Donations of rare books, artworks, manuscripts, photographs, and ephemera are being sought for an auction aimed at raising funds for Ukrainian booksellers and publishers affected by the Russia-Ukraine war, the Guardian reported, adding that the proceeds will go to Helping Ukrainian Books and Booksellers (HUBB), “a group formed shortly after the war began, when thousands of publishing professionals suddenly found themselves out of work. Authors are also being invited to donate signed first-edition copies of their books.”

Active for more than a year, HUBB was founded by Mitchell Kaplan, owner of the Books & Books stores in southern Florida, Jane Unrue of Scholars at Risk, along with authors Carolyn Forche, Christopher Merrill, and Askold Melnyczuk. The group connected with Oleksandr Afonin, president of the Ukrainian Publishers and Booksellers Association (UBPA), to offer assistance, Fine Books & Collections noted.

Chernihiv Regional Library

Libraries, editorial offices and publishing houses were hit, and sections of the industry were “severely impacted” by the war, “in part because much of the production of Ukrainian books happens in the east in and around Kharkiv, a city that was at that time under siege and being bombed daily,” Melnyczuk told the Guardian.

The auction is seeking donations “far and wide,” said Arthur Fournier, a rare bookseller helping organize the sale. “That should include collectors, booksellers, antiquarians, authors.”

Proceeds will be distributed in Ukraine by the Ukrainian Publishers and Booksellers Association. Thus far, HUBB has raised more than $30,000, which has been allocated to booksellers, publishers and libraries in Ukraine. The Guardian noted that a large portion has come from donations made by customers at Brookline Booksmith, Boston, Mass., which was visited by the late Ukrainian novelist Victoria Amelina when she lived in the city for a year. Amelina died in July from injuries sustained in a Russian missile attack on a restaurant in eastern Ukraine.

The auction will take place online in mid-November. The call for submissions is open until October 10. Those interested in contributing to the sale are asked to send images of up to 10 items to hubb@catalog-sale.com.