I love a good sale…

So I went to the Brunswick Public Library book sale preview event this afternoon. Someday, I will start just doing what my wife says without questioning here. I have a very funny, low-grade negative “thing” about these library sales. There is no doubt there are some good things to be found, and many great reading copies…but I often, before such events, feel like my time would be better spent elsewhere, etc…especially if I have to travel a bit for it. Thus far, every one we have attended as resulted in at least one or two jems…sometimes more. This preview was exceptional.

We arrived to the preview a bit early…there were already a dozen or so in line before us. The people-watching quality around such events is always high, and this was no exception. This event is quite large, on the order of 40,000 books, and it is in a nice college town so we were hopeful some nice items might surface. We joined the “Friends of the Library” so as to be eligible to attend the preview and waited. We were allowed 10 books each with our two special tickets (which was nice, as it allowed you to get a fair amount at the preview, but guarantees that there will still be some good stuff left for the event proper. The doors opened and the swarm descended.

It is interesting to watch how people split off. There are those who make a bee-line to the modern fiction, those who head to art books, gardening or non-fiction. I’d love, someday, to interview these folks and determine the underlying logic to their foci…I think there might be an interesting article on the traits and habits of book hunters. Suzanne headed off to skim the modern lit tables (8-10) for early, interesting items. Aidan and I headed to the “old and collectible” tables (2). We found some great gems in both areas. We picked up a nice collection of 5 early Grosset photoplays in their rather uncommon DJs, which was nice…and a few other nice items. The real finds, however, came from the oldies table. I picked up a handsome first edition of Winnie the Pooh, two early limp leather bound Roycrofters volumes and a limited edition, two volume piece from the Mosher Press (a well known Portland pirate) and a first edition (in French) of G. Stein’s biography of Picasso.

We paid our $3 per book and went out and celebrated at Friendly’s. I’m am not certain who was more pleased with the day…me with our wonderful purchases or Aidan immediately following his Monster Mash Sunday. It was a very good day.