About 60 people queued in Skird St yesterday morning waiting for the doors to open at 9am on the annual Alexandra Rotary Club book sale.
Book sale co-originator Mark Willyams said he was surprised by the lengthy lineup when he went to open the doors, given it was a chilly morning by Central Otago standards.
Second-hand book dealers from as far away as Timaru were at the head of the queue but a constant stream of residents and visitors alike passed through Memorial Hall all day.
From children sitting on the floor going through boxes of $2 books to adults perusing the collectables corner where prices were somewhat higher, replenishing the book supplies kept Rotarians busy.
Another four Rotarians were flat out on the cash registers.
An extended family group holidaying in Alexandra said the book sale was a must for them when in town.
Glen and Ingrid Darragh had hosted their family for Christmas and New Year and all were early starters at the book sale with many different interests to cover.
Fishing, horse riding, craft and children’s books along with novels filled their bags as they checked out each other’s finds outside the hall.
Mr Willyams said there was a huge range of good quality books available, which had been priced very generously.
There really did seem to be a buyer for every book, he said.
A set of aviation books had been donated and it had been decided to sell the collection as a set.
Early in the day an ex-British military man came in and asked specifically for books on aircraft and the perfect match was made, Mr Willyams said.
The sale runs until Saturday and new books are added to the sales tables each day.
