Westport book sale promises bargains under white tents

If you're a book lover, circle the calendar, set the alarm clock and get ready for nirvana.

The Westport Public Library's 18th annual Giant Book Sale -- a three-and-a-half-day, bargain-priced festival of the printed page and more -- begins July 16 on Jesup Green and inside the adjacent library.

As in recent years, the sale under white tents will feature more than 100,000 donated items -- mostly hardbound and paperback books, but also vinyl records and CDs, audio books and DVDs, according to the Friends of the Westport Public Library, the sponsors.

Last year's Saturday-through-Tuesday sale drew an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people from Westport and beyond.

After the opening two days, items remaining under the white tents on July 18 will be half price. Anything left on July 19 is free.

"The selection is huge, and it's also well-organized, so it's easy to find what you're interested in," Mimi Greenlee, the sale's co-chairwoman, said in a news release. "For example, children's books [will be] all in one tent, making it a convenient stop for families. All the vinyl records, audio books, CDs, and DVDs are grouped together, too."

Several special collections of paperbacks and periodicals have been donated to the sale, sponsors said.

Sci-fi and fantasy fans will find a local collector's 500-volume stash in the library's McManus Room, including many first editions. They'll all be on sale for $1 each.

The collection includes many notable names in the genre, such as A.E. Van Vogt, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Ben Bova, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Frederick Pohl, H.P. Lovecraft, Ursula LeGuin and Theodore Sturgeon, as well as originals published by Ballantine and as Ace double books.

Two other collections include contemporary Manga paperbacks and magazines in the graphic novels area and bound issues of National Geographic, dating from Volume 1 (1888) to Volume 148 (1975).

"In every book buyer there is a budding book collector," said Dick Lowenstein, the sale's co-chairman. "To nurture that interest, we've put together a nice collection of books on books." Included in this category are bibliographies and book-collecting guides, book dealer and auction catalogs, printing and publishing histories, and facsimile and limited editions of rare books.

On the sale's opening day, the Library Cafe will be serving inside and out, sponsors said. Local vendors also providing food will include The Farmer's Cow, Boxcar Cantina, Izzi B's, and Arogya. Snacks will include ice cream, tamales, allergen-free cupcakes, iced tea, iced coffee and lemonade.

Sale proceeds benefit the Westport Public Library.

The sale has free admission, free parking, no sales tax and handicap accessibility. Visa and MasterCard will be accepted.

For information, including directions, check the library's website, www.westportlibrary.org, or call 203-291-4840.