Community Corner

South Pas Library's Silent Auction Begins June 8

Bidding for the vintage children's books lasts 30 days.

The Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library is gearing up for a silent auction of vintage books that will be display just inside the library entrance.

Everyone is invited to bid on the monthly auctions. There are multiple selections, sometimes with a unifying theme. All books are displayed with descriptions so bidders can get a feel for each book's rare and special qualities.

Bidding lasts 30 days with the end of bidding date posted behind the case. A minimum starting bid is established for each auction book. Bidders write in their name, phone number, and bid amount on cards sitting on top of the case display.

The fun part is checking to see whether you are still the high bidder and deciding how high you want to bid, according to a press release from the library. 

At the end of the 30 days, winners are notified by phone and can pick up their books in the Friends Bookstore on the library's second floor.

The monthly vintage auction is an entertaining way to acquire collectable books at bargain prices, the press release states. 

The theme for June is children's books. The books go in the display case just past the library entrance on June 8th. The auction ends on July 6th at 12:00 p.m. Visit http://www.friendsofsopaslibrary.org for more information.

The books for the June auction are: 

1.  "Walter Crane's Picture Book''; Walter Crane; Routledge, London, undated but inscribed San Francisco, 3 July, 1885.
No dust jacket. Decorative cover, blue boards with gilt lettering and angel design. Slight rubbing at corners. Book in good shape. 64 pages of pictures in wonderfully sharp colors, with short rhymed text under each. A peep at Victorian England. Fun. Minimum Bid $15, Minimum Raise $3.

2.  "The Kids' Kitchen Takeover''; Sara Stein; Workman, New York, 1st printing, 1975.
No dust jacket. Clean copy with very little wear except mark on page with bread recipe! Many recipes and other projects - for indoors and out - for children approx. 7 through 12, but also lots of useful stuff for parents, teachers, den mothers, too. Example of contents: window herb gardens, making your own yoghurt and cottage cheese, hand dipped candles, and on and on. A wonderful resource for kids and their adults; wish I'd had it way back when... Minimum Bid $10, Minimum Raise $3

3.  "This Palace Belongs to the Children''; Broditskaya & Golovan; Foreign Language Publications House, Moscow, undated (but circa mid fifties)   Translated from the Russian.

No dust jacket. Some rubbing of boards. Interior good. Describes the giant youth club for Pioneers (the elite of which moved then to Komsomols, and finally to become members of the Communist Party) in Leningrad - like a highly politicized Y - with many fascinating clubs and activities for the kids. There were many similar Palaces in other large cities and some still exist, presumably without the Message. An interesting view of the training of Soviet youth; a more humane view of the regime. Minimum bid $15, Minimum Raise $3.

4.  "Book of Marvels": the Occident; Richard Halliburton; Bobbs Merrill, New York, 1937. School Edition. Full cloth boards with imprinting and art work.
No dust jacket. Rubbed top and bottom of spine. Interior Good. Halliburton's last book. His work had considerable influence on the writers of the Jazz Age.  A wonderful introduction for children (and adults too) to some of the western world's marvels - the Americas, France, Italy, Turkey and more - what a trip!  Minimum Bid $12, Minimum Raise $3.

5.  "The Book of Joyous Children"; James Whitcomb Riley; Scribner's, New York, 1902 (this date on copyright and title page). Illus. by J.W. Vawter. Bound in attractive red cloth with pictorial gilt, gilt lettering and page tops. Some rubbing on all edges. Interior good, but slightly weak hinges and 2 pages missing (69, 71).
This copy needs some TLC, but it is one of Reilly's rarer works and has many black and white plate/line drawings by Vawter. Here's a bargain. Minimum Bid $5, Minimum Raise $2.

6.  "Tanglewood Tales''; Nathaniel Hawthorne; Rand McNally, N.Y., copyright & first pub. 1913. Windermere edition of 1940. Illus. by Milo Winter.
Dust jacket, some chips. Boards good. Pasted pictorial on cover. Endpapers and general interior - Good.  Five full page bright color plates. Hinges secure. All tight. Great copy of Hawthorne's delightful version of seven tales from the classics. Minimum Bid $15, Minimum Raise $3.

7.  "Uncle Wiggily and His Friends"; Howard Garis; Platt & Munk, New York, 1939   No dust jacket. All Good. Bright, clear colored illustrations as well as many in black and white. Sweet stories to encourage kindness and good behavior in small children. Minimum Bid $10, Minimum Raise $3.

8.  "Stories to Tell"; Julia Cowles; Flanagan, Chicago, 1906. Some fading on spine, internally quite good. Over 30 very short stories for listening and/or dramatization, at home or in the schoolroom. Grades 1, 2 and 3. Minimum Bid $7, Minimum Raise $2.

9.  "Little Jack Rabbit and Uncle Lucky''; David Cory; Grosset and Dunlap, 1926.   No dust jacket. Bright red cloth boards, black decorative title with pictorial. Light rubbing of covers. Illustrated endpapers.  Four full sized illustrations in bright colors. Clean and tight. Six classic stories for the little ones. Minimum Bid $7, Minimum Raise $2.

The Friends bookstore is open Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 12:30-4:30 pm and Sunday 1-4 p.m. The library is located at 1100 Oxley Street on South Pasadena.

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