Sarah Ferguson

By Donald Gilpin

The 88th annual Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale (BM-WBS), the longest-running and largest used-book sale on the East Coast, is still seven months away, but you’d never guess that from the pace of activity and the thousands of books, sorted and packed into hundreds of boxes, piled high in a small barn behind 32 Vandeventer Avenue, just off Nassau Street.

Every Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon between now and the March sale, volunteers gather at the barn to welcome donors — some moving to smaller living quarters, some settling their parents’ estates, some just cleaning house — who arrive with books and more books.

The books are sorted into 65 different categories, boxed and stored until the number exceeds the capacity of the small barn, at which point movers ship them out to a commercial warehouse until the spring when they are delivered to Princeton Day School (PDS), where they are arranged on hundreds of tables for the five-day sale.

Buyers come from all over the country, and the proceeds from the sale support college scholarships for young women from central New Jersey.

Last Saturday the top floor was full, stacked high with boxes, and 10-12 workers were crowded in on the first floor, sorting, pricing, and helping visitors unload their donations.

Sarah Ferguson, who started off as a volunteer in 1989 and has become the one paid worker, runs the show. “My job is to be there to take in donations, to pack the books, and make sure we have plenty of markers, tape, and boxes,” she said. She also, when necessary, does not hesitate to carry 40-pound boxes between floors.

When she was first asked to lead the operation, she declined: “‘I couldn’t possibly. I have two small children,’ I said. ‘Oh, just bring them,’ they said. So I started with a baby in a backpack and a toddler in tow.”

For Ferguson, the most appealing part of the job is the people she works with, both her colleagues and the donors. “Princeton is quite a community,” she said, and she went on to mention an array of local celebrities she had interacted with in the course of helping them to unload their books.

“For me, encouraging the next generation is the most rewarding part of the job,” she noted. “My children had a huge number of used books when they were young, and most of them came back to the sale and have gone on to new homes. My son discovered Tintin and the Oz books at the barn. My daughter loved Andrew Lang’s Color Fairy books. When I put an old favorite in a box of children’s books, I hope some other child will be just as delighted.”

“Sniff Test”

Ferguson emphasized that the condition of the books is important ”Give them the sniff test,” she said. “We call this the ‘Would you take this book to bed with you?’ test. If it’s too crumbly or smelly, nobody else will buy it either.” She also urged donors to call (609) 921-7479 to make sure there is enough space before bringing books.

Marie Anne Grey, who has been working on the book sale since 1972, long before the Wellesley Club joined forces with the Bryn Mawr alumnae group in 2000, is the expert on art books. She described an unforgettable moment when “we were all tired beyond belief from having set up the sale, and someone came up to say she had just found this book she’d been looking for for 27 years. This was before the internet, when you couldn’t find books as easily. That made the whole experience worthwhile.”

Grey pointed out that times have changed in the book business. “It used to be dealers came and knew and loved what they were doing. Now there are a lot of people who think they can make a lot of money from books and they go around with their scanners.”

Jerry Ringland, a retired Princeton physician, has volunteered every Saturday for the past four years. “I think this is important,” he said. “It helps provide scholarships to needy college students.” He, along with many of his colleagues, loves to be around books. “I love to read,” he added. “I’m a voracious reader. The people who work here are nice, and we’re like a family.”

Iliana Sachs, about 12 years on the job, is the cooking and “collector’s corner” expert, processing cookbooks and rare books. “She’s hyper-efficient,” Ringland observed. Sachs recalled pricing and selling a Robert Frost first edition last year.

“I love books,” she said. “We all do. We keep people reading books. We do a favor to people by recycling. Nobody wants to throw out books. They bring them here.”

Betsy Bennett, who lives in Princeton within walking distance of the barn, started volunteering with the BM-WBS 12 years ago. “I enjoy working with the people I’ve met here,” she said.

Bennett has become the children’s books expert, pricing paperbacks at 50 cents and hardbacks for a dollar, ”unless there’s a really good one, then we’ll price it for more. Sometimes you get very old books and they can be valuable.”

The BM-WBS is known for unusual collectibles, rare books, and first editions. Anyone who fears that electronics are taking the place of books should drop by the barn on a Wednesday or Saturday morning, or visit the sale at PDS in March.