The Gazette's Tip Sheet/It's a Date listings. The sales, the "It's A Date" portion, is towards the bottom and you have to scroll down to see. Interesting, it continues to be a consistent URL from month to month. And I won't even bother changing this until I see the URL no longer valid. They are updating the webpage each week.

Skip down to list of 2010 upcoming used book sales in Montreal

Skip down to Non-Montreal book sales

On Saturday July 17th, St. Viateur will be closed to traffic, so they can have a sort of block party. Some details are here. I'm assuming the stores will have tables outside, so it may be a good day to see what Welch's has on sale for a dollar. I've not seen any notice yet of them going full blast this weekend (they had such a sale on Victoria Day weekend, and last year had a sale in July and then on Labor Day weekend), but who knows. Unrelated, I find this ad, Good books , better prices that suggests a bookstore at 6029 Park Avenue, just below Van Horne, though I don't remember seeing one there. So one could make the trip to take in one, and check out the other at the same time. The merchants on Park Avenue are worried about the construction work, and I suddenly remember that the reason Welch's is on St. Viateur is because they wanted to get away from the endless construction on St. Lawrence.

Last year there was a Book Alley over near the Grande Bibliothèque, not unlike the book stalls that were at the Old Port for some years (and I suddenly remember seeing a book dealer in the fleamarket at the Old Port before that was closed down to use the space for the science museum). A cluster of used book stands a few days a week during the summer. I was just wondering if it was back, and where I might find details, when Kate at mtlweblog came up with this entry about the opening of the book stalls again this year. Through October 3rd, they'll be open Fridays (17:00 to 22:00), Saturdays (12:00 to 22:00) and Sundays (12:00 to 18:00).

Something I think I tripped over before but then lost track of is that the War Memorial Library in Hudson has a book sale every month, starting on the first Monday and running through to the following Saturday. I guess it's more like a "used book table" than a sale with that frequency and length (maybe not, they have a "shoppe" that's open every Saturday). They take book donations. Hence, I was late in April, but it runs through Saturday April 10th during library hours.

The Fraser-Hickson Library has updated their website at the beginning of Feb 2010, and it looks like they won't be reopening at the Trinity Memorial Church. I've add a Whole Page about the library, trying to link to as many articles about the funding problems they've had since 2001 as I could find.

argobookshop.ca has a literary open mic night every second and fourth Thursday of the month. I just checked their website, and nothing indicates the series will go on hiatus during the summer.

The Bimetallic Question. ie the local Sherlock Holmes Club, has their next meeting Thursday, July 29th (which is a week earlier than their usual first Thursday of every second month).

If anyone is selling books at garage sales this season, heed the words of one "missed connection" from last fall:

To the very cute guy having a yardsale today on st Urbain...
Your selection of books sucked though.

Wired has a bit about print on demand of out of copyright books, Google Lets You Custom-Print Millions of Public Domain Books. There are the obvious books that are so old they've fallen out of copyright, but there was apparently a window in the US where books fell out of copyright if the copyright was not deliberately extended on the specific book, and that period was about fifty years ago. The matter was discussed here and it explains why some relatively recent books like the Tom Corbett: Space Cadet books are at Project Gutenberg. There was one book that fell out of copyright that I wanted, and I missed the chance to buy it as a fairly expensive commercial reprint. Print on demand would get those old books available, and in a much more readable form than online. Now all we need is a local store to get the expensive book printing machine. Wait a minute, according to the company that makes the machine, OnDemandBooks the McGill University Library has one.

Upcoming Used Book Sales 2010
This is now sort of a decade old. Back in 1997, someone who I felt was too focused on organizing people than organizing information posted to the local newsgroup, mtl.general, about a "book swap". I posted a reply pointing out all the used book sales we have in this city. When you can get a book for fifty cents, or even a dollar, that's pretty close to free. And after that, when there were a bunch of used book sales coming up, I'd post a message to the newsgroup. A few years back, I started putting the same information on this webpage, and that's the only form it exists in now.

Cedar Park United Church used book sale March 12-13
St. Lambert used book sale March 12-13
Pointe Claire used book sale March 13
Westmount Book Fair March 14
Centre Greene used book sale April 9-10
Montreal Amateur Radio Club fleamarket April 10
Sumerlea United Church used book sale April 10
MTL West Treasure, book and bake sale April 10
Dorval Library book sale April 15-17
Montreal West UC used book sale April 17th
Japanese Spring Fair April 17
Knox Crescent rummage sale April 23-24
Used book sale in Hudson April 23-24
Greenfield Park flea market with book room April 24
Westmount Library book sale April 24-25
SPCA Monteregie used book sale April 30-May 1
Dog'eared Books used book sidewalk sale May 1st
Used book sale in CDN May 1st
Friends of the Montreal Library book sale May 1 to 9
St. Philip's Church book and bake sale in Mtl West May 8th
Beaconsfield plant and used garden book sale May 8
Friends of the Pointe-Claire Library sale May 28-30
Mega book fair in Lachine, May 28-29
S.W. Welch sidewalk sale May 29-30!
Used book sale in Chambly May 29
Used book sale in Verdun June 4-5
Pierrefonds Library used book sale June 4-5
Benny Library used book sale June 12
Used book sale in Pointe Claire June 12
No Westmount Rotary Club garage sale this year, they stopped
because of Arena rebuilding (that still hasn't started yet) 2
years ago, and since there's been no more mention, I think
they've dropped it.
Used book sale in NDG June 23
Atwater Library book sale and BBQ July 7
Knowlton used book sale July 17-18
South Shore University Women's Club sale August 11-14
McGill Book Fair sometime in late October

The Cedar Park United Church in Pointe Claire is having their spring used book sale on Friday March 12th from 7pm to 9pm and Saturday March 13th from 9am to 1pm at 204 Lakeview Ave. They are looking for donations, they don't seem too picky and will take music and such, but no encyclopedias. Again like last year, they are combining it with a bake sale and renting tables for people to sell their own items. I don't know if that means the book sale is shrinking, or they are just adding to it. I went a few times years ago, having found something of interest I went back a few times, but haven't recently due to timing/distance. It was a fair book sale back then.

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in St. Lambert is having their annual used book sale on Friday March 12th from 6pm to 8pm and Saturday March 13th from 9:30am to 1:30pm, at 496 Birch St. They are looking for donations or at least they were, maybe so close they can't deal with more. They had one last year, I don't recall one there before that. I've never been, though it the weather holds, it might be tempting.

The Valois United Church is having a "Book, Bake and Craft Sale" on Saturday March 13th from 9am to noon at 70 Belmont Avenue in Pointe Claire. I think this is their first; one could take it and the Cedar Park sale at the same time, making the trip more worthwhile.

The Westmount Book Fair is Sunday March 14 from 10am to 5pm at Selwyn House School, 95 Cote St. Antoine Road in Westmount, admission is $2.00. This is not a fundraising event, it's a collection of used book dealers (I gather mostly "antiquarian") that rent tables to sell their books. I've never been, but the articles about it (including Rare documents, texts featured at Book Fair from last year) suggest the prices aren't all out of range, it depends on the books. They won't be common books, though (on the other hand, I've found lots of collectible books at used book sales over the years). Maybe this year I'll take it in, on the way to the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Centre Greene is having their annual used book sale on Friday April 9th from 10am to 7pm (Note: their website says till 7pm on Friday, but elsewhere including a poster I saw says it runs till 6:30pm on Friday) and Saturday April 10th from 10am to 3pm, the location is 1090 Greene Avenue in Westmount (just down from Dorchester). They are looking for donations, have been since sometime last year when they posted the 2010 date on their website (they win a gold star for that, they were the first group to have their 2010 sale date up).

Update: They have on their website that the "raised over $2000" from the 2010 sale, it's not clear if that's less than last year, or if they stopped coutning at $2000. They also note that they will take book donations throughout the year, so that's one place to think of when clearing out old books. On the other hand, they did have their seemingly annual book dumping at the end, I saw an ad where they'd put the books out after the sale finished, for people to come and take. I went by an hour after the ad was posted, and didn't see any books. There was a time when the book sales said they gave leftovers to other sales, something still useful since I saw an ad for some unnamed book sale asking for donations. On the other hand, when a sale collects books through the year, then what's the point of discarding them at the end of the sale? Yes, what's left maybe horrible, but it also may mean that the right person didn't pass by.

I go every year and always find at least a few books to bring home, sometimes quite a stack. Last year they put up a note after the sale saying they'd raised $3000 over the two day sale, which is quite impressive I think. Last year I found the children's books in a separate room, which must have explained my perception of a lack of children's books the year before. What is available of course depends on what gets donated, some years I've found interesting magazines and VHS movies, another year not. They often seem to dredge up quite old paperbacks, one year I found a bunch of non-fiction that I wanted that I'd never heard of before. Yet that doesn't work so well with classic books, that are constantly in print, I noticed last year there were some that wouldn't hold up that well, bad glue now having dried up.

The price list from last year was:

CDs and Videos 50cents to 1.00
children's books 50cents to 5.00
magazines donation
hardcover books 3.00
trade paperback 2.00
paperback 50cents 1.00
quality books as marked

pricing is at the discretion
of the person at the cash

As always, it's not a used book sale but the Montreal Amateur Radio Club is having their annual fleamarket on Saturday April 10th from 9am to noon at the Legion hall at 7771 Bouvier in Lasalle, admission is $5.00. All the details are here. They rent the space, then sellers pay for tables to sell their own radio, electronic and maybe computer stuff. I put it on the list since they do a lousy job of getting the word out, but it can be a source of books and magazines about the hobby of radio and electronics, and anyone interested in those are bound to be interested in whatever other related items are on sale.

The Summerlea United Church in Lachine is having their annual Artisan Fair and Book Sale on Saturday April 10th from 10am to 3pm, the location being 225 50th Avenue. Wait a minute, while the Gazette still lists it as a book sale, one place on the church's website says "Antiques and Craft Fair" so who knows. They've had book sales in the past, I've never gotten to one.

The Montreal West Presbyterian Church is having their Treasure, Book and Bake Fair on Saturday April 10th from 9am to 2pm at 160 Ballantyne Avenue, which again is just at the cusp of Montreal West, it must be in the second block up from Sherbrooke Street.

This is earlier than most years, it's usually in May. I went one year a few years back, and didn't find any books. Maybe they were in some other room, but I haven't bothered to go back since. I wondered if they had just morphed the event and done away with books, some of the smaller but longer running used book sales have added things in recent years, almost as if books were not bringing in enough money. This is the first of three used book sales put on by the three Montreal West churches.

The Friends of the Dorval Library are having their annual used book sale Thursday April 15th (from 13:00 to 20:00 and Friday April 16th through Sunday April 18th (from 10:00 to 16:00). Their website doesn't give times, and doesn't include Sunday which the Gazette listing does. The location is the Peter B. Yeomans Cultural Centre, 1401 Lakeshore Drive in Dorval. I've never been, but maybe with early nice weather I'll make the effort this time.

The Montreal West United Church is having their annual used book sale on Saturday April 17th from 9:30am to 3pm, at 88 Ballantyne Avenue which is the cusp of Montreal West, at the end of the first long block up from Sherbrooke Street. They have wanted donations in the past, though the website says nothing specific about it.

I've gone for quite a few years now, and have generally come away with quite a stack of books, always ending up paying less than I'd expect. They usually seem to have a table of hardcover library discards, and some times in recent years they've had a good collection of VHS movies. Generally a large selection of children's books, though I think I only found one elusive Dr. Seuss there. Last year, though, the selection was dramatically down, I couldn't decide if fewer were donating or if maybe the collection didn't get started as soon as other years. Note this year, they are down to one day, rather than opening on Friday night, but they stay open longer on Saturday. That may reflect the smaller scale of last year's sale. I rather liked going out there on Friday evening, nothing else to compete with it and you could be there for the opening without having to get out early.

Whatever happened last year to cause a decrease in donations, the sale seems to have recovered. I got there about an hour after the opening, and there was a good number of people and the tables were back to being loaded. This time they had baked goods, so about one table's worth of space was instead smaller tables with chairs to sit and nibble those. There were the usual library discards, but I found a good stack of things to buy, paying about $15.00. I even got this 1951 printing of For Whom The Bell Tolls, the back cover an even better depiction of the Republican side of the Spanish Civil War, and in good shape. Cover price of 35cents. They had a decent collection of CDs for sale, 1.00 each, but not many DVDs, 2.00 each. Paperbacks were 50cents each or 6/2.00, and hardcovers 2.00. VHS movies were 25cents each (though I think I got charged fifty cents each, there were quite a few of those. I even got a copy of The Old Man and the Sea though a more recent one with Anthony Quinn, not the classic one with Spenser Tracy.

It's not strictly a book sale, but the Montreal Japanese Language Center is having a spring fair on Saturday April 17th; that's all I have so far. The centre has a website at www.mjlc.qc.ca. I add it here since I recall one time they mentioned used books for sale, maybe specifically Japanese language books. Obviously if Japanese books interests someone, the fair is likely of interest even if they don't have books.

The Knox, Crescent, Kensington and First Presbyterian Church in NDG is having their spring Rummage Sale on Friday April 23rd from 18:30 to 20:30 and Saturday April 24th 10:00-12:00 the location being 6225 Godfrey Avenue (less than two blocks up from Sherbrooke at Grand). They sort of have a webpage, in the form of a blog at kckf.wordpress.com, though no details other than the date up yet.

I put this up since they have a used book sale in the fall, and some of that does seem to appear at the rummage sale, though quantity varies. Though, I have usually found some interesting things at the sale, like that soldering station for five dollars last year.

The Wyman Memorial United Church (actually they've merged with another church so the name has expanded) in Hudson is having their annual (or is it semi-annual?) used book sale on Friday April 23 from 19:00 to 21:00 and Saturday April 24 from 9:30 to 15:00. The church is at 513 Main Street in Hudson, they've had the sale for some years, and that's all I know. Chances are close to nil that I'll ever got to a sale in Hudson.

I know nothing of this one except that they've had them in the past, but the Greenfield Park United Church is having their annual flea market on Saturday April 24th 9:00 to 15:00 at 335 Springfield Street in Greenfield Park. Their website doesn't say anything, but a notice is here. I add it to the list (as I have in the past, though maybe not consistently) because the notice talks of a "book room" during the sale.

The Friends of the Westmount Library are having their spring used book sale on Saturday April 24th and Sunday April 25th, 10:00 to 17:00 both days, at the actual Westmount Library which is at 4574 Sherbrooke Street West, at the western end of Westmount Park. I've yet to see a notice, but invariably they want donations of books, cds, movies, which in the past could be dropped off at the library during opening hours (I don't see anything about that yet, but I don't see why it would have changed).

Monteregie SPCA is having their annual used book sale on Friday April 30th (from 16:00 to 20:00) and Saturday May 1st (from 10:00 to 18:00. The location is the Cynthia Coull Arena, 195 Empire Avenue (2nd floor) in Greenfield Park. Apparently near Churchill Boulevard. I'm sure they want book donations but I don't see any details about it. They've had an annual book sale for some years, though the date shifts through the spring months. I've never been, and I'm not sure I'm likely to get over there.

Dog'eared Books (I've yet to find a website for them), 30 Westminster Avenue in Montreal West, will have their annual sidewalk sale on Saturday May 1st, on Milner just off Westminster. It runs from 8am till 5pm. They have a raindate scheduled for Saturday May 8th, though I don't know at what point they decide to postpone (I recall it drizzling one year but it kept on going). Prices are 50cents for pocket size books and $1.00 for larger books or hardcover books. The proceeds go to the Montreal West Meals on Wheels (last year they apparently raised $1,045 from the sale). The Suburban has an article about the bookstore and the sale, some of it seems garbled, I'm not sure what issue but it's online here. Later: The May 15th issue of the West End Times says the book sale raised $1805 for the Montreal West Meals on Wheels, after about $300 was spent paying the student help and buying them pizza. This apparently is the new record for money raised from the sale, though since this is the sixth edition likely they can keep going up in how much money is raised.

Worth noting is that on the same day there will be the Annual Percival Avenue Sale, where just about everyone on that street has something out for sale. Some details here, Annual Percival Street Garage Sale !!. It's a decent cluster of garage sales, especially since people on adjacent streets also set up on the same day. Added incentive to get out to Montreal West on May 1st. Also, St. Philip's Church at 7505 Sherbrooke Street West (at the cusp of Montreal west) is having a "garage sale" the same day, where they rent out tables to people wanting to sell things, from 10:00 to 14:00, it will be indoors if it rains. What details there are is most readily seen here. If only they had their book sale the same day, but it's a week later. These community garage sales can be interesting, though it too often seems like people rent tables to sell commercial items like jewellry, rather than things they no longer want.

This will be the sixth year they've had the book sale. Last year one article mentioned that the books are donated, certainly the books have beena better selection than discards. I'm not sure of the process for book donations, they definitely want them. Last year some people just showed up and added books to what was already there during the sale.

This is of course a fun sale since it's outdoors. About 16 standard size folding tables are set up, on both sides of the street, and they are loaded with books, with lots in boxes waiting to refill the tables. The quantity is considerable, better than some church used book sales. And there seems to be a good mix of both recent and older books. I've come away with a good pile each time, a mix that usually includes some books I've never heard of before.

All I've seen is this ad, Big books sale - May first, but on May 1st there will be a book sale from 9:00 to 17:00 at the Paroisse Notre Dame des Neiges which is at 5320 Cote des Neiges Rd., which is at the corner of Lacombre. It may not be as much a book sale as a general rummage sale, because right below it there was this ad, Mega bazar- 1 mai 9h-17h, though since they bothered to put a separate ad for the book sale, maybe it is worth going to.

The annual used book sale for the Montreal Library takes place Saturday May 1st through Sunday May 9th, from 1pm to 7pm each day, at Arena Etienne-Desmarteau, which is at 3430 Bellechasse Street. On Friday April 30th there is an extra evening for actual members of the actual "Friends" group, apparently you get an invitation.

They have a notice up, here (they again win the prize for the most detailed webpage about a book sale, and a second gold star for keeping the information on the same page from year to year), which gives an awful lot of detail and all the other groups putting on a book sale could really learn something from that page.

They say most of the books are discards from the library, though they actually accept donations from the public during the sale (I don't think you have to sneak the books in). They make a note of saying the sale isn't for booksellers, which may be due to the books coming from the library, but which is interesting since as unfair as it sometimes seems to see book dealers at the used book sales, the groups generally like them since they buy in large quantities and that's good for a fundraiser.

St. Philip's Church in Montreal West is hving their annual Book and Bake Sale on Saturday May 8th at 7505 Sherbrooke Street West (right at the cusp of Montreal West). I don't yet see any times posted, but in the past it's been 10:00 to 13:00.

I've been a few times, and I've found it mixed. One year it was great, the next it seemed to lack interesting books. It does seem to get a decent number of donations. It does seem to be a social event as much as a fundraiser, with people coming for the baked goods and standing around talking. I don't know how they want book donations, but I'm sure they will take them.

Here's a novel one that I haven't noticed before. On Saturday May 10th, from 10:00 onward (I see no ending time), the Beaconsfield Garden Club is having a sale of plants and used gardening books at Centennial Hall, 288 Beaconsfield Blvd, in Beaconsfield. Obviously only for a subset of used book buyers, but it might be a high density of good gardening books.

The Friends of the Pointe-Claire Library are having their annual (or is it twice a year?) used book sale on Saturday May 29th (9:00 to 17:00) and Sunday May 30th (10:00 to 15:00) at the Bob-Birnie Arena, 96 Douglas-Shand Avenue in Pointe-Claire. Actual paid up Friends of the library get in early, on Friday May 28th from 17:00 to 21:00. They are looking for donations, but the only time to do so seems to be on Friday May 22nd (that's what I found, but clearly it can't be that, since Friday is May 21st, so who knows if they mean Friday or Saturday) from 10:00 to 17:00, dropping them off at the arena (though they too no longer want National Geographics or encyclopedias).

They've had this before, I've yet to get out to one. They don't seem to promote much, up until May 20th all I'd found was a reference about a Pointe Claire city council meeting allowing library discards to go to the sale. The Friends page is devoid of information, it hasn't shown up in the places that list upcoming events but finally I check the library website and it's there, under "What's new at the library !!!" which seems like a misfiling. An event yes, but the category suggests new books or features at the library, or maybe what's been added to the website, not news about upcoming events.

I don't recall seeing anything about it before, but on Friday May 28th, from 10:00 to 20:00, and Saturday May 29th, from 9:00 to 15:00 there will be a "Mega Book Fair" at 800 Sherbrooke Street in Lachine. This is put on by some group named Centre multi-ressources de Lachine, website is cmrl.ca. and is apparently the ninth time they've had a book sale. The notice I saw, here says they will have 10,000 books in both English and French, at low prices.

On Saturday May 29th, and Sunday May 30th, starting at 10am (I saw posters up on St. Viateur on the Friday, and they said 10:00 to 21:00) S.W. Welch will again set up outside (well a bit down the street from the store on St. Viateur, at the corner of Esplanade) selling off books at $1.00 each. It's rain or shine, in the past they've had a small tent. There's an ad here, S.W.Welch's Dollar Sale, Saturday and Sunday which I guess is as close to an official announcement as there'll be (when they had similar sales last summer, I didn't see any notice on their website).

Maybe they picked this weekend deliberately, because another ad is Bake Sale Girl Cupcakes announcing she'll be selling cupcakes as part of some bigger event, Queen of Goods Market on St. Viateur on Saturday May 28 and Sunday May 29th at L'Eglise St. Michel at the corner of St. Urbain. A search turns up this ad MARCHE MILE-END MARCHE QUEEN OF GOODS MARKET that details the larger sale. There does tend to be something of a sidewalk sale (minus a cloased street) around this time on St. Viateur, not just that big street festival three years ago sort of put on by Ubisoft, but last year there was something too.

It was always fun Welch's had the tables on St. Lawrence Blvd during the sidewalk sales, and last year there were a few Welch-related "missing connection" posts, suggesting it might be a pickup spot. I've never figured out the books they put on the tables, since the variety was wide and they were not bookstore castoffs, yet some of the books I've bought would never be sold in the bookstore (like those various computer books I brought home). And since they just bring out more books as they are sold, it can be amusing to see the feeding frenzy when someone comes out with another box of books to put up for sale.

I hope I didn't cause this, I kind of expected a sale the week before and I wouldn't like to think that caused them to feel obligated to have a sale this coming weekend.

St. Stephen's Anglican Church will be having a used book sale on Saturday May 29th from 10:00 to 15:00 at 2000 Bourgogne St. in Chambly. That's all I know, I don't remember a book sale there before, but maybe they are just advertising better.

The Church of the Epiphany will have a used book sale on Friday June 4th and Saturday June 5th from 10am to 2pm both days, at 4322 Wellington in Verdun. That's all I know, I've never been to one of their sales. On the other hand, they have had them for some years, at least, often more than once a year; this church had previously been St. Clement's.

The Pierrefonds Public Library is having a used book sale on Friday June 4th (10:00 to 17:00) and Saturday June 5th (10:00 to 16:00) at 13859 Gouin Blvd in Pierrefonds. I think they've had sales in the past, and that's all I know. Yes, I'm putting it up the night before, but I only saw one announcement and that was just a few days ahead of the sale.

The Partners for the Benny Library are having their spring used book sale on Saturday June 12th from 9:30am to 3pm, once again on the lawn of the actual library, which is at 3465 Benny (half a block up from Sherbrooke Street, and a block east of Cavendish). If it rains, they'll have it on Sunday June 13th.

I did get to the one last fall, as this picture shows. It can be lots of fun if the weather is nice, it being outside. It did seem like they didn't have that large a selection last fall, lots of picnic tables but the books widely spread over them.

The Quebec Family History Society is having a used book sale on Saturday June 12th, from 10:00 to 16:00, at 173 Cartier Avenue in Pointe Claire. Despite the specialized organization, this is a general used book sale, not just geneology related books. I think they've had sales before, though I'm not sure it gets listed often. They are looking for book donations.

Via The Suburban, there is supposed to be a used book sale on Wednesday June 23rd from 10:00 to 14:00 at 4375 Montclaire Avenue in NDG. Books start at 50cents. It's put on by the Auxiliary of the Catherine Booth Hospital & Montclaire Residence. And that's all I know. I've never seen them do a book sale before, but being mid-week and after the Fringe, I just may get to it.

The Atwater Library is having a BBQ and used book sale outside on the lawn on Wednesday July 7th, from 10:00 to 15:00. The only place I see details are on their website, they missed the Gazette listing for July. No indication of a rain date.

Every year the Pettes Memorial Library in Knowlton has a used book sale, setting up a tent or two on the lawn for a two-day weekend sale. This year it seems to be Saturday July 17th (8:00 to 16:00) and Sunday July 18th (10:00 to 15:00). I got that from villedelac-brome.blogspot.com and also in this list of events in Knowlton, here (you have to scroll down). It's not in the Gazette listing for July, and the library website doesn't have anything about it. I sure which I had a definitive source, I'm pretty certain this is the date (they've had it around then for some years, and the sale has gone on for years), but I also hesitate since it requires an actual trip to Knowlton to see if the sale actually takes place on that date. On the other hand, it is Knowlton, which isn't that far and one can get other things out of the trip (which of course might be the defining point even if the date was absolutely certain). Take a drive, get some books, then hang out in beautiful downtown Knowlton for the rest of the day.

On Friday July 16th through Sunday July 18th, there is the Knowlton Wordfest, which I know nothing about, but some details are at knowltonwordfest.blogspot.com. Maybe another reason to make the trip to the book sale.

The South Shore University Women's Club will have their annual (their 36th this year) used book sale on Wednesday August 11th (17:00 to 21:00), Thursday August 12th (17:00 to 21:00), Friday August 13th (noon to 21:00) and Saturday August 14th (9:00 to 12:00) at St. Barnabas Church, which is at 95 Lorne in St. Lambert. The money raised goes to scholarships for CEGEP and university students. I'm pulling the details from here They are looking for donations, last day seems to be Sunday, August 1st, but they don't want common magazines or old textbooks. There is a notice about the collection, so look there for details.

They used the same location last year, though it's moved around quite a bit in the past few years that I've been following it. It was a nice walk from the Longueil Metro station, but I can't remember if it took me 30 or 60 minutes to get there, I remember wasting a lot of time trying to just get out of the area around the Metro station.

It is a fairly large sale, and I've found it worth making the trip, especially as an excuse to get off the island. They do have a good selection of English books, though the French selection may be bigger than many of the "English" sales I list here on the island. Prices seem a bit higher than in Montreal, which I assume may reflect a lesser opportunity for used books. I'm not sure I've seen that much that's exotic. Last year they made the effort to put the Big Name bestsellers in separate boxes, so if you needed that Robert Ludlum it was really easy to find. They do get CDs and DVDs and music cassettes, though that varies from year to year, a reflection of what gets donated. I even got a copy of Railroad Tycoon last summer, though I've yet to do anything about getting it running. I've been three or four times, and have come away satisfied (though that just may be due the getting off the island). One year, coming back, I tripped over the St. Lambert Days but I've yet to see the dates for that for this year.

The McGill Book Fair takes place every year (since 1971) in late October, surely the largest English used book sale in Montreal. They don't have an exact date up yet, but some details can be found here: http://www.mcgill.ca/bookfair. The book collection began early this year, on February 9th at Redpath Hall at McGill and continues every Tuesday afterwards from 9:30am to 3pm until September 21st. There are some satellite collection points listed on the webpage. Yes, they now officially do not want encyclopedias or magazines. So where do people donate these now, and where are people supposed to get good deals on these now? McGill isn't alone, a lot of sales are no specifying no encyclopedias, at least.

Used Book Sales Elsewhere

I've never been to a used book sale outside of the Montreal area, but they do have them elsewhere. Since I know nothing of them, there's little sense in trying to list them, but I have found some pages that keep track of them. Of course, I'm not researching this carefully, so there may be more comprehensive lists.

One list (not that I've looked that closely) for used book sales in Ottawa is www.wollamshram.ca/obc/Events.htm. Also, Bytown Bookshop has a blog on their webpage, and they list at least some Ottawa used book sales. And then later I find Nigel Beale's page about used book sales in Ottawa (well, it's a subpage within a larger site about books). here.

Nigel Beale has a list of The Five Best Used Book Sales in Canada? (the McGill Book Faire is on it), and mentions the Rockliffe Park Public School Book Fair that is in Ottawa every November. On one hand, it seems odd that a school would have such a great sale, but they've been doing it for 48 years, which really helps. Since people know when it's coming, and they start collecting books early in the year, they likely can get a large number of donations.

I frequently see notices for book sales in Vermont, but I've yet to find a decent list. Indeed, I thought I had but I'm not seeing any updates so I'll pass on that.

I've yet to find a list of all the used book sales in Toronto, but I haven't tried that hard since it's not really within the area of a day trip, unlike Ottawa or Vermont.

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