Fundraisers are always appropriate for a small museum when coming out of tough times. So, Kelley House will host a HISTORY & MORE book sale on Saturday, May 29th, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the east porch of the museum.
Curated by retired librarian and Kelley House docent Katy Tahja, she emphasizes you won’t find everything, but you’ll like what you do find. Look for history, travel, how-to, crafts, gardening, and other nonfiction. Don’t expect fiction or kids’ books.
Here’s some of what awaits you.
“The Big Sur Coast” is full of black and white photos by Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. “Fifty Famous Quilts from the Shelburne Museum” will inspire any quilter. “Up and Down California, 1860 to 1864” by William Brewer features the first geological survey of California.
How about how about a two-volume set on the “Blue Ridge Parkway Guide” and learn about 469 miles of Appalachia. Tahja donated “Tourist Trains 2015 Guidebook.” Want to know how many tourist trains New Hampshire has? Answer: four.
On the practical side, the sale offers “Knots – Useful and Ornamental.” Learn how to tie up anything. “Sunset’s Complete Home Storage” will inspire organization. Biologists will enjoy “Mind of The Raven” by Bernd Heinrich.
For all the back to the land hippie elders who remember Monday Night Class in San Francisco and The Farm in Tennessee, there’s a copy of “…This Season’s People” by Stephen Gaskin. “Early Sunset Magazine, 1898 to 1928” is an anthology encouraging motor touring a century ago. The old illustrations are great. One is the floor plan of Jack London’s yacht, the Snark.
The “Color Treasury of Firearms” covers topics from the invention of gunpowder to Colt revolvers, with photos of firearms in European museums. Buy “Touring Hot Springs of California and Nevada” and pair it up with “Rockhounding Nevada” and plan a great getaway. Oh, add to that “Sagebrush Country Wildflowers” for an even better trip.
Readers wanting to go further afield? National Geographic Traveler’s “Ireland” will be available. Any rail fans? “San Diego and Arizona Railway” has 200 photos of a railroad in the south state’s borderland back country.
While paperbacks will be $1 and hardcover $3, there will also be a Special Selections table of collector’s books. “The Ultimate Victorians of the Continental Side of San Francisco Bay” shows what houses still stood in 1970. Amazon wants $30 for this book; we’re asking half that, and you also get to support a local museum. Also on this table is “Percival Keene” by Captain Marryat, a 1926 edition. Given this copy is almost 100 years old, this maritime adventure in the Napoleonic Wars is surely worth $5 to someone.
Finally, we have culled some interesting items from the vault. For example, we have two oak card catalog cases with their drawers (remember those), some duplicate John Chamberlin posters, and vintage photo postcards that depict fishing and hunting in the mountains.
Join us on May 29th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the East porch for bargain books, special treasures, and fundraising for a worthy cause. The Kelley House Museum is located at 45007 Albion Street, Mendocino. Parking is available on both Albion Street and Main Street. Call 937-5791 with any questions, or email info@kelleyhousemuseum.org.