Album Art Draws Collectors To Book Sale

By Nancy K. Crevier

The Friends of the C.H. Booth Library count themselves lucky to have Nick Sedelnik in their corps of volunteers this year for the annual book sale. Mr Sedelnik has spent many hours this past winter and spring tucked away in the bowels of the library, sorting through the more than 500 records donated to the sale. Based on what he has observed as a buyer at past sales, Mr Sedelnik notes that donations of 78s, 45s and LPs are a bit down this year, perhaps due to the early date of the book sale.

“We are mostly seeing a lot of classical and pop stuff at this point,” said Mr Sedlenik. What he would like to see are more examples of jazz, blues, and rare vocal performances, all of which record collectors, such as himself, like to buy. “We look for things that will get the juices flowing for those who come to the sale,” he said.

One of the things that gets Mr Sedelnik’s juices flowing as he goes through the donations is cover art. “To me, those album covers, if you’re really into it, are something. That’s why I can’t really warm up to cassettes and CDs. There was a period in the 60s when Columbia had all monochromatic album covers, for example,” he said. The Ella Fitzgerald songbooks that came out in the late 50s and early 60s, such as her Gershwin series, said Mr Sedelnik, were unusual in that they had no lettering on the album covers, just drawings by Bernard Buffet, a French painter, etcher, lithographer, designer, and sculptor known for his somber moods and distinctive style. Jazz albums, too, Mr Sedelnik said, often carry beautiful photography on the covers. “There’s one of Chet Baker flat on his back, trumpet to his chest that is something else,” he mentioned.

While many who seek out record albums are in it for the cover art, the majority of people want the music itself, Mr Sedelnik believes. “They are looking for the rare stuff, like Muddy Waters or Lightnin’ Hopkins. Jazz is also a very big area.”

Despite the inventory being down, the book sale will still have plenty of records from which to choose. Music lovers will find blues, gospel, jazz, pop, opera, classical, folk, rock, spoken word, comedy and country LPs, 78s and even a few 45s, most priced at just $1.

“This year we had some Elvis Presley 45s with picture sleeves donated,” said Mr Sedelnik. Picture sleeves, he explained, were not common on 45s, so he expects these records to be snapped up quickly.

Record donations will be accepted until the end of June. Of particular interest at this point is anything in the jazz or blues genre. Records should be in good condition. LPs must be in the sleeve, but 78s and 45s are accepted without sleeves. Records with no chipping, warping and with minimal scratches are most desirable, said Mr Sedelnik. Ray Conniff, Guy Lombardo, and Lawrence Welk albums do not sell well at the book sale, so he recommends that people find other outlets for those performers.

Donations can be dropped off at the library. Pickup can be arranged for large collections by calling 426-4533.

The Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Annual Book Sale will be held this year Saturday, July 1, through Wednesday, July 5, at the Reed Intermediate School on Trades Lane from 9 am to 5 pm each day. There is an admission fee on the first day of the sale only. For details go to www.biblio.org/chbooth and select Book Sale.