The Friends of the Wareham Free Library have uncovered treasures in the boxes of donated books the organization receives and is now sharing the wealth with the community with a silent auction of rare books.

The Wareham Free Library receives a steady flow of residents with armfuls, bagfuls, and box-loads of books. In organizing the donations, the Friends have found rare literary gems - books of value because of their age, rarity, inscription, content, illustration, edition, or casing.

“We are very fortunate with our donations. ... We want to share them with the community,” explained Kathy Gleason, president of the Friends of the Wareham Free Library. “It’s a fun way to display some of the older books.”

Three of the books will be up for bid each month in a display case near the reference desk at the library.

"You get to own a hidden treasure that belonged to someone in the community!" said Leie Carmody, a member of the Friends.

This month’s featured books are: The first-illustrated edition of John Steinbeck’s children's book The Red Pony, Common Ground, a collection of essays about Cape Cod written by Robert Finch, and a biography about Norman Rockwell by Christopher Finch. The biography describes Rockwell's life and life in the United States during his lifetime. It is extensively illustrated by Rockwell's famous paintings and magazine covers.

Bidding closes on September 5. Another round of rarities will go up for auction at that time. The starting bid for the books is half their estimated values.

To bid on a book, print your name on the book’s bidding sheet on the display case and raise the bid by at least $1 over the previous bidder. If you'd like to flip through one of the books, e-mail the Friends at Friendswfl@gmail.com to arrange for someone to open the case for you.

The Wareham Free Library is located at 59 Marion Road.