ABFFE Launches Online Auction

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) has launched an online auction featuring many unique items from BookExpo America (BEA), including posters autographed by bestselling authors and hundreds of new autographed books. Like the three-day Silent Auction that ABFFE runs during BEA, the online auction offers bargains on the latest books, book sidelines and services, and a wide variety of entertainment items, ranging from DVDs and video games to airline tickets and hotel stays.

This year's online auction features a first edition of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle as well as the opportunity to host an event with a leading First Amendment advocate, Judith F. Krug of the American Library Association, who will discuss the important free speech issues of our day, including the fight to restore the protections for the privacy of bookstore and library records that were eliminated by the USA Patriot Act. The online auction also offers discounts on ticket and hotel packages for many of the regional bookseller association trade shows.

"The online auction is a great way to support First Amendment rights and have fun doing it," ABFFE President Chris Finan said. ABFFE's online auction can be found on its Web site, www.abffe.com. The auction ends Friday, June 18, at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time.