‘Treasured finds’ up for grabs at Houston Old Book Sale

Early this week, volunteers with the Houston County Friends of the Library began unloading thousands of books and sorting them into 60 categories ranging from nonfiction to vampire paranormal.

Beginning Thursday morning, the books will be up for sale during the group’s 12th annual Old Book Sale at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry.

Among the 90,000 or so books sit four bookcases devoted to collectibles, said Georgette Lipford, the group’s president.

One of the sale’s “treasured finds” is a “Lord of the Rings” second-edition trilogy set that will be auctioned off Thursday with bids starting at $500, said Pam Yates, the volunteer group’s vice president.

Other collectible books up for grabs include a “Little House on the Prairie” cookbook, a vintage book with Dr. Seuss illustrations, an old edition of “Old Yeller,” and a 1925 edition of “Uncle Wiggily.”

“The rest of the building is full of every fiction author you can think of,” Yates said. “(We’ve) got 12 tables of children’s books and 12 tables of mystery and suspense.”

The majority of books are priced between 50 cents and $2, Lipford said. Payment must be made using cash or a check.

It’s not unusual to see shoppers lug around their books in rolling suitcases, trash bins or wagons.

“Some people will cart away their books,” Yates said.

DVDs, VCR tapes, CDs and audiobooks also will be on sale.

Since the sale’s inception in 2005, the three-day event has raised more than $300,000 to support Houston County’s public libraries in Perry, Centerville and Warner Robins, said J. Sara Paulk, the library director.

Books sold at the sale are donated, either from individuals or from libraries “that have taken (books) out of their collections” because they’ve aged or have a small amount of damage, Paulk said.

Donations are accepted at each of the libraries in the Houston County library system.

“When you open up a box, you never know what’s going to be in it,” Yates said.

All year long, Friends of the Library volunteers meet twice a week to sort through donations in preparation for the sale.

The sale’s attendance and revenue have been steady for the past five years, Lipford said. Last year, the sale raised $25,000, and the Friends group earned a state award for being Georgia’s best Friends group.

To volunteer, ask one of Houston County’s library branches for a volunteer form.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of the fact box accompanying this story misstated the day for half-price books. Books are half price on Saturday.

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "‘Treasured finds’ up for grabs at Houston Old Book Sale."