Books for International Goodwill, 451 Defense Highway, Annapolis, MD (2026)

07/22/2026

JULY SALE AND OTHER UPDATES

JULY BOOK SALE
BIG had a successful month for sales and cash donations that will help cover our international shipping costs and warehouse expenses. Our public sale on Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18, and a dealer’s (reseller’s) sale were very well attended. BIG continues to get new customers and compliments on the selection, condition, and organization of our books. It was hot and muggy outdoors and it got very warm in the warehouse both afternoons, so we are thankful for our patrons sticking with us!

SHIPMENTS
On Monday, July 13, BIG volunteers loaded a shipment for Samaritan Strategy Africa in Kenya. BIG contributed 16 pallets of books (approximately 25,000 books), primarily in the children’s/school, nonfiction, and college categories. The shipment is anticipated to arrive at port in Mombasa in the third week of September.

A family from New York brought nineteen boxes of school supplies that included books, notebooks, pencils and pens, erasers, staplers, and school bags, among other things, and helped load these into the Kenya shipping container. The family also made a cash donation to help cover shipping costs. These contributions are the work of the family’s daughter, Joy He, a rising senior in high school who founded the Joyland Foundation to promote cross-cultural communication and help underprivileged communities. After witnessing the extreme poverty while visiting Turkana, Kenya, Joy raised over $3,000 to purchase school supplies, cell phones, and clothing for the local children. Realizing education is one of the keys to change children's lives in Turkana and Kenya in general, she decided to collect used books and school supplies to be donated to Kenya upon her return to America. The Kenya effort is just one of many Joy He has undertaken since she was a small child. BIG gives a huge "thank you" to Joy He and her family for their contibutions.

ANNAPOLIS ROTARY GRANT
Last month, BIG received a $7,000 grant from the Annapolis Rotary Club to help us expand our book distribution to local recipients. BIG currently contributes books to a number of little free libraries, local prisons, local teachers, and summer reading camps. We are expanding these efforts and will contribute to other local organizations with this grant. Already, BIG has distributed several hundred quality children’s and adult books to the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council, Anne Arundel Mutual Aid, the AA Co. chapter of the NAACP, a local retirement community, and more little free libraries. BIG looks forward to working with these and other organizations in the coming year.

07/09/2026

Books for International Goodwill (BIG) invites you to join us for our July book sale. We continue to receive large donations of books and our shelves are bursting with new additions in all categories. There is still plenty of time to find books that will help you relax this summer, build your expertise in some subject, or find your next adventure.

Here are a few highlights of the sale:
• Our classics section has numerous new titles. These include several Heritage Classics by the Heritage Press that are in book sleeves. Authors include Christopher Marlowe, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Henry James, James Fennimore Cooper, and Shakespeare.
• Our vintage section is packed with quality books in categories such as fiction, Americana, science, children’s and women’s/family.
• We have received a large number of atlases. These range from U.S. and World, to history and religion, to science and military.
• There is a shelf of editorial and political cartoon books, including several by Herblock.
• We have many new books in our “Sets” section, such as World Epochs volumes and titles by Will and Ariel Durant.
• There are numerous new books in the “Signed by the Author” section.

Our history/military and fiction shelves are crammed with books, we have many new biographies and memoirs, and the Children's/YA section has many new titles. Our puzzles and games shelves are full again and we also have many new DVDs, CDs, and audio books.

As always, we will have tables stocked with small books, journals and diaries, educational materials, and other items that have been donated.

Be sure to check out our popular surprise bundles - get 3 hardback fiction books for $3 (normally $12). The bundles include clues about the contents.

Sale Dates and Times:
• Friday, July 17, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, July 18, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Prices are:
• $4 for hardbacks (including coffee table)
• $2 for trade softbound
• $1 for pocket paperbacks and children's books
• $1 for CDs/DVDs
• $2 for games and puzzles
• Other prices as marked.

You may also fill a provided grocery bag with books for just $38 (plus tax).

We accept major credit cards. A 3% transaction fee will be added to cover processing costs. You may also pay with cash or check to avoid the fee.

All proceeds help ship books to underserved communities in the U.S. and abroad to help build literacy.

Location: 451 Defense Highway, Annapolis, MD (1.7 miles west of the Annapolis Mall, south side of the road, up the drive and all the way to the right). Parking is limited - please use overflow parking to the left of the main driveway if you're able to walk a short distance.

You can find out more about BIG by visiting our webpage at www.big-books.org and our page at Books for International Goodwill, or by contacting us at [email protected].

BIG is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Financial contributions can be made directly by cash or check, and also through the United Way of Central Maryland (Organization #9643).

06/25/2026

B.I.G. UPDATES

It has been a busy few months for BIG. Here is some of what has been going on.

BOOK DONATIONS
This last month, we have received an incredible number of book donations. Every June, we get books donated from the Anne Arundel County School System and individual school teachers as they update their holdings. Likewise, we get many books from the AA County Library System as it refreshes its catalogs. This year has been similar, with thousands of books being donated. Most of these books are shipped to countries in need of children’s and school books. We are also getting a huge number of donations from individuals and other organizations. A few weeks ago, we had one of the largest intakes of book donations ever. Our shelves of pallets for shipping books overseas were at their maximum, which is a good problem to have!

In part, the increased number of donations may be a result of more people finding BIG. Our page now has over 1,200 followers, with dozens of new followers each week and over 5,000 views in the last two months. Many of our posts have been forwarded to other FB users. A "BIG" thanks to our followers and supporters!

SALES AND VOLUNTEER SUPPORT
The last two months of book sales have been very good. These sales support our costs for shipping books overseas and for maintaining our warehouse. Two dealer (reseller) popup sales and our May public sale were very successful. We also have a few volunteers who sell books on our behalf over the internet, and these have been quite productive. One of our volunteers discovered a signed first edition of the "Great Gatsby" that was auctioned and brought us $1,875. Although our book sorters look at each book that comes in, who knows what gems we have received that have been sold at our sales for a few dollars?

Our next public book sale is July 17-18. We will provide more details soon, but please put us on your calendar!

BIG continues to get compliments on both the quality of our books and their organization in our warehouse. All of this is possible because of our dedicated volunteers. A tally of our volunteer hours over the last year (just in the warehouse, and we know we have missed some) came up with over 8,000 hours. We believe we are the largest all-volunteer book distributer in the world.

At BIG’S May 6 book sale, we collaborated with Walk the Walk Foundation on a diaper drive to support their Diapers for Babies program, which helps provide diapers to needy families in Anne Arundel County. The effort collected 644 diapers and $158 to buy another 929 diapers. Thanks to all who donated for this worthwhile effort.

SHIPMENTS
Last month, we shipped 25,000 books to Uganda. The shipment is anticipated to arrive at port in Mombasa in early August. Our next shipment is headed to two literacy programs in Nigeria. BIG volunteers loaded approximately 30,000 books for these programs on Monday, June 22. Again, thanks to our volunteers who pack books for these shipments every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month.

LITERACY SCHOLARSHIP
As mentioned in our May 6 post, BIG sponsored a $5,000 scholarship for the second straight year, thanks to the Hollins Family Foundation, for an Anne Arundel County senior high school student. Working through Scholarships for Scholars, BIG gave the award for "Promoting Literacy" to Sandra Oyedele of Meade High School. The scholarship ceremony was held at St. John's College in Annapolis on April 29. A few pictures from the award ceremony are attached.

05/20/2026

MAY BOOK SALE

Books for International Goodwill (BIG) invites you to join us for our May book sale. Once again, our shelves are bursting with new additions in all categories. With the variety of books in our warehouse, you might want to try out a new genre for your summer reading.

In addition to the book sale, BIG is supporting two other efforts:

• DIAPER DRIVE - BIG is proud to support Walk the Walk Foundation and Anne Arundel County’s Largest Diaper Drive during our book sale. Walk the Walk will have a table set up outside our warehouse near the loading dock and book shed. We invite customers to bring a pack of diapers to donate - any size is appreciated. Thank you for helping support local families in need.

• RECYCLE FOR SIGHT – BIG is coordinating with the Annapolis Lions Club to collect eyeglasses for countries that lack access to basic eye care services. If you have usable eyeglasses that you would like to donate, a Lions Club International box for glasses will be set up on our checkout table.

Here are a few highlights of the sale itself:

• In our Local Interest section, in celebration of Commissioning Week, we have numerous books about the Naval Academy and Annapolis.
• Many wonderful cookbooks have been added to our large collection. Find books on Italian, Moroccan, Japanese, French, and other cuisines, vegetarian cooking, as well as guides on baking, grilling, and mixing drinks.
• The fiction section has a huge number of books that are perfect for easy summer reading, including ones by Colleen Hoover, Louise Penny, Martin Walker, Kristin Hannah, and Lee Child.
• Our classics section has numerous new titles and we have received many poetry books.
• There are numerous additions to our crafts section, especially books on quilting.
• We have many new graphic novels, ranging from Manga to super heroes.
• Our sets section has many great collections, for example, a series by Louis L’Amour and works by the Library of America, with authors including Henry James, Washington Irving, Eugene O’Neill, and Mark Twain.
• There is a huge selection of books in our religion section – ranging from the history of religions, to biographies on saints, to writings by religious scholars.
• Many puzzles and games have been donated - perfect to take along on your summer vacation. For this sale only, buy two and get one free.

As always, we will have tables stocked with small books, journals and diaries, educational materials, and other items that have been donated.

Be sure to check out our popular surprise bundles - get 3 hardback fiction books for $3 (normally $12). The bundles include clues about the contents.

Sale Dates and Times:
• Friday, May 29, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, May 30, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Prices are:
• $4 for hardbacks (including coffee table)
• $2 for trade softbound
• $1 for pocket paperbacks and children's books
• $1 for CDs/DVDs
• $2 for games and puzzles (Special for this sale only – buy two, get one free)
• Other prices as marked.
• You may also fill a provided grocery bag with books for just $38 (plus tax).

We accept major credit cards. A 3% transaction fee will be added to cover processing costs. You may also pay with cash or check to avoid the fee.

All proceeds help ship books to underserved communities in the U.S. and abroad to help build literacy.

Location: 451 Defense Highway, Annapolis, MD (1.7 miles west of the Annapolis Mall, south side of the road, up the drive and all the way to the right). Parking is limited - please use overflow parking to the left of the main driveway if you're able to walk a short distance.

You can find out more about BIG by visiting our webpage at www.big-books.org and our page at Books for International Goodwill, or by contacting us at [email protected].

BIG is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Financial contributions can be made directly by cash or check, and also through the United Way of Central Maryland (Organization #9643).

05/07/2026

BIG HAPPENINGS
A lot has been going on with Books for International Goodwill (BIG) in recent weeks. Here are just a few items of note.

BIG SCHOLARSHIP FOR PROMOTING LITERACY
For the second straight year, thanks to a generous contribution from the Hollins Family Foundation, BIG sponsored a $5000 scholarship in the category of Promoting Literacy to an Anne Arundel County senior high school student. Working through Scholarships for Scholars, BIG gave the award to Sandra Oyedele of Meade High School. The scholarship ceremony was held at St. John's College in Annapolis on April 29.

Sandra is senior class president and president of two honor societies, and has held leadership roles in other school organizations. She was active in several Anne Arundel County public library programs, and volunteered for many food and book collection and distribution efforts, including coordinating a book drive for BIG. Sandra is an excellent and passionate writer. Her scholarship application essays on the importance of literacy, both to her individually and to the community at large, were inspiring. Sandra will be attending the University of Maryland in the fall. BIG is confident that Sandra will make meaningful contributions to whatever her future pursuits are. We will share pictures from the ceremony when they are available.

BOOKS IN AND OUT
This past Monday, BIG received a huge number of donations – books, puzzles, CDs and DVDs - that we estimated to be as many as we’ve ever received on one day. The items came in multiple vehicles and a trailer. BIG had to store many of the books on our shipping shelves in order to have enough room on the floor of the warehouse for volunteers’ sorting of books. This is a good “problem” to have, and we thank both those making the donations and our volunteers for their work in going through all of the items.

On Monday, April 27, BIG loaded 153 boxes of books to send to Wonder Book in Frederick, MD. Wonder Book is the largest bookstore on the East coast, selling books, movies, and music. Several times each year, BIG sends both recent books that are in pristine shape and antique books to Wonder Book. Wonder Book’s payments for these books help cover the costs of our shipping to communities overseas. This load included a huge number of outdated law books from a local attorney that Wonder Book was interested in for possible office/home staging or movie/TV set use.

PACKING AND SHIPPING
On Saturday, April 25, BIG volunteers packed six pallets of books – primarily children’s, fiction, and nonfiction - for upcoming shipments to Uganda and Nigeria. Then, on April 29, BIG loaded 18 pallets of books (about 25,000) for the shipment to Uganda’s Vijana Foundation. The foundation provides resources for education and to develop employment skills. BIG's shipment of books is anticipated to arrive at the port in Kampala, Uganda in early July.

MAY BOOK SALE
BIG will be holding its next public book sale on Friday, May 29 from 3-5 p.m. and Saturday, May 30 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Put us on your calendar! More details on the sale to come soon.

04/20/2026

APRIL BOOK SALE RESULTS AND OTHER UPDATES

BIG’s regularly scheduled book sale on April 17 and 18, and a special dealer’s popup sale on March 31, netted enough to meet our operating expenses and, along with proceeds from our March sale, can cover the cost of our next overseas shipment of books. In addition to our many local customers, we had customers from New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. BIG continued to get compliments on the quality, selection, and organization of books. As always, we give a huge thanks to both our patrons and the volunteers who make the sales and shipping possible.

BIG’s next book shipment will go to the Vijana Corps in Uganda. We will be loading the shipping container at our warehouse on April 29.

Consistent with our commitment to recycling and contributing to local charities, BIG has agreed to serve as a collection point for used eyeglasses for the Annapolis Lion's Club. There is a box on the sign-in table for our volunteers and we will have a box available at our upcoming sales. BIG also has agreed to participate in Walk-the-Walk’s diaper drive, part of an Anne Arundel County initiative, by collecting diapers at our May sale. More details on this initiative and our next sale to come in the near future.

04/12/2026

APRIL BOOK SALE AND UPDATE FROM CROOKED CRAB BREWING

Books for International Goodwill (BIG) invites you to join us for our April Book Sale. Once again, BIG has received a large number of book donations since the last sale and our shelves are bursting. There are many new titles across all book categories, including classics, fiction, children’s, science and nature, vintage, sports, and religion, among others.

Here are a few highlights of the sale:
• We have a huge number of new titles in history and military, especially relating to WWII.
• Many beautiful cookbooks have been added to our already large collection.
• We received numerous interesting biographies and memoirs.
• A donor gifted BIG with many books about the game of chess.
• Our collections of CDs and TV/children’s DVDs are packed.
• BIG’s shelf of puzzles and games is overflowing.

As usual, we will have tables stocked with small books, journals and diaries, educational materials, and other items that have been donated. Be sure to check out our popular surprise bundles - get 3 hardback fiction books for $3 (normally $12). The bundles include clues about the contents.

Sale Dates and Times:
• Friday, April 17, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, April 18, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Prices are:
- $4 for hardbacks (including coffee table)
- $2 for trade softbound
- $1 for pocket paperbacks and children's books
- $1 for CDs/DVDs
- $2 for games and puzzles
- Other prices as marked.

You may also fill a provided grocery bag with books for just $38 (plus tax).

We accept major credit cards. A 3% transaction fee will be added to cover processing costs. You may also pay with cash or check to avoid the fee.

All proceeds help ship books to underserved communities in the U.S. and abroad that help promote literacy.

Location: 451 Defense Highway, Annapolis, MD (1.7 miles west of the Annapolis Mall, south side of the road, up the drive and all the way to the right). Parking is limited - please use overflow parking to the left of the main driveway if you're able to walk a short distance.

You can find out more about BIG by visiting our webpage at www.big-books.org
or contacting us at [email protected].

Financial contributions can also be made through the United Way of Central Maryland (Organization #9643).

CROOKED CRAB BREWING COMPANY

On Thursday, April 9, Crooked Crab Brewing Company hosted a fundraiser for BIG. Crooked Crab was a great venue – it set aside space for BIG and was very busy. Many customers checked us out and bought books. The fundraiser was successful in terms of funds raised, but also in enhancing the visibility of BIG. There were multiple types of beer to taste, wonderful pizzas, and good cheer all around. BIG gives a "big" thanks to Crooked Crab for sponsoring this event. Please give them a try if you haven’t already: https://www.crookedcrabbrewing.com/. Some pictures are attached. BIG is considering similar partnerships in the future to expand its reach.

03/30/2026

HERE ARE A FEW UPDATES

CROOKED CRAB BREWING FUNDRAISER
Books for International Goodwill (BIG) is taking its show on the road. Crooked Crab Brewing Company, located at 8251 Telegraph Road in Odenton, will be hosting BIG for a fundraising book sale on Thursday, April 9 from 5pm to 8pm. This event was postponed from earlier in the year due to inclement weather; we are excited that Crooked Crab agreed to a new date to host us.

A variety of books will be available for sale at our regular prices. We will also be offering a "six pack" of hardcover books of the buyer's choice for $20, a $4 savings, and a similar deal on children's books. BIG will also have a limited selection of premium signed books priced at $10 and up. Finally, we will be selling BIG 30th Anniversary glasses for $10.

Come out and shop and sample some of the best craft brews and pizza in the area. For more information on Crooked Crab see their website: www.crookedcrabbrewing.com

SHIPMENTS
On Thursday, March 19, BIG loaded 18 pallets of books (about 25,000 BOOKS) for a shipment to a literacy program in Nigeria. The majority of books were children’s, college, fiction, and nonfiction, with some medical and religion added. We also included a stack of educational material, such as maps and posters. The shipment is anticipated to arrive at port in Nigeria on June 1. Our packing crew on March 14 for this shipment included some regulars, local teens, and a group from Whole Foods in Annapolis. BIG appreciates the work of these volunteers that we really depend on to get ready for shipments.

With the shipment to Nigeria, BIG has now processed over 11 million books. Our next shipment is planned for Uganda in late April/early May.

INCOMING AND OUTGOING LOCAL DONATIONS
The Frederick (MD) Rotary Club’s Dave Miller dropped off a pallet of new children’s books on March 13 that were provided by the Monrovia, MD facility of the non-profit organization, Helping Hands and Caring Hearts, https://helpinghandsandcaringhearts.org/
The majority of these books are going in BIG’s shipments to Nigeria and Uganda. BIG greatly appreciates both Helping Hands and Caring Hearts and Dave for making this donation happen.

BIG recently provided approximately 140 children’s and young adult books to several Annapolis area Little Free Libraries through Parole Rotary and individual BIG volunteers. The Little Free Libraries effort is one that we are looking to expand, working with the Annapolis and Parole Rotary clubs.

Whole Foods in Annapolis donated dozens of drinks to share with BIG’s volunteers, including sparkling water, soft drinks, and yerba mate. The volunteers always appreciate the drinks and snacks provided to them!

NEXT BIG BOOK SALE
BIG will hold it’s next regularly scheduled book sale on April 17 and 18 at our warehouse at 451 Defense Hwy, Annapolis. More details to come soon!

03/09/2026

BIG SALE UPDATE

BIG had another successful sale this past Friday and Saturday. Between dealers’ purchases, the public sale, and online sales, BIG collected enough funds to pay for our shipment to Nigeria next week (more to come) and to cover our rent for the warehouse and other expenses. Some of the sections that sold particularly well were classics, fiction, and children’s (as usual), but also our highlighted sections on cookbooks, jewelry/glass/design, and sets (e.g., Durant history, Teddy Roosevelt).

One of the book dealers that regularly comes to our sales said ours is the best organized sale he comes to. Other patrons said the BIG sale is one of their highlights for the month. We see many of the same buyers every sale, for whom we are extremely grateful. As always, BIG gives a huge shoutout to our nearly 150 volunteers, without whom we could not collect, sort, and distribute books to communities in need and to conduct the sales that are our funding lifeblood. We also sincerely appreciate all the book donations we regularly receive - since Friday, about eight pallets of books were donated, so we will have many more books ready for the next sale and to ship!

02/27/2026

MARCH BOOK SALE

Books for International Goodwill (BIG) invites you to join us for our March Book Sale. BIG has received a large number of book donations since the last sale and our shelves again are bursting. There are many new titles in classics, fiction, history/military, children’s, science and nature, cooking, vintage, sports, and religion, among others.

Here are a few highlights of the sale:
• Donors gave us a sizeable number of beautiful cookbooks that are in addition to our already large collection.
• We have a wonderful addition to our books on jewelry, silver, art glass, 19th and 20th century design, and related topics.
• BIG received a great collection of train and railroad books and magazines.
• We added several titles to our Sets section, including Will & Ariel Durant's works on civilization, Norris’ Teddy Roosevelt books, and Gibbon’s Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire.
• Our Local Interest and Signed sections received several wonderful titles, including some first-time, more unusual additions.
• We created a selection of books on everything IRISH to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day.

As usual, we have numerous puzzles, audio books, DVDs, CDs, and LPs. We will have tables stocked with small books, journals and diaries, educational materials, and other items that have been donated. Be sure to check out our popular surprise bundles - get 3 hardback fiction books for $3 (normally $12). The bundles include clues about the contents.

Sale Dates and Times:
• Friday, March 6, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, March 7, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Prices are:
- $4 for hardbacks (including coffee table)
- $2 for trade softbound
- $1 for pocket paperbacks and children's books
- $1 for CDs/DVDs
- $2 for games and puzzles
- Other prices as marked.

You may also fill a provided grocery bag with books for just $38 (plus tax).

We accept major credit cards. A 3% transaction fee will be added to cover processing costs. You may also pay with cash or check to avoid the fee.

All proceeds help ship books to underserved communities in the U.S. and abroad that help promote literacy.

Location: 451 Defense Highway, Annapolis, MD (1.7 miles west of the Annapolis Mall, south side of the road, up the drive and all the way to the right). Parking is limited - please use overflow parking to the left of the main driveway if you're able to walk a short distance.

You can find out more about BIG by visiting our webpage at www.big-books.org
or contacting us at [email protected].

Financial contributions can also be made through the United Way of Central Maryland (Organization #9643).

Books for International Goodwill

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