Saturday, April 30, 2016

Half-Price Sunday

Our Spring 2016 book sale is coming to the end today, but we still have plenty of good stuff waiting for you. 

To make sure as much as possible ends up in good homes, all items are half-price on Sunday!

The book sale (but not library services) will open at noon and closes promptly at 5 pm on May 1.

Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Important Book Sale Information

Welcome! The doors are will open April 28 at 3pm sharp, and we hope you'll have a wonderful time browsing and finding some treasures! Before you come, please review the following book sale policies:

Book Sale Hours:


Thursday, April 28, 3 pm – 9 pm
Friday, April 29, 10 am – 6 pm
Saturday, April 30, 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday, May 1, Noon – 5 pm (half price day; no library services until 1pm)
  • The book sale ends each day promptly at the announced closing time. 
  • Please be in line to pay for credit card purchases at least 15 minutes before the end of the sale day, since the library wireless network (which we use to process payments) shuts down promptly at closing.  We may announce an earlier deadline for getting into the credit card purchase line if the checkout line is lengthy.

Parking

  • Park only in marked parking spaces. 
  • If you park along Hillbrook, you're likely to get a ticket. 
  • Please use the nearby shopping centers for overflow parking.

Payment

  • We accept cash, check, or credit/debit cards. 
  • Credit and debit card purchases may not be available at all cashier stations

Return Policies

  • All sales are final and as is. 
  • Be sure to check all cases before purchase. When we placed the items on the sale table, all CDs and DVDs were in their containers.
  • We haven't viewed the DVDs, nor listened to the recorded books or CDs.

 Bins and boxes and piles

  • No large bins or wheeled bins of any size going down the sale aisles or stored at the end of the aisles.
  • You may carry one copier paper box or banker's box with you in the sales area.
  • We will have designated areas for you to leave your boxes, marked with your name, while you continue to shop.
  • At busy times, we may limit how long you may leave your boxes or containers and how many containers you may store in the designated areas.

Access

  • No  strollers or solid-frame backpack child carriers are permitted in the sales area; they must be left in a designated area.
  • Wheel chairs are always welcome.

Finding Areas of Interest

  • Maps and volunteers are available to help you find what you're interested in.
  • While many locations are the same from year to year, some categories have been moved.
  • Look under the tables for overflow boxes.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Spring Sale Preview: An Autographed Work by the Bard of New England

Autographed copy of A Boy's Will
by Robert Frost.
 
 
  
Eagle-eyed readers may have caught something remarkable in that last blog entry listing the contents of the fine/rare books display case. First on the list: A Boy's Will, signed by the author, Robert Frost.

Yes, that Robert Frost. Four-time Pulitzer Prize winner. John F. Kennedy's inaugural poet. Author of one of the most recognized American poems ever. That one.

It's a slim, unprepossessing volume, as befits a poet's first published book. Look inside the front cover, though, right there on the flyleaf, and there it is. The signature of Robert Frost himself.

Signature of Robert Frost on the flyleaf.

Franconia, New Hampshire is where he and his family lived full-time from 1915 to 1920. They also spent nineteen summers there. (He first discovered the area when he came to the White Mountains to seek relief from hay fever. I think many of us can relate to as the spring pollen blows! Source: About The Frost Place)

As for the inscription that has been so intriguingly crossed out, we can only speculate...

Look for A Boy's Will in the center of the left-hand lobby display case, along with the other rare, fine and collectible books.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Spring Sale Preview: Rare, Fine, and Unusual Books on Display


Rare books, art books, and other collectibles are on display in the left glass case in the George Mason Regional Library lobby. These items will go on sale starting at 3 pm on April 28.

Below is a list of titles and prices. We reserve the right to correct any mistakes in the prices or descriptions published here. Books may be removed or added without updating the list.

 Highlights include a volume of A Boy's Will autographed by Robert Frost, four detailed, hand-colored, 19th century atlases of New York counties and Follow Thru, an illustrated history of the 60th Infantry, published in Germany during their occupation duty.

Signed by the Author


A Boy’s Will - $750
Robert Frost
Henry Holt and Company, 1915
Autographed

Egypt’s Road to Jerusalem - $50
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Easton Press, 1997
Signed and Numbered First Edition

Images of the Old West: The Paintings of Mort Kunstler - $50
Easton Press, 1996
Signed, numbered first edition

Strokes of Compassion - $50
Anne H. Neilson
AHN Designs, 2014
Signed by Author



Special Editions


Detail, Life of St. George
The Life of St. George, Printed from the Golden Legend of William Caxton - $40
Bruce Rogers, designer
Thistle Press, 1957
Limited edition, one of 300

The Grimani Breviary - $35
Overlook Press, 1974
Limited Edition #592




Georgia O’Keeffe - $25
Barbara Buhler Lynes, Editor
Skira, 2011
First Edition

The Group of Seven and TomThomson - $30
David P. Silcox
Firefly Books, 2003
First Printing

Julian Stanczak, Decades of Light - $25
Rudolf Arnheim et. al.
University of Buffalo, 1990
First Edition

Adventures While Preaching the Gospel of Beauty - $25
Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
Mitchell Kennerley, 1914
First Edition

The Tao of Painting - $60
Mai-mai Sze
Pantheon Books, 1963
Second Edition

The Isles of Shoals: An Historical Sketch - $20
John Scribner Jenness
Houghton Mifflin, 1915
Second Edition

The Art in Painting - $20
Barnes Foundation Press, 1990
Third Edition, Fifth Printing

Photography


Photography: A Critical Introduction - $35
Liz Wells, Editor
Routledge, 2004
Third Edition

Ghana: An African Portrait - $20
Photographs by Paul Strand
Aperture, 1976

Fine Art



Picasso for Vollard
Picasso for Vollard - $100
Introduction by Hans Bolliger
Harry N. Abrams, 1956


Picasso Cubism, 1907-1917 - $35
Josep Palau i Fabre
Konemann, 1996

Adolphe Stoclet Collection (Part 1) - $60
J.P. van Goidsenhoven, 1956

Francis Newton Souza - $65
Dhoomimal Gallery Colllection
Vinod Bhardwaj, Editor
Dhoomimal Gallery, 2009

Odilon Redon, As in a Dream - $30
Stuffmann & Hollein, Editors
Hatje Cantz, 2007

Leonid Lamm:  Birth of an Image - $20
Forward by Michael P. Mezzatesti
Duke University Museum of Art, 1998

Early Art and Artists in West Virginia - $30
John A. Cuthbert
West Virginia University Press, 2000

Matthias Grunewald - $25
Horst Ziermann
Prestel, 2001

L’art de Byzance - $35
Etienne Coche de la Ferte
Editions Mazenod, 1981


Mexican Modern Masters from the Andres Blaisten Collection and Other Important Private & Public Collections - $25
INBA, Mexico, 1998

WPA Artwork in Non-federal Repositories- $40
U.S. General Services Administration, May 1996 

Art of the Maya Scribe - $30
Michael Coe & Justin Kerr
Thames and Hudson, 1997

Chinese Calligraphy and Painting in the Collection of John M. Crawford, Jr. - $50
Pierpont Morgan Library 1962

Illuminations in the Robert Lehman Collection - $30
Sandra Hindman, et. al.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997

Lives of Irish Artists: Paul Henry - $15
S.B. Kennedy
National Gallery of Ireland, 1991

Birds of America - $40
John James Audubon
Barnes & Noble, 2012

Architecture


Traditional Islamic Craft in Moroccan Architecture, Volume 2 - $50
Andre Paccard
Editions Atelier 74, 1980

The Library of Congress, Jefferson Building: A Visual Experience - $40
Marty LaVor,
The LaVor Group   

Why Architects Draw - $30
Edward Robbins
MIT Press, 1997

The Patriarchal Basilica in Venice, San Marco, 2 Volumes - $50
Maria Andaloro, et. al.
Gruppo Editoriale Fabbri, 1990

The Career Architect, Portfolio Sort Cards, Version 7.1a, $15
Lombardo & Eichinger
Lominger Ltd., 1996

History and Culture



Alte Schweizer Mobel (Old Swiss Furniture), 1730-1830 - $75
Gustave Grunau, 1924

Hand-tinted detail from the New Century
Atlas of Oneida County
Atlas of Herkimer County, NY - $20
From Surveys by B. Nichols, et. al.
Jay Stranahan & Beach Nichols, 1868

New Century Atlas, Herkimer County, NY, with Farm Records - $75
By the Company’s Corps of Expert Engineers and Draughtsmen
Century Map Co., 1906

New Century Atlas, Oneida County, NY
From Government Surveys
Century Map Company, 1907

Atlas of Otsego County, NY - $50
From Surveys by F.W. Beers
FW Beers, AD Ellis & GG Soule, 1868


Illustrated end papers of Follow Thru.
Follow Thru: A Testimonial without Names and with Just One Number (60th Infantry Regiment) - $35
Morton J. Stussman
Chr. Scheufele, Stuttgart, 1945

One Hundred Years at V.M.I., 4 Volumes - $50
Colonel William Couper
Garrett and Massie, 1939


Lancelot-Grail, the Old French Arthurian, Vulgate and Post-vulgate in Translation, 5 Volumes - $150
Norris J. Lacy, General Editor
Garland Publishing, Inc., 1993

Treasures of the National Museum, Jakarta - $50
Suwati Kartiwa, Editor
Buku Antar Bangsa, 1997


White Man’s Country: Lord Delamere and the Making of Kenya, 2 Volumes - $60
Elspeth Huxley
Chatto and Windus, 1974

Role Playing


StarCraft, Wings of Liberty - $50
BradyGAMES, 2010

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Preview: You Won't Find These Magazines and Comics on the Local News Stand

We've all felt it. That gnawing dissatisfied feeling of browsing a magazine display and finding nothing really unique and intriguing. Well, at this sale will include a substantial number of vintage magazines and comic books you won't find in any stores.

Some examples: Highlights for Children from 1947-1950; the Etude Music Magazine from 1944-1950; and oversized Prince Valiant comic books, among others.  (Not all months are available for all years.) All priced at far less than you'll find at your local news stand! 







Sunday, April 10, 2016

Selected Children's Books now on Display

Special children's books in the Spring 2016 sale.
Special selections from the children's books available for the Spring 2016 book sale are now on display at George Mason Library in the glass case on the right side of the lobby as you enter.

They will go on sale starting at 3 pm on Thursday, April 28.

Below is a list of titles and prices for every book in the display case. Please note that the information here may be revised or updated, and items in the case are subject to change.






 

Captivating Stories and Rhymes

 

Illustration from
The Adventures of K'Ton Ton
The Adventures of K’Ton Ton: A Little Jewish Tom Thumb, $10Sadie Weilerstein
Jeannette Berkowitz, Illus.
Women’s League, 1981

The Story of World War II, $10
Robert Leckie
Random House, 1964
Part of the Landmark Giant series

Beauty and the Beast, Belle’s Magical World, $10
Special edition, Disney DVD

The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes $25
Iona and Peter Opie, editors
Oxford U. Press, 1997

Swallowdale, $15
Arthur Ransome
Helene Carter, Illus.
Lippincott, 1932

The Girl Who Lived in the Woods, $10
Marjorie Benton Cooke
The Kinneys, illus.
A. C. McClurg, 1910

 

Fun and Fabulous Illustrations

 

The Jungle Man and His Animals, $10
Carveth Wells
Tony Sarg, Illus.
Duffield & Green, 1932
12 color plates 

Fairy Tales, $10
Tasha Tudor
Platt & Munk 1969
12 full-page color illustrations, plus many small illustrations



Stories that Never Grow Old, $10
Watty Piper
George and Doris Hauman, illus.
Platt & Munk, 1965
Beautiful end papers and colorful illustrations

Mrs. Malone, $10
Eleanor Farjeon
Edward Ardizzone, illus.
Henry Walk, 1962

Miss Jaster’s Garden, $8
N. M. Bodecker
Golden Press, 1972

The Gnome’s Almanack, $10
Ida Morurgo, illus.
Herbert Dubler, 1942
12 color illustrations

First Editions, Signed Works, and Other Collectibles

 

A Boy Scout in the Grand Cavern, $10
Douglas Oliver
Putnam, 1931
First edition. 23 photo illustrations by the author.

The Enchanted Doll’s House, $8
Robyn Johnson
Handprint Books, 2006
First American edition 

Edith and Mr. Bear, $10
Dare Wright
Houghton Mifflin, 2000
Reprint with full number line. Fine dust jacket, not price clipped.




Stormy Misty’s Foal, $10
Marguerite Henry
Wesley Dennis, Illus.
Rand McNally, 1963
First edition

The Snowman, $8
Raymond Briggs
Random House, 1978
First American Edition



The Geranium on the Window Sill Just Died, But Teacher You Went Right On, $10
Albert Callum   
HarlinQuist 1971
Signed by author, 3rd printing


You Think Just Because You’re Big, You’re Right, $10
Albert Callum   
HarlinQuist, 1976
Signed by author


Beloved Authors


Best Word Book Ever, $20
Richard Scarry
Western, 1969
Unabridged

A Round Dozen (short stories), $10
Louisa May Alcott
Tasha Tudor, illustrator
Viking Press, 1967



Bartholomew and the Oobleck, $10
Dr. Seuss
Random House, 1949

One Monster after Another, $10
Mercer Meyer
Golden Press, 3rd printing 1976

A Child’s Christmas in Wales, $10
Dylan Thomas
Trina Schart Hyman
Holiday House, 1985
Inscribed by illustrator on title page

  Nifty Pop-Up Books

 

Mt. Rushmore from Robert Sabuda's America the Beautiful.
America the Beautiful: A Pop-Up Book, $8 Robert Sabuda
Little Simon, 2004

Peanuts Classic pop-up, $10
Charles Schultz
Little Simon, 2004

The Dwindling Party, $10
Edward Gorey
Random House, 1982
Pop-up book

Star Wars: The Clone Wars series: Heroes: A Pop-up Storybook, $10
Rob Valois
Grosset & Dunlap, 2009

The Not So Itsy Bitsy Spider, $10
Yumi Heo
Piggy Toes Press, 1999
Pop-up book

Brava Strega Nona! A Heartwarming Pop-Up Book, $10
Tommie de Paola
Illus. Sabuda & Reinhart
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2008

The Amazing Pop-Up Geography Book, $10
Kate Petty
Jennie Maizels, Illus.
Dutton, 2000

The Working Camera: The World's 1st 3D Guide to Photography Made Easy, $10
John Hedgecoe and Ron Van Der Meer
Harmony, 1986

Monday, April 4, 2016

Why Volunteer at the Sale?

The big spring book sale is coming up, and we could sure use your help!

As you can well imagine, it takes many, many hands, starting days before with putting up tables, unpacking and arranging box after box of books (we have an estimated 100 boxes of mysteries alone!), then being cashiers and assistant cashiers during the sale, and finally packing up afterwards.

Of course, you'll get the warm glow of contributing a few hours to a worthy cause. Funds raised from these sales support the Fairfax County summer reading program, George Mason Library programs, landscaping, and more.
Friends co-president Nancy Allard
and long-time volunteer Robert

There's always great food in the break room, and the fellowship of a friendly, interesting, and dedicated group of people. For high school kids, it is a great way to earn some community service hours.

There is also a practical benefit to volunteering for our book sales: pre-sale buying privileges. Volunteers may purchase a few books on the Wednesday before the sale. Yep, first pick, before the crowds.  There are a few restrictions, of course:
  • The quantity of pre-sale purchases are limited (the actual number will be determined closer to the sale).
  • The purchases must be for personal use -- sorry, no book re-sellers.
  • Special items in the display cases can't be purchased before the sale opens.
The Friends workroom is to the right in the lobby, and is usually open during library hours. Stop by to  meet us, sign up at the information desk, or drop us an email. We would love your help!

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Spring Sale Preview: Love Games? You'll Love This Sale.

Game lovers will be pleased to learn we have an increasing selection of video and computer games, ranging from recent releases and family favorites. Most prices range from 3 to 6 dollars.
A wide assortment of video games...
... and a whole buncha Sims.
We also have role playing game manuals and periodicals, most priced from $2 to $4. And, for serious collector, we also have vintage disks from the early days of gaming.  Stock up and you'll be all set to while away the long hours of summer vacation.  

Spring Sale Preview: Line, Please

This little treasure was a first for the George Mason Friends, according to our rare book specialists: a very nicely printed and bound portfolio of prompt books for the Smock Alley production of Macbeth (Smock Alley was the first Theatre Royal in Dublin, built in 1662).

Why is this cool? Well, first, because unlike modern plays that often include guidance on movement, scenery and props, Shakespeare's plays consist only of what the actors should say. Therefore, the notes scrawled in prompt books provide important glimpses of how a play was first performed.

This edition comes in two slim volumes, encased in a folder and then in a slipcase. And this brings us to the second reason why this item is pretty nifty: in the bookbinding world, the inner folder is called a "chemise." Seriously. So if you're not sold yet, c'mon. Who wouldn't want a book that comes with its own lingerie?