The annual rare book auction held by The Friends of the Library in Anchorage will live up to its name this year. The list of books going on the block includes a first edition of Irish poet William Butler Yeats' "October Blast: Poems."
Only 350 copies were hand-printed in 1927 by Cuala Press, which was operated by the poet's sister, Elizabeth Corbet Yeats. The collection contained some of his most important work, including "Sailing to Byzantium," which opens with the oft-quoted phrase, "That is no country for old men."
Yeats was already famous when the book came out; he had won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. But critics were quick to assess the poems in "October Blast" as among his best. They were released in a much larger printing the following year, a collection titled "The Tower." Poems in the collection are regularly included in modern anthologies and considered to be among the most important and enduring poetry from the 20th century. Copies of the original book, such as the one at the Anchorage auction, sell for more than $1,000 online.
"I have no idea how the book came to the library," said Bruce Merrell, a former librarian who is volunteering with the auction. "But it's clearly out of the library's collecting scope and needs to go to someone who appreciates Yeats' writing as well as the heritage and beauty of the physical volume."
The auction catalogue states that the copy is in "fine condition" and has uncut pages -- that is, pages joined at the edge that have not been separated for reading.
Friends of the Library is a nonprofit group that raises money for Anchorage Library collections and programs. Their biggest annual fundraiser is the "Beyond the Stacks" gala auction, which will take place at the Anchorage Hilton on April 30. The Rare Book Auction was last held seven or eight years ago, according to board member Shannon Jones. "But we've been getting books all that time, so we have quite a big selection," she said.
Jones said books for the auction are received as gifts from individuals, library supporters and businesses. "We got a big donation of books from Title Wave," she said. Some of the books come from volumes given to the library that are deemed to be more valuable as a source of funds than they would be on the shelves.
The auction will take place Tuesday, March 15, at the Petroleum Club of Anchorage, 3301 C St. A preview and silent auction will begin at 7 p.m. and the outcry auction at 8 p.m. Appetizers and desserts will be served. Tickets are $35, available at librarychampion.com.