Started in 1931, the Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale is the longest-running and largest sale of its kind on the East Coast. It is renowned for the excellent quality of books sold in 60+ categories, as well as the large number of hardback and non-fiction titles available. Each year, our volunteers sort as many as one million books, saving approximately 60,000 to sell at the annual sale, held for five days each March at Stuart Country Day School in Princeton, NJ.

We raise scholarship money for local students attending Bryn Mawr and Wellesley Colleges, recycle huge numbers of books, provide a place for book lovers to purchase good-quality volumes at a reasonable price, and help those who want to reduce the size of their libraries find a good home for their books.

History

When the book sale began, the country was in the middle of the Great Depression. Many young women who looked forward to a college education found themselves unable to attend due to a lack of funds. With nationwide unemployment at 25 percent, college was out of reach for many.

A group of Bryn Mawr College alumnae decided to sell used books to raise scholarship money to help them, and since 1931 the sale has been cancelled only once – in 2020 due to COVID.

Wellesley to the Rescue

In 2000, a shortage of volunteers threatened to put an end to the operation. However, the Wellesley Club of Central New Jersey joined the effort and both alumnae groups now raise scholarship funds for their respective colleges.

How it All Works

We accept donations on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon at 812 Route 206 /State Road in Princeton. See the Donations page for details. Books are sorted into 60+ categories and stored until March, when the annual sale is held.

Remaining books are given at no charge to diverse service organizations such as those working with prisoners, schools in the U.S. and abroad, and other groups. Pre-registration and verification are required for groups requesting free books. Email us at bmandwbooks @ gmail.com