Vintage ‘READ’ Posters Adorning Libraries and Classrooms for Decades Go on Auction as the American Library Association Turns 150

Taylor Swift, Serena Williams and famous fictional characters lent their iconic faces to encourage people to pick up a book

Christian Thorsberg | Daily Correspondent

July 1, 2026 3:30 p.m.

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For the next several days, posters from an iconic literacy movement—the American Library Association’s READ campaign—will be available in an online auction held to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the ALA’s founding.

The posters, a staple of classrooms, libraries and book fairs, are recognizable today for their nostalgic charm and earnest aesthetic. Each features an unmissable message in capital letters encouraging students to “READ,” while celebrities and fictional characters pose in portrait with their favorite titles.

“And to be sure, the fun of scouring this trove comes from revisiting those book/celeb pairings,” writes Literary Hub’s Brittany Allen. “Some are more convincing than others. Who might have guessed, for instance, that the late Bernie Mac would be a Bible-thumper? Or that Kelly Ripa would ride for the Narnia series?”

Plenty of household names have been featured in the promotion, including sports figures, actors, musicians and puppet protagonists. Shaquille O’Neal, Oprah Winfrey, Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Yo-Yo Ma and the Muppets are just a few of the celebrities who have helped encourage literacy. Entire casts of television shows and movies have also featured in ensemble posters, including those from “Glee” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

“For more than 40 years, some of the world’s most recognizable figures have taken part in ALA’s READ campaign, highlighting the importance and pleasure of reading for generations,” ALA president Sam Helmick says in a statement. “This auction gives book lovers and library supporters a meaningful opportunity to own a piece of that legacy while celebrating the enduring power of reading.”

In 1876, a group of 103 librarians—90 men and 13 women—met in Philadelphia for the first-ever “Convention of Librarians” to draft articles establishing a new association with the “purpose of promoting the library interests of the country, and of increasing reciprocity of intelligence and goodwill among librarians and all interested in library economy and bibliographic studies.”

The organization is just 100 years younger than the United States of America, which later this week celebrates its semiquincentennial, and has long been an active participant in the country’s historic events. The ALA exhibited at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. It has published Booklist magazine for more than a century. It established the Newbery Medal, the first prize for American children’s books. It keeps records on recent book bans and challenges across the country.

The READ campaign, which has inspired spin-off versions at universities, was not the first use of posters to promote literacy. An exhibition on view at Poster House in New York City, called “Reading Under Fire: Arming Minds & Hearts During Wartime,” explores how posters encouraged citizens to donate books to soldiers and encouraged soldiers to read during both world wars in the 20th century.

More than 200 posters are available in the ALA’s online auction, which opened on June 18 and ends on July 10. One poster with a high bid so far features a signed image of Paul Newman lounging on a pool table reading the book Star Warriors.

“These posters are more than promotional materials, they’re cultural touchstones that have inspired generations of readers,” Charles Epting, director of consignments and pop culture at Heritage Auctions, the organization holding the sale, says in a statement. “Growing up in the ’90s, I remembered seeing many of them. They made reading feel exciting and accessible, and this collection reflects a shared experience that has connected readers for decades.”

Christian Thorsberg | Read More

Christian Thorsberg is an environmental writer and photographer from Chicago. His work, which often centers on freshwater issues, climate change and subsistence, has appeared in Circle of Blue, Sierra magazine, Discover magazine and Alaska Sporting Journal.