Happy September, collegiates! Although most of us are still reeling from the fun of summer, that doesn’t seem to have prevented our classes, readings and assignments from piling up. The pumpkin-flavored drinks, cozy days, and sweater weather also seems to be arriving along with the start of the year. As we all struggle through our readings on some complex subject or another, reading for pleasure seems just fizzle out. However fellow collegiates, even though the thought of spending the weekend at a book sale seems daunting, and boring, the annual U of T College Book Sales seem to be more of a treasure hunt than a trip to the book store. A tedious trip that far too many of us have had to endure during this time (overhead in line at the U of T bookstore: “Why can’t they just give us our textbooks instead of making us go through this Hunger Games S***”).
The first book sale opened Friday, September 19th and it kicked off the string of individual participating college (Vic, Trin, St.Mikes and UC) book sales. Located at the Old Vic building, the sale was 2-floors big and went on through the weekend. (Bonus points for opening the weekend of the Reading Fest!) Students were offered a free admission with ID on the first night, and $3 admissions fee for the rest of the weekend. This was the second time I attended the Victoria College Book Sale, and was pleased to be greeted by the familiar sights and smells. Divided into sections categorically such as fiction, novels, and history were located on the first floor. Rare books and ephemerals were in a special room. There was also a greater selection of even more novels; nonfiction, religion, art etc. were located upstairs.
Like the previous book sales that I have attended, I browsed and found a couple of items that were particularly interesting. There was a brunch menu from a restaurant in Toronto, Drink guide for the Sotheby’s club, and a Victorian family photo album. I was able to add to my collection, Gone with the Wind by Margret Mitchell in a vintage-looking hard cover edition! As humanities student, collecting favorite and interesting novels is definitely one of my ongoing ventures. Thanks to the amazing collection presented at all of the book sales at U of T, I was able to start, and constantly add to my ever-growing collection.
In order give the collegiates at Her Campus more of an insight into the workings of the book sale. I was able to have a quick Q & A session with two lovely volunteers, Erica* and Jennifer* at the Victoria College Book Sale.
Q: What was your best find at the book sale?
E: the art and architecture books are all very lovely.
J: All of them!
Q: How long have you volunteered at the book sale?
E: 16 years
J: 10 years
Q: Where do all of the books come from?
E: Books can be donated by professors and anybody really. We have a collection of both scholarly texts, as well as normal values. We actually get volunteers who are knowledgeable of books to identify their value, especially the ones in the rare book room.
J: Anybody can donate books; my friend donated some books to this sale. As well anyone moving, downsizing also donates their books to do a good deed.
Q: What was the most interesting event to happen at a book sale like this?
E: Well every year we have some sort of glitch at the book sale. For example, this year the elevators didn’t work. So a lot of high volume book buyers were stuck carrying the books themselves. Even for us volunteers moving the items it was quite a hassle.
J: We always get interesting people from all over. Sometimes they are just looking for company, so we are extremely friendly to them. In the end, they always come back and sometimes they do purchase something.
You heard it here first, collegiettes! The U of T college book sales are far from being dull. So keep an eye out for the posters and information about upcoming sales. The volume of books each sale receives is quite impressive. Did you know the Victoria College Book Sale this year, received 1500 boxes to be sorted and priced? The process of getting the sale together takes about a whole year, with pricing and sorting being two separate activities.