ABINGDON, Va. — Book covers hint at the treasures within. From the ornate covers of the 1880s through pop graphics of the 1960s and 1970s, these gems of the past reveal the art and culture of the time. Friends of the Washington County Public Library presents the Vintage Book Sale during the Virginia Highlands Festival’s Antiques Market & Vintage Show (through Aug. 1, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. each day) in the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center at I-81, Exit 14.
Nearly 500 square feet of carefully curated antique, vintage, rare, out-of-print, signed and first edition books in multiple genres line the shelves for customers to discover. Some vintage books available include writer, scientist and ecologist Rachel Carson’s “The Edge of the Sea,” published in 1955. Young people of a hundred years ago enjoyed books like “The Training School of Popularity” by Muriel White Dennis from 1922; and 1921’s “The Outdoor Girls at Wild Rose Lodge” by Laura Lee Hope, author of the Bobbsey Twins series and several other series of children’s novels.
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For Revolutionary War enthusiasts, the classic “Drums” by James Boyd from 1928 is a real treasure found at the Vintage Book Sale. “Drums” was James Boyd’s first book and praised as one of the best novels written on the American Revolution. The book is illustrated by N.C. Wyeth. “The cover is worthy to be displayed face out on a bookshelf as art,” says Greg Lilly, president of Friends of the Library and member of the Sons of the American Revolution.
The Vintage Book Sale’s genres include fiction, classics, children’s books, local/regional titles, Christmas-themed books, how-to, travel and geography, cookbooks, gardening, biography, war/military, plus vintage magazines, LPs/records and even amateur radio collections.
All proceeds from the Vintage Book Sale benefit the Washington County Public Library System. MasterCard, Visa and Discover cards are accepted. The Vintage Book Sale is presented in conjunction with the Virginia Highlands Festival’s Antiques Market and the $5 entrance fee to the market gives visitors access to the Book Sale and all the antique dealers.