There are some unusual, in many instances quite valuable, items that have come to the C.H. Booth Library for its annual book sale, set for July 13-17. More than 120,000 books, CDs, DVDs, and LPs will be offered for sale, including numerous rare books.

It will be Christmas in July for one buyer. The prize read available at the 44th annual sale is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which will go for $3,200 and includes the first edition of Dickens’ Cricket on the Hearth and a 1920 facsimile of the first edition of A Christmas Carol. What makes this extra special is that it is a first edition, likely second issue, according to John Renjilian, a rare book expert who volunteers each year for the book sale by sorting through boxes of books and appraising at a price that library officials consider to be quite affordable.

“We price books for dealers; we price for wholesellers. If you purchased this retail, it would probably be $5,000 to $6,000,” Mr Renjilian said.

Interestingly, while Mr Dickens spent years writing some of his material, A Christmas Carol began as a way to make a quick buck when he needed money, Mr Renjilian said.

“He knocked it out in six weeks, and it became the standard Christmas story of all time and made him lots of money,” Mr Renjilian said.

Go figure.

Also of note, had this been a first issue, it might fetch another thousand dollars, noted Mr Renjilian, who looks at a variety of clues from markings and spacing between stamps and borders to determine the issue of a book. But this being a first edition is a first-time thing for the sale.

“We’ve never had one of these before,” Mr Renjilian said.

Scrapbooks do not usually make it to the sale’s special collection room, but a donation of two scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings from the 1947 and 1949 World Series between the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers caught some attention. Jackie Robinson, known for breaking baseball’s color barrier, played his rookie season in 1947. The collection’s asking price is $75.

There are two hand-compiled recipe books, one of which did not originate as a recipe compilation and is circa 1828.

“It started life as a friendship album,” said Mr Renjilian, adding that children used to sign each other’s friendship albums much like they do school yearbooks today. “And 30 years later, somebody said ‘I don’t need this friendship book anymore. I’ll use it for recipes.’”

Mr Renjilian noted that the book still contains notes and poems from its original use and that recipes were hand-written onto blank pages. It includes some loose recipes. On the backside of one of the recipes is an advertisement for female medical doctor in 1860, something that was unusual for that period, Mr Renjilian said.

The price of the recipe books: $50.

A Complete Genealogical, Historical, Chronological, and Geographical Atlas from 1821 features hand-colored maps and a host of charts, tables, and chronologies. “The highlight is the (John) Melish map of the United States showing the American west,” Mr Renjilian said. The price of the atlas is $1,000.

Shuchin gajo is Japanese book that Mr Renjilian said translates to collection of precious pictures. Believed to be from 1803, the book features woodblock prints, many colored. The price is $800. Although Mr Renjilian has a vast knowledge of books, having purchased, sold, and appraising hard and soft covers for more than half a century — including 43 years with Newtown’s library sale — this one stumped him.

“It’s completely out of my field,” said Mr Renjilian, adding that he called an appraiser from the television show Antiques Roadshow for some help.

John Glenn: A Memoir, a limited edition signed by the astronaut, features gold gilded edges and is priced at $150.

Hans Christian Anderson’s Fairy Tales, from 1888, features a dozen chromolithograph plates and goes for $75.

There are more than 1,000 items in the sale’s rare books collection. Readers and collectors, buyers, and sellers will find more at the sale, which will be held at Reed Intermediate School, 3 Trades Lane.