Regent Theatre Trust chairwoman and book sale organiser Alison Cunningham says there is definitely an art to navigating the busy sale, and she has provided a hitch-hikers guide to navigating the galaxy of books and surviving the onslaught.
The 35th annual book sale begins at noon today and Mrs Cunningham gave three simple tips for getting the best bang for your buck - bring cash, make sure you know where the books you want are before you get on to the stage, and bring your own fold up bags ''because not everybody has an obliging husband with big arms''.
''There are maps that show you where the particular categories are.
''And remember that we have a whacking great basement under the stage with all the really good priced books, because a lot of people are used to just coming on to the stage for the dollar books and then not realising that there's another whole world underneath the stage where the super-duper books are.''
She also reminded punters there would be at least two places to look for every category of book.
''So if it's children's books you are looking for, there will be one section on the stage and another one underneath.''
Her best tip was to remember it was a 24-hour book sale and there was plenty of time.
''It's madly busy for the first six hours, so if you don't like crowds, that's the time to avoid.
''But it's a 24-hour sale, and we do keep books back so that we've got books to put out freshly, right throughout the sale.
''So don't assume that if you haven't been there in the first six hours, all the good stuff is gone.
''If you remember these things, you can certainly walk away with a big grin on your face,'' she said.
Mrs Cunningham said gems were often found by the volunteers while they were setting the books out on tables, and this year was no exception.
''This year, the highlight for me was, we found a beautiful linen-mounted map of the Dunedin area, all hand-lettered, that we estimate would be from the mid-1880s.
''But it won't be out on a table. I suspect the Hocken Library will buy that before anyone else can get their hands on it.''
It was hoped this year's sale would raise about $70,000 for capital projects at the Regent Theatre.
