Almost comparable to the classic secondhand bookshops (such as Thornton's of Oxford) in Britain, as a treasure trove of affordable and invaluable secondhand books, is the Tompkins County (New York State) Friends of the Library Book Sale, held in Ithaca (New York State), site of Cornell University, in the spring and fall of each year. Books on sale are mainly donated by residents in the vicinity of Ithaca.
Today, October 16, 2010, is the first day of this fall's sale. I would be there if I am anywhere in the vicinity.
I have now 219 books bought during seven of these sales, at an average price of US $1.16 per book.
The high quality of the books on sale is perhaps consistent with the fact of Ithaca being a university town. However the huge quantity of books is truly amazing. The collectibles on sale are also interesting.
The floor plan seems to have been unchanged since my last visit fifteen years ago, on October 12, 1995. The wide range of books can be gauged from it.
(Appreciation of the book sale can be found online.)
Here appear occasional jottings of my random musings. Profound or jejune, they reveal the contours of my mental universe, with world history, intellectual history, civilizations, philosophy, religion, society, knowledge, and books as some major themes. Since May 2011, this blog has been exclusively focused on Singapore. All my other reflections are now posted in "Notes from Noosphere" (see link under "Miscellany" on the right margin).
No comments:
Post a Comment