I wasted $3.50 buying a light rail ticket and traveling to the event. When I got to the fairgrounds there literally was a line of at least 1,000 people waiting to get into the show.
I got there around 10 am which was about 2 hours after the show opened, but there was still a huge line of people waiting to get in.
Charity VNSA book sale highlighting rare items, unusual offerings
by Connie Cone Sexton - Feb. 9, 2012 10:00 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
In preparing for their annual charity book sales, members of the Volunteer Non-profit Service Association have learned not to judge a book by its cover.
They've also learned not to judge it by its old price tag.
A while back, as members sorted through donations for this weekend's sale, someone took a second look at "Cane," a small book from 1923 written by Jean Toomer.
"We could tell it had been sold by us before," said Charlotte Smith, chairwoman of the "rare and unusual" section of books. The book had an old VNSA stamp of 10 cents.
Taking that second look may pay off big for the organization.
Smith said a little research showed it was one of the rarest copies of "Cane," considered an important book of the Harlem Renaissance. It includes vignettes detailing experiences of African-Americans in the United States.
Forget 10 cents. The book has a new VNSA price tag: $750.
If sold, it could help the organization raise enough to beat last year's sales total of $350,000.
Hundreds of people are expected to turn out Saturday and Sunday to peruse the 500,000 or so sale items at the Arizona state fairgrounds. Many books are priced at only a few dollars. Smith hopes more people will discover her section of items. It's tucked into the far northwest corner of the building. Buyers shouldn't worry that rare and unusual items are out of their price range. Several are marked under $10.
Preparing for the annual sale takes special care for the rare and unusual items.
Smith works out of an air-conditioned office -- one step in helping preserve the items. As items come in, the research begins, including online study and communication with book experts.
"Different publishers have different ways of noting first editions," she said. "Some say that they're first editions, but there's no cut-and-dried rule."
A book could be rare if a page of one edition has a misspelling while other editions do not. "It's kind of like figuring out a puzzle," Smith said.
In determining how to price a book, Smith said they find a listed price and mark the book about one-third of that price. Smith said they found the "Cane" book for at least $3,600 but decided to price it at $700 to help ensure its sale.
"It's easier to find prices of books than it was 10 years ago," she added.
Some people donate items they probably don't realize are valuable, Smith said. "We're fortunately still getting things that people should have sold." However, she knows many people want to donate to help the VNSA raise money for its service projects.
Perhaps that was the reason someone dropped off a copy of "The Shining" by Stephen King. It's not an early edition, but it has his signature.
"He used to sign his name a lot, but then people would resell it for money and at some point, he would write only inscriptions," Smith said. The book they have to sell has only his signature and for that reason, it's priced at $175.
Some other items in the rare section:
"The Old Man and the Sea," by Ernest Hemingway, 1952. First edition with dust cover.
"Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not," by Florence Nightingale. Published in 1860. First U.S. edition of a classic manual of nursing and hygiene.
The complete works of John Bunyan, 1873. Leather-bound book with gold gilt and illustrations.
VNSA Book Sale
When: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Except for rare and unusual category, items are half-priced Sunday.
Where:
Exhibit BuildingAdmission: Free. There is a fee for fairground parking.
Arizona state fairgrounds
1826 W. McDowell Ave
Phoenix, Arizona
Information: vnsabooksale.org.