CHICAGO (June 20, 2006) - Whether it's a page-turner for the beach or a rare out-of-print book, the Newberry Library has bargain priced books for all kinds of readers during the last weekend of July. While the Newberry's collections are safe in the stacks building, the first floor of the Library will be transformed into a one-of-a-kind bookstore for the 22nd Annual Newberry Library Book Fair. The Library has gathered more than 100,000 books for the fair, all generously donated by local readers and friends of the Newberry.
The books will be sorted into more than 60 categories and replenished continuously throughout the weekend to provide the best selection. Highlights from this year include a large selection of cookbooks, children's books, art books and music. The four-day book extravaganza starts Thursday, July 27 and concludes on Sunday, July 30. Funds raised from the Book Fair enable thousands of people to use the Library's collections and to enjoy unique humanities programming - for free.
Along with the Book Fair, the Newberry Library will also host the Bughouse Square Debates on Saturday, July 29. The debates are held in Washington Square Park directly across the street from the library. The park is known as one of America's most celebrated forums for free speech during the twentieth century. The annual debates celebrate and continue the tradition of freely addressing the most controversial and pressing issues of the times.
Details about the 22nd Annual Newberry Library Book Fair:
Thursday, July 27, 2006, from 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Friday, July 28, 2006, from 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 29, 2006, from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday, July 30, 2006, from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Admission is free; for information call (312) 255-3510. Parking is available at 100 W. Chestnut, 1025 N. Clark, or 100 E. Walton for $6 for up to six hours with Newberry validation.
ABOUT THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY
The Newberry Library is an independent library open to the public for research and reference in the humanities. One of the largest independent research libraries in the United States, the Newberry holds an extraordinary collection of about 1.5 million books, 5 million manuscript pages, and more than 300,000 historic maps. As one of the world's leading repositories of a broad range of books and manuscripts relating to the civilizations of western Europe and the Americas, the Library acquires and preserves research collections of such materials and provides for and promotes their effective use by a diverse community of users.