DOWNEY -- The Friends of the Downey City Library holds monthly silent-bid auctions to raise money for library programs. The book auction items this month include:

“Of Earth and Sky – Spiritual Lessons from Nature” (an elegant collection of meditations on how prudence, fortitude, temperance, justice, faith, hope and charity are modeled in nature);

“The Spectacle of Flight – Aviation and the Western Imagination, 1920-1950” (hundreds of pictures and stories that take us back to the time after WWI when flight was perceived as a spectacle to delight the eyes and stimulate the imagination);

“The Hummingbird Book” and “Hummingbirds – Their Life and Behavior” (how to attract, identify, feed and enjoy these amazing birds);

“The Apprentice – The Complete First Season” (meet the candidates and the creator, see the successes and failures, and gain new insight into one of America’s favorite shows);

“The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Poets and Poetry” (said to be the most comprehensive reference ever assembled – a five volume set);

“The Invention of Nature” (Alexander von Humboldt – 1769 to 1859 – was an intrepid explorer and the most famous scientist of his age. Far ahead of his times as an environmentalist, many of his ideas and thoughts are still with us more than 100 years after his death);

“The Life and Cuisine of Elvis Presley” and “Elvis – A Life in Pictures” (Follow “The King)” as he acts and eats his way through a most exciting career and life);

“Pioneer Women – The Lives of Women on the Frontier” and “Children of the West – Family Life on the Frontier” (two books give you a new view of the Old West through the eyes of the women and their families…hundreds of pictures and stories);

“Classic North American Steam” (the era of “Steam” came to an end in 1960 but you can still see these great old historical engines in museums, and, to a limited extent, in action hauling their loads…hundreds of pictures and plenty of railroad history);

“The Comics – The Complete Collection” (the comics reproduced in this book reflect the evolution of the art form during the first half of the twentieth century);

“The Pioneer Woman Cooks – Food from My Frontier” (a collection of simple, but scrumptious recipes in this versatile and detailed cookbook);

“Country – Heart & Soul” (features 25 years of the best photographs, features and stories from Country Magazine).

Items have opening bids from $5-$10 and are on display in the library lobby. Bids can be made through noon, Saturday, January 27th, on cards in the Friend’s Bookstore located in the young adult section of the library.