Book sales ends today with $1 bags

Today is the $1-a-bag sale at the Willows Library.

No, the library is not going out of business, but the Willows Friends of the Library are offering purged books from the library's collection along with donations from individuals and the Chico Friends of the Library.

This closes the four-day event that overflowed into the City Hall lobby from the Elizabeth Eubanks Room.

Today's sale runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 201 North Lassen St.

Wednesday the sale opened as Members Day with people either becoming new members or renewing memberships to the Friends group for $5.

They also could purchase a canvass book bag with the library logo for $10 and fill it with as many books as they could.

Friends President Brian Ramos said Wednesday's sale brought in $290 and only ran from 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

He estimates proceeds from the fall sale will bring in between $450 and $650 towards the purchase of new books for the library.

Thousands of books filled the tables Thursday morning as the doors opened at 10 a.m.

There were paperbacks for 25 cents each and hardbacks for 50 cents along with collectible books for $1.

Bill Beyer was a satisfied customer.

"I like to read," Beyer said. "I go everywhere from 'who dunit' bedtime stories to historical novels and non-fiction."

Beyer said he calls "who dunits" bedtime stories because their only function is to put you to sleep.

He is new to Willows but has been going to Friends of the Library sales across the country for years, he said.

"I have always been an avid reader," Beyer added. "TV is in the background other than for the football games."

Jamie Hart was another Willows resident stocking up on items at Thursday's sale.

"The videotapes are pretty cheap," Hart said. "There were Disney things. It is great."

The VHS tapes sold for 25 cents each or 10 for $1.

Collectible books include literature and history volumes by authors such as Ernest Hemingway, Charles Dickens and Jack London, Ramos said.

Some were published prior to World War II, he said.

There also were plenty of big picture books on art, travel, national treasures and more selling for 50 cents as well.

Cooking books and books on golf were available in abundance this year, too, Ramos said.

There also were a lot of dictionaries and reference books in the sale, he said. However, 16 of these were donated by the Friends to the teacher at Jane Hahn Juvenile Hall.

"We are all about literacy," Ramos explained. And the county does not get charged so it saves the taxpayers money."

CONTACT Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com.