Sunday, October 20, 2013

A book sale in Atlanta

Every year the American Association of University Women (AAUW) has a book sale in one of the malls in Atlanta.  Since 1960 they have raised $1 million and distributed it as scholarships and programs for girls and women.   We have been going to their book sale for years - and have the books to show for it ... The 54th Annual AAUW BookFair started this year on the evening of September 23, 2013, with a $10 admission for Opening Night.  Then the BookFair was free from Tuesday morning September 24th through Sunday 29th.  We went on the morning of the 24th.

I took my little Lumix camera but frankly I became so involved looking at books that I did not take many pictures.  As advertised they offer 75,000 used books - some look brand new.  They display them in 50 categories, such as Southern Authors, Popular Fiction, Art, Photography, Military, Mysteries, Science Fiction, Reference, Cookbooks, Foreign Language, Children's Books, Philosophy, Religion, Nature, Romance, Biography, Politics, History, Poetry and much more.  This year it was held again at Perimeter Mall - north of Atlanta.  In previous years it was held at Lenox Mall, in the Buckhead area of Atlanta.  Perimeter Mall is remodeling so the BookFair did not have as much room as in previous years and was located in the lower level of the mall only.

We arrived around 10:15 am and left, after having a late lunch, around 3:30 pm. I tried not to choose too many books since I already have so many at home, may of them still unread.  I usually go directly to the Foreign Language section as they have some French books, but not many, most of them are dictionaries or language books to learn French.  I did find some books though.

The books used to cost only 25 cents, 50 cents and one dollar, but now they are more expensive.  They have little dots to indicate prices - red is 50 cents, blue $1, green $2, yellow $3 and orange $4.  Some of the "coffee table" books are more expensive and some that are autographed.  I usually buy the 50 cents and dollar books.  After going to Foreign Language I find the Travel Section - and I found some interesting ones this year again.  I also like to look at Mysteries to see if I can find some Agatha Christie books that are not in my collection - I was lucky this year (I'll show my books below.)

Then this year I went to the History section and then on to the Cookbook section.  I have so many cookbooks already that I really should not get any more - but who knows, there may be an exceptional one ... I took a quick look in the bins.  I could not get to the last bin because a lady had stopped there for quite some time - she was reading recipes in one book.  I tried to take an oblique look at the bin in front of her.  She became agitated and told me that I was not to look over her shoulder. She said I should just wait until she was finished, whenever that was.  So I went away to take some pictures and just now realized that she is in the picture - she is the lady with a bun on top of her white hair at the end of the row.  I did get a small cookbook for 50 cents, and I'll tell you why below.

My husband was looking at the autographed books, and did get one (for $2) but I did not get any this time.

Then I went to the African American section and did find a book I was looking for.  I also found something in the Literature Section.

There were some lovely volumes on the Coffee Table book section.  A picture book on San Francisco was tempting - but I resisted!

I walked around all the sections, in case I had missed anything of interest.

By 2:00 pm I went to look for my husband who was in the "Animal" section.  He did get a really lovely new book by Jane Goodall "Hope for Animals and their World" for $1.  It was time to go so we would not be enticed to look deeper in the sections and find more books.  He had found 14 books and I ... well, I did not count them.

At home we inspected our lucky finds.  I usually take a look and remove the little stickers, but I have not looked at all of them yet.  I took pictures of the books to show them here.  Click on the collages twice so you can read the titles better.

As you can see above I found some good French books: Victor Hugo, Cocteau, Camus, Appollinaire, Georges Simenon, Irene Nemirosky.  I also found some books on Paris (I always look for them) including Gertrude Stein's Paris France.  When I was reading about the 20s and 30s in Paris and the bohemian life of the American writers there, I saw the name Djuna Barnes but had never read any of  her books - there was one there, for 50 cents - Nightwood.  On the back cover Dylan Thomas is quoted as saying "One of the three great prose books ever written by a woman."

I brought my list of Anne Perry and Agatha Christie's titles of books I have and was pleased to find books I did not have.  The book "Journalistas" sounded interesting - it said on the cover "100 years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists."

In the African American section I had found "Complicity - How the North Promoted, Prolonged and Profited from Slavery" by Anne Farrow of the Hartford Courant (Connecticut) - may be there is some thought provoking research in it (pictured above near the green Simenon book.)  I also was very pleased to find a great copy of "The Bondwoman's Narrative" by Hannah Crafts.  A friend had just been telling me about this book written by an African American woman.  At the time of publication - 2002, there were questions about its authenticity.  However, a professor in South Carolina just found out that this was indeed written by a former slave who had escaped from a plantation before the Civil War and written it around 1850 or so.  The other book called "Willie Mae" by Elizabeth Kytle is "the true and captivating story of an African American servant in Georgia."

When I went to Montana, my first mother in law gave me several thin cookery books.  They were written in the late 1950s, have little illustrations and are charming.  I found one such booklet, from the same era, on Cakes and Tortes, shown below on the left.  The booklets on the right are those that were given to me.

Below, in yellow, "A Blue Hand" about Allen Ginsberg in India, and the blue book "Finding George Orwell in Burma" were found in the Travel Section.

Below "Reality Sandwiches" is a small book of poems by Allen Ginsberg.  The book on the right is "From a Native Daughter - Colonialism  & Sovereignty in Hawaii" by Haunani Kay Trask.

I was very pleased to find the little book "Emily Carr and her dogs" written and illustrated by her, and a biography about her by Maria Tippett.  Since I visited Emily Carr's house in Victoria, BC, Canada, I have read most of her books and enjoyed going to museums and looking at her paintings.  Emily Carr was quite a remarkable woman and a great Canadian artist (1871-1945.)

I almost forgot to mention the book below "The Far Side of the World" by Patrick O'Brian.  I heard about this book several years ago when it was made into a movie called Master and Commander (starring Russell Crowe.)  In the book the naval fight in the South Seas in 1812 is between a British whaler and the American Frigate USS Norfolk.  But, the movie was made in 2003 and the director thought that the American public would not go and see a movie where the bad guy - the American frigate - is American.  They thought it would be a better seller if the bad guy was changed to a French one (because of the Iraq war) so they turned the USS Norfolk into the French privateer Acheron.  It will be interesting to read the story the author wrote and not the biased Hollywood account of it.

There are a few more books that I have not photographed including those my husband found.  We had a great time at the AAUW BookFair.  Now I'll have to wait for next year's BookFair - but I have plenty of books to keep me busy until then.

Basic Necessities by Deborah DeWit Marchand, Dutch-American, born in 1956


31 comments:

DJan said...

At first I thought that last picture was a photograph, until I saw it is a painting, just perfect for this post! You certainly purchased a lot of books, VB. I have started using the library for the books I read, so my collection has diminished substantially. I think I would not be able to resist buying many of these myself, and most of them would not be available anywhere else! Wonderful post, thank you so much. :-)

Mandy said...

Gosh what a fabulous initiative! I'm not surprised you spent the entire day there but can you imagine the organisation, coordination and planning that goes into it? I love all your photos. Books are just precious (although I had to make a rule in my own house to stop buying books until I had read the ones I had!)

Down by the sea said...

I would have loved to have visited that book sale and wouldn't have come away empty handed either. You have choosen a lovely selection of books.
Sarah x

Kay Dennison said...

I love book sales like this & never miss them if they're nearby!!!!

Elephant's Child said...

Oooh. You were very restrained. And I love your selections.

Kay L. Davies said...

I so admire your selections, and I am thinking of going on the hunt for Agatha Christie books.
When I left British Columbia and moved to Alberta, I gave all my Agathas and all my Rex Stouts to a friend. (Gave her the bookcases, too.)
That was almost 13 years ago, so I could quite happily re-read all the Agatha Christie books, and I always enjoy Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe.
I know I would have loved that book sale. I haven't been in Atlanta since 1978, or perhaps early 1979, when I went for a housewarming party. A book sale sounds like a much better reason, don't you agree?
K

Thérèse said...

What a review!
Fantastic. I am intrigued by "the yellow lighted bookshop!"
All these titles and authors names are an excellent brain stimulant and bring back either memories or thoughts of the books I would like to read...

OldLady Of The Hills said...

This was a Treasure Trove of Goodies, my dear....This Bookfair would be, for me, a very dangerous place to go! I would want so very many books that I would need a food cart or two--or maybe three......lol!
Sometime you must show us where and how you keep all your books---your home must be like a Library...!
What a Great Day you had, and in turn, we had, too...!!!!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

What a great way to spend the day. I would have come home with sackfulls of books. You found some great finds, especially the French authors.
Sam

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

I probably would have bought too many and even with good intentions, would never haver read them all. I try to buy one at a time and after reading it, pass it along to someone else who will enjoy it also.

David said...

Vagabonde, I would have been spinning in circles with all of those books to chose from. My wife would have been in paradise. She, like yourself, enjoys a wide variety of books and topics. My reading interests are too narrow...focused on spy stories, mysteries and the lot. Our local library is brand new and much of its funding came from our big book sales...nothing like 75,000 books though! My wife and I have over 1,000 books in our library at home! We should probably donate some to the library sale...but they're hard to part with. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Rosaria Williams said...

Wow! This was a great book sale and you grabbed some real jewels. I love these events not just for their bargain quality, but for the chance to grab a book I would not have found anywhere else. I saw the Tennessee Williams's book, and thought, for sure, I would have known about Hard Candy. But no. It is new to me. I too would have grabbed that one.

Nadezda said...

VB, I love your list of purchased books! Poirot, Simenon, Camus, Vanessa Bell and others. Great collection, I'd love to have some books as well.

Magic Love Crow said...

Wow, so many amazing books! I would have been there for days looking! LOL! I love the ones you purchased! Beautiful painting ;o) Take Care, hugs ;o)

Arti said...

This is a wonderful post. Appreciate your detailed account of what sections, and what titles you browsed. This reminds me of our annual book sale, where I usually haul back home a couple dozens of good conditioned, almost like-new books. Just wondering, I remember you once mentioned about trying to find all 7 Vols. of Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu before you begin reading. Did you find any vol. there at the book sale? I'm on Vol. 2 now, another read-along, reading very slowly.

Pat said...

For the last six months I have been sending books to charity and after spending weeks rearranging the remainder I swear they have doubled in size and have just discovered another hoard in the boiler room.

Dee said...

Dear Vagabonde, you are surely an eclectic reader--a woman of many interests. I noted the Anne Perry book you purchased. It is one of a series on World War I that I read last year.

Last week I read a book that I'm thinking you might enjoy. It is a young adult novel that was recommended by a blogger I read. The two main characters are women--one an English spy and one an aviator. The story takes place in World War II and is truly a tour de force. The name is "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein. I highly recommend it to you as someone who loves France and is a mystery reader. Much of the novel takes place in France. Peace.

Marja said...

Love that painting Indeed all you need A comfy chair and a good book.The fair looks fantastic.
We have similar fairs here. The biggest one by the library. I used to come home with boxes full of books. I am now transferring to the kindle, but my friends still prefer real books

Roger Gauthier said...

Woohoo, so many books... Our two thousand books here seem like nothing. It’s great to see that there are still people that love books.

One must say, of course, that some, and we are among those, who have shifted almost entirely to electronic books that you can either rent or buy. But this is another matter entirely.

The Silver Bunny said...

Oh, I wish I'd been there with you ! I'd never heard of Djuna Barnes before but Thomas's elogious (if somewhat sexist) comment is quite a compliment ! Bisous

Linda said...

Wow, so many books! I love books sales, they can be so much fun and one can find some treasures at great prices.

Reader Wil said...

Des librairies sont très dangereuses pour moi! Je dois cesser d'acheter des livres, parce que j'ai trop de livres maintenant. ;)
C'est très triste que vore mère a la maladie de Parkinson.Je comprends que'elle ne peut plus faire un voyage.Je vous souhaite du courage.
Merci de votre visite.

Glenda Beall said...

Although I love books, I have too many in my house now and I am, like DJan, using the library more and more. But I'd be sure to bring home books if I had attended this book sale. So many good books!
thanks for commenting on my blog, VB.

Jocelyn said...

It's wonderful that this sale takes place in a mall--I mean, it makes total sense, but malls seem so counter to "used book sales" that I'm enjoying the added dimension such a sale gives to a traditionally shallow place of consumerism!

Well told.

Sciarada said...

Ciao Vagabonde, the books open up wonderful worlds, one can not visit them!
Have a good Sunday!

Ginnie Hart said...

Unbelievable, Vagabonde. I don't think I've ever known a more ecclectic reader than YOU! Congratulations.

EG CameraGirl said...

I absolutely LOVE used-book sales! There are are always many hidden treasures.

Kathy said...

Oh wow, Vagabonde, what a wonderful event and for such a good cause too. If I'd been there you wouldn't have got me away until the doors closed! It looks like you and your husband have a great haul of books to keep you pleasantly occupied over the winter. :-)

Vicki Lane said...

Oh, you have some treasures there! Perfect for cozy winter reading. I love Emily Carr -- that may be one of the books I read about her.

Jeanie said...

Wow -- this is SO much my cuppa tea! And I think we would have been fighting over the books about the Marais and Julia Child! And Anne Perry! I wonder if I have any of the Aggie you might need. Most of mine are in paperback and I have a pretty good collection of them. I may be getting ready to say farewell to some books, so I'd be happy to share if I have them.

It sounds like a wonderful event! And the price was right!

This is Belgium said...

I enjoyed this post, what a great harvest you brought home
how amazing that you found the French authors and the books about Paris !

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