Pete Manno is the foremost expert on the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library Book Sale. Even before he began running the event for the Friends of JMRL, he was a mega-fan.
At one sale, Manno was browsing on the last day after having spent “way too much money” already. He picked up a book by Victoria Woodhull, who in 1872 became the first woman to run for U.S. president. “It was just an oddball little book,” Manno says. “Her signature was on it—very big and bold. I didn’t think it could really be hers, so I put it down.”
The JMRL Book Sale’s rare books team later verified the signature as authentic. The volunteers put it back on the shelf for the next sale, with a price increase from $4 to $400. This time around, Manno bought it.
The spring and fall book sales are JMRL’s primary funding source for library programs. Throughout the year, volunteers sort the community’s donations, select the best books, and price them to sell. The events, formerly known as the Gordon Avenue Book Sale, have been happening since the 1970s. The most recent spring book sale grossed $163,000.
“It draws people from all up and down the East Coast … collectors and sellers and book-lovers and readers,” JMRL Director David Plunkett says. “The staff that volunteer do it because they love to be around people that love books so much. It’s wonderful.”