Shoppers Fill Home Shelves with Friends Book Sale Bargains
Paige Brown lugged home a pile of books Tuesday, Oct. 18, from the Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale, and realized she had bought $348 worth of travel books for $17.
She was back at the sale on Wednesday, this time with girlfriend Hannah Hollis, who was loading a shopping cart with history books and fiction classics in $1 paperbacks.
Scores of shoppers just like them are finding bargains at the annual fall sale at Remington’s, 1655 W. Republic Road. The sale continues this week through Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; on Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 23, 1-5 p.m. Saturday is half-price day; Sunday is Bag Day -- $1 for all you can jam in a bag on the paperback side; $5 a bag for better books.
The Friends of the Library book sales specialize in bargain-basement prices for books donated to the Library by citizens through the year, or weeded out from the Library collection.
Children’s books are priced 50 cents or less, adult and young adult books are $1 or less, most audiovisual materials are $1, and better books are individually priced.
The cavernous Remington’s, with acres of free parking, is filled with tables loaded with every genre – children’s, young adults, biography, history, health, crafts, Civil War, antiques, gardening and landscaping, 1800s books and cooking – “They have an absolutely wonderful collection of cookbooks,” said Louise Jackson. Among them – several hardbound cookbooks from the Culinary Institute of America for $10.
Jackson was thrilled to find unusual collections, like G.A. Hinty’s 19th century young-adult adventure books. (There were six remaining on the table the last time she looked.) She also nabbed a first-edition vinyl album by the Kingston Trio.
Cathy Frankson was happy with several $27.99 James Patterson hardbacks for $3 apiece.
“It’s worth the drive – you can’t beat the prices,” said Bill Buffalo, who drove with Frankson from Branson to hit the book sale.
Charlotte and Tim Eich, visiting Branson from Monroe, La., also drove to Springfield for the sale and left with armloads of books.
If you’re like Louise Jackson and love the old vinyl records, there are hundreds of original recordings and collections in 78, 33 1/3 and 45 rpms, from Handel’s Messiah complete recording by the London Philharmonic, to 60s pop to Arthur Fiedler’s Favorites.
Book sale proceeds go to support the many programs, services and building improvements in the library branches that customers enjoy – so buyers are getting double benefit from what they and others buy. Proceeds from past book sales purchased the new Mobile Library, library branch upgrades, early literacy materials for preschoolers, Summer Reading Program events and Library music concerts, said Friends sale chairperson Pat Meyers.
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