The annual Five Colleges Book Sale will take place this Saturday and Sunday, April 22 and 23, at the Lebanon High School  Gym. The proceeds go to Vermont and New Hampshire students for scholarships at one of five colleges—Mt. Holyoke, Simmons, Smith, Vassar, and Wellesley.

Approximately 40,000 books will be available in all genres, each in good condition and carefully sorted by category. All subjects are included, no matter how obscure they might be. In addition to books, shoppers will find maps, prints, computer materials, CDs, videos, DVDs, audiobooks, and ephemera.

On Saturday, a sealed-bid auction will be held from 9 to 11am.  Bid forms will be available at the Sealed Bids table and will be accepted only until 11am. There are no previews of the books up for bid, but they will be available for viewing when the sale opens. The winning bidders will be announced shortly after 11am. Some of the books available for bid include a 1946 First US Edition of Animal Farm by George Orwell, a 1947 first American printing of The Pearl by John Steinbeck, and a 1959 edition of Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour with an introduction by J. D. Salinger. A complete list can be found on the sale’s website (http://five-collegesbooksale.org/5Csealedbid.html).

Also on Saturday, a discount will be offered on all sales totaling more than $300. However, that does not include the sealed bids and specials. There will also be a special Books-on-Hold room available. You can reserve a space in the room to hold a box of books, then add to your stash as you wish. This gives shoppers a chance to sort through books away from the busy sales floor. Volunteers will return any books you don’t want back to the sale area. Then on Sunday, all remaining books will be half-price.

The sale on Saturday begins at 9am and lasts until 5pm. Sunday’s sale begins at 9am and goes to 3pm. This is one of the largest book sales in the area. People often line up early, so expect a long line if you arrive at 9am. Credit cards are accepted. For directions and additional information, visit the sale’s website (http://five-collegesbooksale.org/index.html).

Happy reading!