mackenzie Phillips and Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler and Grant Blackwood.

What do these books have in common? They were all donated to the Friends. Two were just published this year. The Julia Child book is more popular now than when it was published because of the movie Julia and Julie with Meryl Streep. If you walked into any Fairfax County Library you would not be able to check them out. All available copies are already checked out. If you placed a hold on any of these books, you would join a long list of people who would like to read the same book.

Where are these books now? I didn't save them for our sale next April. I didn't list them on Amazon. I gave them to the right person who will see to it that they are added to the system's collection. The books will soon be circulating, allowing a few people to read the book a little sooner than might otherwise have been the case.

The Friends don't believe in giving money to the library to buy books for the collection. We believe the county should be funding the collection. We are happy to give actual books to the library to build the collection. It is a subtle distinction. We gave up a few dollars in possible sales next April while the library gained much needed material now.

Sad Librarians

2009-10-31T22:20:00.000-04:00

When I blogged about the few programs actually done by librarians, I left out some important information. I didn't mean to imply that the librarians don't enjoy doing programs; the contrary is true. They like the children's story hours and they wish that they could have done the book talks at the elementary schools last June. They have great ideas for programs for pre-teens, teens, and adults but they just don't have the resources to implement their ideas.

It takes time to prepare and conduct programs. The staff has been reduced to such a level that it is harder for them to cover their regular duties, like the information desk, and to do the jobs in the back room that need to be done. There are simply not enough staff hours to do everything.

I know staff members who are frustrated, disappointed, and saddened that they can no longer share their knowledge and passions with the public in the ways we have come to expect.

The Friends began their operations with enrichment projects. We would like to be the icing on the cake at the library. We don't want to replace the county and state government in their roles in providing for libraries.

Euphemisms

2009-10-29T21:04:00.000-04:00

Today I was talking to some friends about what the various Friends of the Library groups do for the system. One of the comments made me think about how the general public thinks that everyone they see at the library is paid staff and everything at the library is paid for with tax dollars. Today I am starting a series on how wrong that idea is.

Let me start first with my favorite euphemism: co-sponsored. In the monthly calendar published by FCPL, there are descriptions of programs to sign up for. The editors use co-sponsored by; I prefer the clear phrase paid for by.

First up for George Mason Regional Library is Personalized Internet Tutoring. Who provides this service? A volunteer.

Second up, English Conversation Group. Who leads the group? A volunteer.

Third up, Yoga for Seniors. Shakta Khalsa leads this program. FCPL signed a contract with her and provides a room. In this case, co-sponsored by the Friends of the George Mason Regional Library means paid by the Friends.

Next up, Please and Thank You, stories for 2-3 year olds. This program is presented by a paid staff member.

The list of programs goes on. When you get to Golden Oldies, a movie, you might think no cost. Wrong. To show a movie in a public place, a movie license must be purchased. Who pays? It's the Friends of the George Mason Regional Libary, who also pay for the refreshments.

Come to the library. Great things are happening there. Don't always assume that tax dollars are paying for it all.

Today's secret: sometimes people register for programs and then don't attend. Check with the staff about whether or not they will let in people to replace the no-shows.

Fairfax County Community Dialog Meetings

2009-10-28T04:53:00.000-04:00

I hate meetings. I have long lists of ways I prefer to spend my time. I find excuses to avoid meetings. That said, I plan to attend the November meeting on the FY2011 budget at George Mason Regional Library.

Why am I putting myself through something I hate? More than hating meetings, I love Libraries, Parks and Recreation. I think they constitute some of the best that County government has to offer. Last year, this part of the County Budget was in the neighborhood of 1% of the county budget. The schools were 52%. After the budget cuts were said and down the school percentage had grown to 54% and Libraries, Parks, and Recreation had shrunk.

As a percentage of their budget, Libraries lost 18% of their budget. This percentage was much bigger than many county agencies. Library hours were lost. Many staff positions were lost. The budget for acquiring materials was cut in half. The library system is already set up so that a new hire with a Master's Degree in Library Science can only get a part-time job. Think of that. No full time work with a Master's Degree.

This situation is wrong, wrong, wrong. It is getting worse, worse, worse. For the next fiscal year, the Library is being asked to take another 15% off their budget. It is going to be ugly.

Go to these meetings. Speak out for what you believe in.

Visit your library. Visit your parks. Visit your nature centers. Talk to the staff and then go to these meetings.

Benefits of Volunteering

2009-10-27T01:41:00.000-04:00

Volunteering, according to the people who study people, provides a host of benefits. The one most commonly mentioned is gaining a feeling of helping others. The popular phrase is giving back. Providing service to the larger community helps the volunteer's sense of esteem by helping focus on life beyond the individual. It can be a rush.

Another benefit is it expands your social circle. Everyone who has been outside of school for any period has noticed how your social circle can contract. Being a volunteer can certainly help you meet people.

With the George Mason Friends, there is a lesser known but very tangible benefit. You gain a personalized book search service. Largely this is an informal operation. Someone will mention that they have discovered so-and-so's books and people will start looking for them. The volunteer pays for the book; the search doesn't cost extra. If you have been volunteering with the Friends and are looking for an author, please let us know.

What have I found in the past? The list includes Sister Wendy books, paperbacks by Donna Leon, novels based on King Arthur and Camelot, books by Daphne DuMaurier, On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee, cookbooks published by America's Test Kitchen or Cook's Illustrated, Superman comic books, Delderfield novels, Clavell novels and James Patterson novels.

Why do I look for books? I think it is fun (yes, that is just a bit warped). It is a challenge to handle hundreds of books every week and every once in a while find a book that will please a particular person. As anyone who goes to book sales knows, a best seller of five years ago is extremely easy to find. An author from thirty years ago who didn't become a modern classic is a lot harder. Delderfield is such a person. Daphne DuMaurier's books other than Rebecca are also fairly uncommon.

So, Friends' volunteers and book lovers, save yourself the Amazon postage and enter the world of serendipity. Tell us a book you have been thinking about buying used and we will see what we can do for you.

Book Sale Day 4

2009-10-25T21:48:00.000-04:00

Today was the last day of the Fall 2009 sale. Now we go back to our routine. We look at books that have been donated to us, we sort them, price them, store them until next April.

For those who fear that we won't have any selection if they come to our sale on the last day, let me say that two trucks came to take away the remains of our sale. Many book sales don't have enough to fill two trucks on the first day of the sale.

I must say it has been a full four days, full of books and people and happy shoppers.

The next question many people ask is what we are going to do with all this money. Let me tell you it takes a lot of books being sold to bring a professional puppet show to the library. Imagine repeating that across all 23 branches in the Fairfax County system. We do bring puppet shows and magic acts and drummers and professional storytellers to every branch in the system as part of the Summer Reading Program, all 23 branches. Plan to attend them next year.

Book Sale Day 3 Setting: Sale Dates

2009-10-24T20:13:00.000-04:00

Again, no photographs. I really like having a photograph to talk about. Instead let me talk about how we set the dates of our sales.

As many people have commented, three libraries are having major sales this weekend. The biggest one in this area is at Arlington County's Central Library. I wish I could say that we are bigger but I know it isn't true. Being prejudiced I think we are better but that is a subjective judgement. The other one I know of is at Chantilly Regional Library in Chantilly which is in the western part of Fairfax County.

Some people are happy that there are multiple sales in multiple places so they can have lots of choices. Some people are sad because they like to be at opening night and can't be in three places at once. These are the people who wish we would coordinate our sales dates and stagger them.

At George Mason, we think it would be a great idea to coordinate but don't know how to do it. The problem is that demand for meeting room space in Fairfax County is very high. We have to reserve the space for our sale as soon as the Library system opens its books for the next year. That means that we picked our date in June of 2008 for both the spring sale and the fall sale of 2009.

The constraints we have are many. First, we can't have use of the rooms the second Wednesday of the month because the Fairfax County Library Board usually meets at George Mason on that date. Second, we need to check religious holidays. We can't impact people's plans for Easter, Yom Kippur, or Rosh Hashanah. Third, we need to watch the dates for Columbus Day when the library is closed. We also don't want to touch Mother's Day or Halloween. It does feel like a juggling act at times.

The result of all these considerations is that we don't have much leeway. So for all those who are inconvenienced, I can only say I am sorry. I would love to have gone to the Arlington sale myself. Someday, I hope to get to the Chantilly sale but it just hasn't happened yet. In the meantime, come when you can.

Hope to see you on Sunday.

Fall Sale Day 1

2009-10-23T04:09:00.000-04:00

I don't have pictures this time but I have mental images so I will try to convey them.

First, today was a beautiful day. It was great to be outside. I hope that the people who waited in line enjoyed the weather, the warmth and the sun after our four days of gray and drizzle last week end. I understand we have some more of the gray and wet coming so whenever I could get outside today, I savored it.

Second, the people were beautiful. We had some last minute volunteers. They provided much needed hands in running the sale. Two were two college students. I was impressed that these two young people would clear a full evening to volunteer.

I worked with some of the school-age volunteers, many of whom were getting some of their required community service hours with us. Two charming girls from Queen of Apostles handed out maps to people waiting in line and conducted an informal survey. We are trying to learn how to reach potential customers better. Two eager young men searched for books. Another young woman helped take purchases to people's cars. Another young man helped to keep the sales floor looking good. Anyone who has ever been to any kind of sale knows how things can get haphazard in a hurry so no one can find anything. Wednesday afternoon, another young woman helped me for an hour as we finally got price cards on books in a display case. Their help was much appreciated.

Did you notice in the last paragraph when I said that two young men searched for books? We have people in each area who will help customers find something in particular. Sometimes, a student is looking for a book for school. Sometimes, another book by a favorite author is wanted. We enjoy helping in the search for those requests.

Their search was for a different purpose. To give some background, the George Mason Friends do not give cash money to either George Mason Regional Library or Fairfax County Public Library to buy books to add to the collection. What we will do is give donated books to the library instead of selling them. In particular, at George Mason, when a staff member finds that a copy has just worn out but is still being circulated, we will search for a replacement copy. Tonight, these young men did that difficult search and came up with a number of books which will replace a worn out book in the collection. Our way of maintaining the collection is growing in importance given the 50% cut to the budget for the collection in FY2010 and the expectation of even deeper cuts to the budget in FY2011.

Finally, the books are beautiful. I read a lot. I see a fair percentage of the books that go into the sale as I work with them for the six months between sales. Still, at every sale without exception, I will see a customer buy a book that I might have bought if I had seen it first. Sometimes, the item might be a book by an author not commonly found in FCPL libraries. George Garrett comes to mind. Sometimes, the item is a music CD. Sometimes, it is a video. I just discovered a British production whose main characters are gardeners. Sometimes, the happy purchaser clues me in on a new author or musician or movie.

Tomorrow is day 2. The tables of books are still full. Hope to see you there.

Getting Prepared For Buyers

2009-10-19T21:21:00.001-04:00

Just how big is this sale. Let me say that what you see in this photograph is half of one room.

This sale is in multiple parts of the library. We use rooms on either side of the lobby, the lobby, an area just inside the lobby, an area half way into the building where there are usually tables for patrons to use, and another area all the way to the back of the library.

So, if you come, don't stop with the front of the building.

A word to the wise, the sale doesn't use the Dewey decimal system. We put books together in ways that work for us. So, English-Spanish dictionaries are with Spanish in Foreign Languages. Spanish phrase books when they are pocket-sized are also in Travel. A memoir about living in Spain is in Travel. The good news is there are plenty of people around to point you in the right direction.

Recent Books, published in 2009

2009-10-19T20:35:00.001-04:00

Some people think of book sales as being old, musty books. Now I admit I have featured plenty of old books so far in this blog. We try not to have musty books in the sale at all. Now I am showing you some of the recent books going into the sale. These three photographs are just the tip of the iceberg.

(Pictured are James Lee Burke's Rain Cross,
Jonathan Kellerman's True Detectives, Peter Robinson's All the Colors of Darkness, Lindsay Davis's Alexandria, C.J. Box's Three Weeks to Say Goodbye, and M.C. Beaton's Death of a Witch.)

If you look closely at the book by Brad Thor, you will see the word "Autographed" on the same slip. We also have a lot of books signed by their authors. Some books with signatures cost about the same as a copy without that extra touch of the author.

(Pictured are Brad Thor's The Apostle, James Patterson's Swimsuit, David Baldacci's First Family, Michael Connelly's The Scarecrow, and Clive Cussler's Medusa.)

If you are interested in books published in 2009, look for the lilac paper bookmarks. If you are interested in signatures, look for the goldenrod papers.

(Books pictured include Alexander McCall Smith's The Lost Art of Gratitude and Nevada Barr's Borderline.)

Book Sale Volunteer Privileges

2009-10-18T20:06:00.000-04:00

The picture on the left is from the children's room of the sale. It is neat. It is organized. Better, no one is standing in front of you reaching for the same book you are. This is how it looks between set-up and the opening of the sale. For those who want to know if we have many books, let me say that the books pictured are fiction, usually read by grade 4 or older. The mysteries and fantasy are actually on other shelves so you don't see any copies of Harry Potter.

And now for the book sale secret, volunteers get book buying privileges. In particular, the volunteers on Wednesday, the day before the sale starts, get to buy in limited quantities. These are the restrictions. The two biggest restrictions are volunteers must be amateurs and book lovers (sorry, book resellers need to shop at the sale) and items in the display cases can't be purchased ahead. We have a few other restrictions on quantity.

We try to be a friendly group of people. Come to the library and sign up at the information desk or email us. Come meet us.

Thomas Jefferson on the State of Virginia

2009-10-18T11:14:00.000-04:00

The George Mason Friends get a variety of donations. One day a book arrived in a plastic bag. I don't think it was handed to anyone in particular. You can see from the photograph that this book has seen some wear. The leather on the spine has practically vanished. Still, it was given to the person dealing with old books.

When she opened the book, she was amazed to see that this book dates to 1794. It was published in Philadelphia and the author was Thomas Jefferson. The publishing history of Notes on the State of Virginia is that the book was first published in France. The next publications were from Philadelphia. On the title page, the book states it is the second American publication. The actual date is November 12, 1794.

This book is just one of many for sale at the Fall Book Sale. It is in one of the lobby display cases if you want to see it in person. If you want to see a list of items in the display cases, use the links off the George Mason Friends page.

The sale starts at 5 pm Thursday, October 22. I urge you to find a legal parking place. I would hate for a parking ticket to color your view of this great sale.

Some people come to this sale over multiple days. As can be expected, opening night is a bit crowded. On Friday and Saturday, there is room and time to browse. You can even talk to some of the Friends about books and other interests. Sunday gets a bit crowded, being the last day.

Buzz Aldrin's book Reaching for the Moon

2009-10-17T19:56:00.000-04:00

This year was the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing. For many people who were at least school age in 1969, this was a landmark event. Ask and you will hear detailed memories of where they were and what they were doing. An incredible number of people watched the TV live coverage. A few lucky people went to Florida to watch the liftoff on the 16th day of July in 1969. The names Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins still ring in their minds as incredible explorers.

Buzz Aldrin wrote a children's book Reaching For the Moon. It is illustrated with paintings by Wendell Minor. In our sale (starting 5 pm on Thursday the 22nd of October), we have a copy signed by both Buzz Aldrin and Wendell Minor. I am hoping a fan of the space program hears about this great opportunity and buys this great piece of memorabilia.

We have a list of some of our special books posted on the Internet courtesy of some nice people in IT for FCPL. Visit our George Mason Friends page on the FCPL site. At the bottom of the page are links to those lists of special books. Buzz Aldrin's book is included in the Children's books. The adult list is also very interesting.

Tug McGraw, pitcher of the Philadelphia Phillies, signature

2009-10-15T09:16:00.000-04:00

Back in 1980, the Philadelphia Phillies went to the World Series and won in six games. Their star pitcher was Tug McGraw. The following year, to show he was a man of many talents, he authored a children's book about baseball. The result was Lumpy, A Baseball Fable.

We have a copy he autographed. His signature is big and bold. I think this is a great piece of sports memorabilia for the fan who has everything.

We have this book listed on our Amazon storefront http://www.amazon.com/gp/shops/storefront/index.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sellerID=A36TSWKKQGX8VY. It is not easy to find just our storefront but Amazon doesn't have many books named Lumpy written by Tug McGraw so you can search for it that way.

Big Little Books

2009-10-14T09:06:00.000-04:00

MacDonald's Happy Meals are just one in a long line of promotions that include something "free" with your purchase. Gas stations have been known to give glasses. A long time ago, there was a Duz detergent that included towels in the packaging. I have inherited some dishes that were premiums for going to the movies. I think these big little books are in the same class.

They are small, only about 3 x 3 but thick. The paper is brittle as you might expect from something about 75 years old. As you can see from the photograph, the covers have retained that brilliance. I am told that some of these are just interesting. I believe that the Tom Swift book is very interesting. Maybe you will recognise some others.

Collecting Cook Books

2009-10-12T10:20:00.000-04:00

With the success of Julie and Julia at the movies this summer, more people are aware of the amazing Julia Child. Some may have viewed her as a childhood memory because of her many years of cooking on TV. What many people don't know is that the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 1961 was a watershed event. Before 1961, relatively few cook books were published each year. After 1961, the number of titles of cook books exploded to the tens of thousands.

D. Appleton-Century published Elsie de Wolfe's Recipes for Successful Dining in 1934. When I looked at it, I was taken by the idea of a book by a prominent social figure in the midst of the Depression. I googled her social name, Lady Mendl, to get more information. The Wikipedia article article was not the first in the list of results. The first was a Tea Room in New York City. If I had been around in the 1930's, I would have recognized her as a celebrity. She was actually better known as an interior designer. Read and learn.

If you search for this book on-line, be aware that it was reprinted after World War II. The copy pictured is the first printing from 1934.

Gary Larson's The Complete Far Side

2009-10-11T13:43:00.000-04:00

I remember when Gary Larson decided to take a break from creating his legendary cartoon The Far Side. Fortunately, those early cartoons have been reprinted in many forms. I am used to seeing them in paperbacks which, as you know, are just not designed to last. This collection is designed to last. The comics are published in two volumes called The Complete Far Side.

I only wish I could open this up and browse through some of my old favorites. I can't do that because this publication has never been opened. I will save that honor to its next owner.

If you are in the Washington, DC metropolitan area between October 22 and 25th, do come to our Fall book sale at George Mason Regional Library. The sale starts at 5pm on Thursday. We open at 5pm so you don't have to take off too much time from work and can still arrive on opening day.

The Complete Far Side has not been priced yet. Some of our other special books have. Links to lists of the special books can be found on the George Mason Friends page of the Fairfax County Public Library's website.

Korean Calligraphy

2009-10-10T14:41:00.000-04:00

Asian art, in general, appeals to me. I really like the spareness of the illustrations. The book pictured is in both English and Korean so that more people can enjoy the messages as well as the art work.

One Hundred Years Of Korean Calligraphy (1848 - 1948) is a lovely work in a nice slipcase. The cover of the slipcase reproduces one of the art works inside.

Also shown is a page from the book. As you can dimly see, beside each image is a reproduction of the Korean calligraphy and an English translation. I have reproduced the meaning below.

Report of the Resettlement Administration, 1936 and the Fairfax County budget process

2009-10-08T14:02:00.000-04:00

First I'll talk about another amazing book.

This book has a cover that looks like an old map of the United States showing products and places. It doesn't even give a title or author or publisher. Then you look inside.

This is a government publication from the depths of the Depression It is a report, the first report, by the Resettlement Administration. Looking closer, you find an inscription and then flipping pages, you realize the inscription is by the head of the Resettlement Administration. Historians will recognize his name as Rex Tugwell.

Hopefully, our current depression won't last as long. I am getting a little feeling for the pain that must have been felt in the past one.

Now talking about the current depression, Fairfax County has started its FY2010. The libraries have changed their hours as a result of budget cuts beginning in July of 2009. The staff has been cut as well. What may not be obvious is the cut to the budget for materials, for the magazines and periodicals and books and data bases and all that stuff. According to the library, back in FY 2001, the materials budget was about $6.33 per county resident. It is now $2.71 per resident.

The budget people are having to prepare their budgets for FY2011. It doesn't look good for Fairfax County. Again this year, community meetings are being held. The results are sent back to the Board of Supervisors. This is one way for the Supervisors to hear about the priorities of the residents. The Libraries have been asked to look at cutting another 18% from their budget. It hurts.

Plan to attend a community meeting. To find out more to to fairfaxcounty.gov/budget.

Edward Gorey's The Loathsome Couple

2009-10-07T09:37:00.000-04:00

The Loathsome Couple by Edward Gorey

Edward Gorey fans will be used to his work but I have never actually read one before. This short work is as loathsome as its title. It is yet another example of the interesting things that pass our way.

The photograph is of the dust jacket so you can see that it is in fairly good condition. The book dates to 1977. There's no subsequent printing information so it is my guess that this is a first printing. This appears to be before Dodd, Mead uniformly adopted the now familiar number line for printings.

More about the Tasha Tudor book, I have now found out she was nominated for the Caldecott for Mother Goose and was recognized with a Honor Award in 1945. Caldecott's are awarded to books first published in the previous year.

Tasha Tudor's Mother Goose

2009-10-06T08:49:00.000-04:00

The George Mason Friends are a Friends of the Library group. We get some pretty interesting books in and some are so wonderful, I want to share the news of their arrival.

Do you know someone who collects Tasha Tudor illustrated books? I know a few. Here is a charming little copy of Mother Goose published in 1944 by Oxford. It still has its dust cover, a feat that is amazing for any children's book.

Even more amazing, the copyright page shows only the date. I've found references to fourth and fifth printings so I believe this is actually a first printing. How cool is that?

As a bonus, this book was awarded a Caldecott Honor medal in 1945.