The Friends of the Library (FOL) biannual book sale arrives Saturday and will give readers five days to buy books, comics, vinyl records, ephemera, artwork, puzzles, games and . . . frogs?
“If you like frogs, you’re covered,” FOL volunteer Peter Prugh said.
Though not the alive and ribbiting kind. Prugh cuts out thousands of prints from old calendars and mangled books to sell for cents in the art annex, and a lot of the prints are animals and, for this sale, frogs in particular.
The annex also features framed artwork that sells from 3,000 to 50,000 cents ($30 to $500).
In the main book house, you can probably find books about frogs among the half a million items stacked above, below and on the shelves.
The FOL book house is at 430 N. Main Street, and the sale runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. from Sunday through Wednesday. The later you go, the cheaper the books get. Tuesday is half-price day, while all books sell for 10 cents on Wednesday—excluding the Collector’s Corner.
The Collector’s Corner will have a signed, first edition of Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic World” and a signed, limited edition of Danielle Steel’s “Southern Lights.” In local literature, the corner has a host of signed Florida authors, including a 1979 copy of “Fifty Years Down the Suwannee River” signed by L.L. Barnett. You can find a full highlight list from the Collector’s Corner here.
FOL publicity chairman Sue Morris said the nonprofit continues to give the bulk of its proceeds to the Alachua County Library District, giving $150,000 in 2024 and 2025. Just over $15,000 also went to FOL’s mini-grant program supporting other literacy nonprofits and the Snuggle Up & Read program.
Nonprofits can also sign up to enter the book house after the sale and take any additional merchandise for free.
Morris said FOL has finished several maintenance projects on its 100-year-old facility. She said the projects included a paint refresh and plumbing.
Every six months, FOL volunteers organize their wares, and as customers select books to buy, volunteers open new boxes and restock. The book house is divided into genres—from fiction, military history, sci-fi, foreign languages and religion to hobbies, folklore and children.
Books recently read by FOL volunteers
Bowie Knife by Raymond W. Thorp
– Volunteer Brian Adams
Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen
– Volunteer Sue Morris
The Forgotten 500 by Gregory Freeman
– Volunteer Frank Wolfsheimer
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
– Volunteer Michael Stephens
Philistines at the Hedgerow by Steven Gaines
– Volunteer Robbie Davis
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
– Volunteer Holly Pugh
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
– Volunteer Mary Hall
Cannable Caravan by Charles Miller
– Volunteer Lilla Moya
Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin
– Volunteer Linda Evjen
