Special Volunteer A Rare Find For Friends Of The Library

By Nancy K. Crevier

John Renjilian of Newtown has been in the rare book business for more than 40 years, and since 1976 he has been a critical component of the Friends of the Library Annual Labor Day Book Sale, held at Fairfield Hills. Along with the thousands of romance novels, mysteries, biographies, and cookbooks donated to the library each year are dozens of rare and collectible books. He is the man library volunteers turn to when a donation has the earmark of a valuable tome. And volunteers do not want to overlook potentially significant donations.

Rare and collectible books are a valuable source of income for the book sale. Last year’s collection pulled in almost $10,000.

What Mr Renjilian does is determine the value of books deemed rare or collectible. A lot of research involving reference books and the Internet aides in pricing of these uncommon books. “Experience is important, too,” Mr Renjilian adds, and it is his years of handling books through his business, Pages of Yesteryear, that makes this former school librarian invaluable to the Friends.

There are a number of things that make a book fall into the rare or collectible category, says Mr Renjilian. “Certainly, scarcity of supply makes a book rare. Or sometimes, it’s the monetary value.”

Collectibles are a little more difficult to define. Some collectors are looking for a particular type of bookbinding, such as decorative, early American, cloth bound, or leather bound. “There are people who collect imprints,” says Mr Renjilian. “Someone might collect only books printed in, say, Hartford.” Other collectors are interested in a particular author, signed copies of books, or books from a certain era.

The number of rare and collectible books varies from year to year, but never a year passes without some surprise. The first year he was involved in the book sale, Mr Renjilian recalls, a box of run-of-the-mill books came in at the last minute. But parked on top of the common titles was a book not so common: an 18th Century history of Persia. “It had no connection to anything else in the box,” chuckles Mr Renjilian. “You wonder, why was it in there?” The book didn’t bring in a lot of money, but it was a curiosity piece.

Before the sale opens to the public, Mr Renjilian takes a stroll through the general sales sections, scanning for books that may have slipped past the eagle-eyed volunteers. Usually, he spots a few titles that need to be placed in the rare and collectible section.

While this year’s selection is not as vast as that of 2004, bibliophiles will have more than 400 titles to peruse in Newtown Hall at Fairfield Hills when the sale opens Saturday, September 3. They range from a very affordable $45 copy of Goethe’s Faust to a more precious portfolio of Cyril Hodges’s Seeing Voice Welsh Heart with six original color lithographs signed by artist Paul Jenkins, priced at $750. In between lie books such as An Age of Barns by Eric Sloane, which features a signed drawing of a barn by the author; The History of England by Rapin de Thoyras, published in London in 1732; The World’s Best Dirty Jokes inscribed by author Elia Kazan “Mr J”; and countless other treasures.

Book collectors need not fear seeing the same collectibles featured previous years, Mr Renjilian assures. “We try not to repeat books year to year. Some of the collectibles [that do not sell this year] will go into general sales next year.” A number of the collectibles will be available on Monday, when books are sold at half price. The rest of the unsold volumes will travel with Mr Renjilian to rare book sales around New England, where he will sell them for the library.

Understanding book collecting is often innate, but for novices and anyone else with questions concerning the books offered in the rare book area, Mr Renjilian will be available for consultation at the book sale all day on Saturday, September 3, and Monday, September 5, as well. He can also be contacted at jrenjilian@hotmail.com.

The Friends of the Library Annual Labor Day Book Sale takes place Saturday, September 3, to Wednesday, September 7, 9 am to 5 pm each day. Tickets go on sale at 7 am Saturday for admittance between the hours of 9 and 11 am that day. Admission after 11 am is free.

Monday, September 5, all books are half price. On Tuesday, books are $5 a bag.

Fairfield Hills is located off of Wasserman Way; signage will indicate the way.

The sale is sponsored by The Friends of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, and all proceeds will benefit the library. Volunteers are still needed to help with book sorting through August and to work during the sale. Contact Mary Maki, 426-4356. For more information, call the Booth Library at 426-4533 or visit the website www.biblio.org/chbooth/booksale.htm.