Rare book donations are being sought for an auction to help "turn the page" on Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Helping Ukrainian Books and Booksellers (HUBB for short) is preparing an international rare book sale to support colleagues under fire in Ukraine. They have scheduled an online auction for mid-November and are actively seeking donations of rare and collectible books, manuscripts, artwork, and ephemera. HUBB was founded by Mitchell Kaplan, Jane Unrue of Scholars at Risk, Carolyn Forche, Christopher Merrill, and Askold Melnyczuk shortly after the start of the war. The group has contacted Oleksandr Afonin, president of the Ukrainian Publishers and Booksellers Association (UBPA) to offer assistance. So far, they've raised over $30,000. HUBB recently distributed $10,000 among some 60 publishers and booksellers across Ukraine. Afonin says that these modest grants have made a big impact on individuals whose lives have been disrupted by the war. In the second round, Ukrainian libraries were invited to apply for grants to fund new books. Melnyczuk reports that HUBB has been able to fund 30 out of the nearly 1,000 applications.

"Right now, we're asking supporters to aid our effort by donating a rare or collectible book, manuscript, photograph, artwork, or item of ephemera from their personal collection, which Catalog Sale will put up for online auction in mid-November," Melnyczuk says.

"This is an immediate opportunity for booksellers, dealers, and collectors to directly aid the victims of Russian aggression in Ukraine," says participating bookseller and ABAA member Arthur Fournier. "HUBB is accepting materials today, and the call for submissions is open through October 10th." With Avi Kovacevich, founder of Catalog Sale auctions in New York, Fournier is helping HUBB organize the sale. Kovacevich and Fournier hope to gather an eclectic and compelling selection of materials that will generate strong interest among online buyers. 

Those interested in contributing to the sale are invited to send pictures of potential items for donation to hubb@catalog-sale.com...

"We're seeking first edition and signed works of literature, poetry, history, and science," explains Kovacevich. "We also hope to see items with interesting graphic design, strong social justice resonance, and historical interest." Ideal donations will be in excellent physical condition with no missing pages or significant condition issues.

To participate in the auction, HUBB invites you to contribute up to 10 images of candidate items that may fit the aforementioned criteria. Please send digital pictures of these materials to hubb@catalog-sale.com at your earliest convenience. 
Organizers will reply within 48 hours to all submissions with instructions about how to contribute selected items for the auction by post.

All donors will receive a letter from HUBB acknowledging the generous gift to its nonprofit mission.

For more information about HUBB, visit https://helpukrainianbooks.org...