That is how the books are organised - 40 tonnes of them - at the 26th annual Alexandra Rotary Club charity book sale, which gets under way today.
Long queues are expected for the first day of the five-day sale and usually half the total takings are made on the opening day, sale convener Ken Cook said.
''The dealers all come through for the first day but there's lots of locals and holidaymakers too and there's always a massive queue by the time the doors open at 9.''
Last year, about $27,000 was raised and over the years, the sale has raised more than $375,000, all of which has been donated to various charities, mostly in support of local causes, Mr Cook said.
The event used to be held at the St Enoch's Church Hall on Centennial Ave and moved to the Alexandra Community Centre in Skird St in 2011, when the hall was being demolished.
''That was a good venue but this one's even better, because we've got more room to fit the books in.''
The books range in price from $8 for ''new releases'' down to $2 and are all donated to the sale.
''There's a bit of recycling, so people buy books one year and return them in time for the next sale and then buy up large again,'' Mr Cook said.
Among the treasures on offer this year in the ''collectables'' section are an album of old cigarette cards, and a selection of Otago Boys' High School magazines, from 1911 through to 1939.
As the books are measured in tonnes, the organisers have no idea how many are on offer - ''it would be tens of thousands''.
Every day, a fresh selection is put out to replenish the stocks so, often, buyers return the sale daily to investigate the new stock, he said.
About 30 Rotarians are involved in running the sale.
No particular category sells better than others, Mr Cook said.
