Symposium Spotlight: Thanks for All the Books!

As we’ve poured through feedback on the Symposium, an interesting comment jumped out at me: “More space for used books.”

It was a valid comment. Our cup runneth over, as the saying goes. We had an avalanche of used books this year and, it seemed, little space for them.

As it happened, we went into the Symposium with relatively slim pickings. We initially set up the space to accommodate what we had, with a little room to spare.

But because we knew we were light on books, we put out the call to ECW’s contributors and to Symposium attendees: If you have any used books you’d like to donate to the sale this year, we’d be glad to take them.

And, wow, did all y’all respond in spades!

As ECW folks showed up to help with set-up, they brought boxes and bags of books. As attendees showed up to register, they brought boxes and bags of books–and more boxes and bags, too.

Our good partner, the American Battlefield Trust, also stepped up for us. On the Wednesday before the Symposium, I drove to D.C. to pick up a carload of stuff the Trust donated to us. That was the beginning of the avalanche of generosity, and it didn’t stop until Saturday afternoon. I think by then, the flow of books had stopped, although book browsers kept buying until the very end of the day.

Everyone’s contributions and generosity really made a difference. As another said on their survey, “Raffle prizes, silent auction and the used book sale really stepped up their games this year.”

I agree—and it was all thanks to the good spirit of the entire ECW community. That’s the thing I love most about this whole ECW endeavor: the sense of community we share. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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Tickets for the 11th Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge are on sale now. August 1–3, 2025. Info and tickets available here.