IU Press sells books in IMU

The first day of the IU Press Holiday Book Sale offered students and faculty the opportunity to choose from more than 300 titles by IU Press and other Indiana publishers.

The sale will continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today in the Indiana Memorial Union’s Georgian Room.

Mandy Clarke, IU Press trade marketing and publicity manager, said the sale is an annual event that usually takes place in late November or early December.

“It provides a way to increase our presence with IU and the community in general,” Clarke said. “It is an opportunity to see what IU Press does.”

Clarke said the books at the sale are deeply discounted with some priced as low as one dollar. A copy of “This is Indiana: Tom Crean, the Team and the Exciting Comeback of Hoosier Basketball” will be given to the first 25 customers each day.

“Everyone is really into IU basketball right now,” Clarke said.  

Previously, customers had received free copies of books about Little 500 and IU soccer.

Clarke also believed the books available for purchase, which included music, film, history and cookbooks, will help bring in students. WTIU Public Television DVDs and Purdue University Press publications are also for sale.

“The selection we bring is more geared for faculty and students, and it contains books of local interest,” Clarke said.

Graduate student Chris Muir,  who picked up a copy of “Bloomington Past and Present,” said he had attended the sale in past years.

“I guess I usually check the regional and natural history stuff, as I’m a biologist,” Muir said.  

He mentioned he has many of the natural history books but uses the sale as a way to pick up the newest titles.

Clarke said the location of the sale in the IMU helps bring in students as well.

“Students are always wandering through the Union and can do shopping for themselves or for the holidays,” Clarke said.

Sophomore apparel merchandising major Brooke Markham said she saw the sale while walking through the IMU.

“I just saw the book sale and thought I might do some Christmas shopping,” Markham said.

Markham said she attended the sale last year toward the end of its run, and much of the selection had been sold.  

“I thought that if I stopped by earlier this time I might be able to find some Christmas presents or something,” Markham said. “I was also going to see if they had any apparel books to look through.”

Assistant professor of criminal justice Mark Berg said he also saw the sign on his way to lunch and headed into the sale.

“I’m just browsing, but I find the mix of books to be rather diverse, so there may be something here that I find that interests me,” Berg said.