Books, bargains and lobster on the lawn

The Longboat Library threw a lawn party on Saturday—not exactly, but it looked and felt like one. An ordinary book sale doesn’t have cafe tables set up and the Maine Line lobster truck parked next door. 

There was also a broad selection of books at bargain prices. Nothing was tagged over $5 except the vintage and antique titles. Volunteers researched each old book online and discounted them 60% from their Amazon prices.

“There was something from the late 1800s, but somebody bought it,” library President Mary Baker said. “It was a first edition with uncut pages, and it’s gone, so somebody recognized the value of that.” 

Still on the table was a hardcover of Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass,” printed in 1926 and still in its original slipcase. The Amazon price is $123.80; the library’s price was an even $20.  

Not on the table was a machete and a reproduction of an antique firearm; both were donated with a box of books and good intentions. The strangest of donations to date, the weapons were passed on to Goodwill.  

Every shelf in the library is stocked with donations. Oftentimes, the same people who buy the books read them and donate them back again. It’s a completely self-funded and volunteer-run operation, and with that comes a level of personal service that can’t be matched. 

“We get to know our customers, and we try to make them happy,” Baker said. “It’s a service we provide.”