Bookworms can bid on posters of Taylor Swift and Shaquille O’Neal cracking open a novel — but time is running out.
The American Library Association is selling off a “rare selection” of posters from its decades-long “READ” campaign, which pairs celebrities with classic books like “The Catcher in the Rye” and “Pride and Prejudice.” Heritage Auctions is accepting bids on 240 items until 12:50 p.m. Friday, when the live sale begins.
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A vintage poster of Swift has already emerged as a favorite. The Berks County native posed with a copy of “The Giver” by Lois Lowry as a tie-in for the 2014 film adaptation featuring Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges and Swift herself. It’s the sixth-priciest item in the auction as of Monday afternoon, going for $725 after 27 bids.
The pop star trails behind a 1986 poster of David Bowie with “The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoevsky and a 1994 poster of Goliath, the cartoon character from “Gargoyles,” reading an unspecified animated book. Both pieces are up to $825. Only three posters have surpassed the $1,000 mark. They feature the cast of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” ($1,350), Paul Newman in his “Color of Money” era($1,550) and Ramona Quimby, author Beverly Cleary’s beloved heroine ($2,100). Newman and Cleary signed their posters.
The auction is a piece of the ALA’s larger sesquicentennial fundraising campaign. In its 150th year, the organization is hoping to accrue $60 million in donations “for the next 150 years.”
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