Bryn Mawr bookworms dig for bounties.
By: Kara Fitzpatrick
By Thursday, it was so tranquil you could hear a paperback copy of "The Sound and the Fury" hit the floor.
Very different from a mere 24 hours earlier, when droves of people stormed the Princeton Day School gymnasium in a manner one man likened to that of "the Oklahoma land rush."
Yes, it’s that time of year again time for the Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale. And it has done nothing but live up to expectations.
Offering about 100,000 books and other forms of entertainment Tarot cards, anyone? from across a spectrum of genres, the sale is expected to entice just as many people, if not more, than in the past, said volunteer Maxine Lambert.
The sale is a tradition that has been carried out by the Bryn Mawr Club of Princeton for 74 years, and for the past five years in conjunction with Wellesley College alumnae.
On opening morning, hundreds of collectors and dealers flocked to PDS to conduct a whirlwind scavenger hunt for books. The sale was to begin at 10 a.m., but well before that, the hallways surrounding the book-filled rooms were packed with bargain-hungry patrons. Boxes in hand, and fixated on the two sets of double doors, they were ready to enter the literary lairs and fight for the prize like bookworms on steroids.
The prize, of course, would be a rare jewel mixed in with the regular titles. These faithful dreamers were in pursuit of a first-edition printing of "The Call of the Wild" amid copies of "Chinese Cooking for Two."
A man who gave his name as Ken H. said it is the thrill of the hunt that drives the dozens to the first morning at the book fair.
"Looking for the treasure, looking for the one book you’ve been looking for for a long time the first edition book by a prominent author," he said.
They came to the PDS campus from Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and they arrived early to get the best possible spot in line.
"It could happen here," said Edgar Mills, who drove from Southbury, Conn., to be a part of the madness. "It’s the area. There is a lot of presence of well-educated readers in this area, so you have a better chance of finding it here."
By "it," Mr. Mills was referring to the book of his dreams.
Maybe, just maybe, Mr. Mills will be like the lucky customer who, years ago, found a first-edition printing of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" at the sale. A rare piece of fiction like that, said one sale volunteer, could be worth as much as $15,000.
And what about the time someone donated a first-edition copy of Dr. Johnson’s dictionary? Well, someone left a happy man and thousands of dollars richer.
It is those kinds of items that make people so methodical and thorough in their searches and impatient for the quest to get under way.
But not John Liberati.
As the dozens of people behind him squirmed and fidgeted, waiting for the 10 o’clock hour to arrive, Mr. Liberati was as cool as a first edition of "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac.
Mr. Liberati, who arrived in Princeton on Monday from White Plains, N.Y., held in his hand a slip of paper etched with the number one. He would enter the kingdom of books split-seconds before those behind him but, apparently, that might be all it takes.
"I’ve been coming many years," said Mr. Liberati. "Sometimes you can find some interesting books."
But, admitted Mr. Liberati, the scene leading up to the sale is wild.
"We’re all crazy," he joked.
Mr. Barbiere, the gentleman who equated the opening of the sale to the Oklahoma land rush, said he has been attending for 45 years. This time around, though, he said he has declined to take part in the stampede.
"This is the first time I have not come at 6:30 in the morning," Mr. Barbiere said. He attributes his diminishing energy for book hunting to "not having the fire in the belly like I used to."
But, not to be underestimated, Mr. Barbiere planned to get in his fair share of browsing maybe pick up some literary criticism of 20th-century fiction, he said.
Mr. Barbiere may not have the fire in the belly like he used to, but he still dreams of finding his treasure. "You’re always hoping to find that one book," he said. "Here, you can get it for $7 instead of $300."
By Thursday, calmer, less galvanized book buyers meandered about the fiction, mystery, children’s books, poetry and other volumes on just about any topic imaginable.
There were still plenty of titles to choose from.
For example, if you moseyed over to the "pets" section, you could find "A Dog’s Book of Bugs." If you have a smart dog, maybe you want to pick up "The Literary Dog" instead. Don’t have a dog? Find out what kind would accommodate you best with "The Right Dog for You."
Proceeds from the sale support scholarships for central New Jersey students.
"This is a book-loving community and a community that reads widely," said volunteer Virginia Kerr. "Without the donations, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do."
The sale will be open today, which is half-price day, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday is box day, where the cost for as many books as you can fill into a reasonably sized box is $5.
Accepted payments are cash and checks, no credit cards accepted. For details, go to www.princetonol.com/groups/brynmawr.