20th Annual Trinity Secondhand Booksale
Posted on: 20 April 2009
Thursday 23 April to Saturday 25 April 2009
Over 30,000 quality books, journals, paperbacks, etc, will be for sale at the 20th annual Trinity Secondhand Booksale. This remarkable three-day event is the largest charity book sale in Ireland. As in other years, all books are generously donated by staff, graduates and friends of the College.
The Trinity Sale is characterised not just by sheer quantity but by the wide range of subjects offered. This year is particularly strong on art history, English literature, Ireland, biography, history, religion, foreign languages, and natural history, etc. It includes the libraries of several retired staff of Trinity College. Prices are always reasonable, bargains widely available.
Rare books will be auctioned on Thursday evening. Almost ninety lots include: Volumes of ‘The Georgian Society records of eighteenth-century architecture in Dublin’ (1911-13); three books on Irish art by Francoise Henry; ‘A history of the Irish protest against over-taxation from 1853-1897’ by Thomas Kennedy (1897); a copy of Sir Jonah Barrington’s well-known ‘Personal sketches of his own times’ (1882); George Little’s ‘Dublin before the Vikings’ (1957); a very early signed Michael Longley ‘Ten poems’ (Belfast, 1967); journal runs of ‘The Irish Sword’ (1989-2008), ‘Dublin Historical Record’ (1970-2008), ‘Eire-Ireland’ (1977-2002), ‘Bulletin of the Irish Georgian Society’ (1958-1997), etc; five first edition novels by Aldous Huxley; a collection of political cartoons of Gladstone, Parnell and members of the Irish party at Westminster from ‘St. Stephen’s Review’ (1887); 17 volumes of the ‘Calendar of Ancient Record of Dublin’ (1889-1916); the very rare ‘The great world of London’ by Henry Mayhew (ca. 1856); and a copy of Lewis’ two vol. ‘A topographical dictionary of Ireland’ (1837). The auction also includes several items of Trinity interest, notably a copy of Alexander Norman Jeffares’ 34 sketches of Trinity in 1944.
The annual Trinity Booksale is a charity event run by volunteers. Funds raised by last year’s book sale were used to buy books, journals, maps and other research materials in Trinity College Library and in the smaller specialist Departmental libraries.
OPENING TIMES: The Trinity Secondhand Booksale will be held in the Exam Hall, Front Square, TCD, starting at 5.30pm on Thursday 23 April. It will continue on Friday from 10.00am to 6.00pm, and on Saturday from 10.00am to 2.00pm.
ENTRANCE CHARGE: €3.00 on the first night. FREE on Friday and Saturday.
RESTOCKED FRIDAY: Lots of additional books will be added to the Sale on Friday.
HALF PRICE SATURDAY: All books will be sold at half the marked price on Saturday.
CLEARANCE AUCTION: Clearance auction at 2.15pm on Saturday, table by table. Everything must go! Lots of incredible bargains!
Further details available from the Booksale Office Tel: 01 896-2276 and 01 896-2087. Email: booksale@tcd.ie. An auction catalogue is available.