At the Library Sale, Fall 2022

At the Library Sale

Fall 2022

Well, it was time once again for the library's used book Sale, and I stuffed some bills in my pocket and headed off to the shopping center where the Sale was to take place. 

These were fine Fall days, and I was in good spirits, confident that some nice PorPor books were destined to be in my possession.

I made multiple visits and did pretty well each time. I sidestepped the resellers who were pulling David Gemmell, Neal Stephenson, and Mercedes Lackey titles from the shelves, and saw that someone had donated a bunch of yellow-spine DAW paperback books, published in the 1970s, all in very fine (or even 'like new') condition. And they were priced at only a buck each ! I picked them up. 

I also got a decent copy of the notorious 'Space Relations', by Donald Barr, along with some rather obscure action, historical, sci-fi, and fantasy paperbacks from the 1970s, like 'A Thunder of Stars', 'Kiteman', 'Azor !', 'Harkfast', 'The Stork Factor', etc., I hadn't heard of. 

What can I say ? Collecting old sci-fi paperbacks is a cheap, but rewarding, thrill..............

At the library sale

At the Library Sale

The other evening I went to the used book sale held at the local library. I usually expect to pick up three or four worthy titles, but this time I was pleasantly surprised to see quite a collection of sc-fi paperbacks, all only for a dollar and all in very good / nearly new condition (these are not library books being put up for sale, but donations from library patrons). 

Most of the attendees are elderly people, as well as moms looking to pick up books for their kids. 

Then there are the Professionals, who arrive toting boxes and smart phones so they can do on-the-spot price calculations and then grab literally pounds of hardback books, which they sell online.

Then there are the eccentrics, who smell like disused closets, and wear clothes (usually flannel shirts) covered with pet hair and food and beverage stains. They walk around hunched over, and avoid eye contact. These people often are Hoarders, and they leave with piles and piles of books with which to clutter their houses.

Anyways, aside from making supercilious judgments about the other customers, this visit proved to me that sometimes these library book sales can be well worth visiting.