Potential treasure trove of books in Old Lyme
Old Lyme — There's a potential treasure trove of books in the basement of the town library.
Visitors to Phoebe's BookCellar can search around the store, never quite sure of what they will find among the more than 7,000 books that range from fiction and mystery to gardening and philosophy, said Ann de Selding, the bookstore's co-manager.
"I’ve heard people that come in say that it’s a hidden gem," said Claudia Condon, the other co-manager of the bookstore on the lower level of the Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library. "They come down here, and they can usually find one — or two."
Now Phoebe's BookCellar, a bookstore managed by the Friends of the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library that benefits the library, is also offering a section dedicated to its oldest and most rare finds.
Following a large donation of old books last fall, the volunteer-run BookCellar organized the bookstore's first and limited editions, Americana from the 18th and 19th centuries, local town histories, multiple volume sets, and books with inscriptions from authors into a "Collectibles" section.
Among the approximately 300 books available in the Collectibles section during a recent visit were an edition of "Don Quixote" with illustrations by Salvador Dali, the "Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt" with an introduction by Roosevelt, and the compact Oxford English Dictionary, sold with a magnifying glass.
John Heckman, the director of the Collectibles section, pointed to a book that he said may, at face value, look unexceptional. But the book is actually Richard Wagner's "The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie," which contains illustrations by Arthur Rackham.
Heckman said that many of the books come from people who are downsizing or moving and no longer have the space for their book collections. They donate the books to benefit the library and can receive a tax write-off, if they choose.
After receiving the donations, Heckman said he then researches the books online and also recently began a newsletter to market them outside of Old Lyme.
The Collectibles books generally sell at prices between $10 and $150, according to a news release.
"We try to take a middle range and price it about a third of that, so it's very attractive not only to people who come in but also booksellers," he said.
Phoebe's BookCellar recently sold a first edition of Bambi, a first edition of Charles Lindbergh's autobiography, and copies of the first book that Dr. Seuss illustrated, the organizers said.
De Selding said the Collectibles section has given the bookstore "an entirely new dimension." Though the bookstore has had rare books for a long time, said de Selding, Heckman has revamped, organized, dusted off and publicized them to the right audience.
"We now have a new audience that’s becoming interested in us over time," she said.
Phoebe's BookCellar
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays at the Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library at 2 Library Lane.
Sale: The BookCellar will hold a spring half-price sale on items, excluding "Collectibles," from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, April 30.
More information: email phoebesbookcellar@gmail.com.
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