Book Sale Domination

I went to the annual Simsbury Library Book sale today. I kinda figured that there would be vultures there, but I was still surprised that when we arrived there 30 minutes early the line outside the doors was already this long.

The line also snaked equally long behind us before the 30 minutes were up. I always have such a hard time at book sales because I want SO badly to buy so many books, but I know I just can't afford to. I have to be so choosy about what I purchase, which makes my heart heavy because I see such gems I have to leave for the drivel to take and sell on ebay for 2.50 probably never to be read or enjoyed. 

Part of me wishes I could buy up every single copy of "Call of the Wild" just so that I would know none of them would ever fall into disrepair or be neglected. I guess I have a problem because I honestly feel bad for books and find myself thinking very nasty thoughts about the owners of good books who I know don't deserve them. 

Alas. 

Since I am a poor man I had to let go such options as a  complete set of Harvard classics for $85, a set of the Brittanica Great Books of the Western World, some beautiful late 19th century books of poetry (as in from the 19th century), and beautiful children's books from the mid 1800's with bindings and illustrations that make my soul happy. I also put back the vast majority of the classical literature that would have been worth my money, but will likely be there tomorrow when you can get a bag of books for $8. That's the likes of The Red Badge of Courage, Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick, White Fang, etc. There were so many of those books I wagered there was a good chance I could get them tomorrow so I only bought the books I really wanted and didn't think would make it to the second day of the sale.

I have archived them for you below and I must say that I am very pleased with my purchases. Keep in mind that paperbacks were .75 and hardcovers were $2 (which I personally feel is a little much, but I was still getting value to be sure).

I'll start with religious books. First, I wasn't impressed. There was more last year, but I still managed to make it out with a brand new CS Lewis Problem of Pain and CS Lewis Screwtape Letters as well as The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. All three christian classics I already own, but for .75 each they're worth having to give away to people.

 

The majority of the books I got I were classics (with a minor exception).

 I got two versions of War and Peace by Tolstoy.

 

 A brand new Frankenstein (very good book though I don't agree with the premise, very well written), and The Idiot by Dostoyevsky (any praise I could give to Dostoyevsky would be too far below his station for me to even try)

Three books by JRRT. The Hobbit (brand new), The Tolkien Reader (First Edition), and the Silmarillion (see below); as well as Atlas Shrugged which is the sole none classic in this section, but a worthy read nonetheless. 

I also got Marcus Aurelius Meditations (brand new), and a collection of Jack London novels (I caved, I'm a sucker for Jack London).

These are the history books that I got (sorry that they're upside down). It's a series of five books that I took a close up shot of below: History of the Byzantine Empire, Plutarch's Lives, The History of Herodotus, Memoirs of the Crusades, and The Age of Fables. I'm VERY pleased with grabbing these five. Also above is Polybius' Rise of the Roman Empire and The Persian Wars by Herodotus.

 I also got the book The Moral Compass which is the companion to The Book of Virtues. The Moral Compass isn't quite as good, but both are necessary purchases for any home and I have been searching for it for the past two years and am glad to finally have it.

Here are the last three books that I got and the real gems of the lot. I found these tucked underneath some boxes and snagged them immediately. Each of them is beautifully detailed and are in fantastic shape considering their age because they each have a boxed book sleeve around them. They are Quo Vadis, Les Miserables (SO Excited), and Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan.

 

So those are my successes thus far, hopefully tomorrow there shall be more to come. And all of that cost me a little over $30 for 27 books; 10 in brand new condition, six from the 1800's, five penguin classics, and one first edition Tolkien. 

In summary, "We got what we came for."