The latest instalment in a bookish "never-ending story" raised more than $130,000 for a Dunedin institution.
Regent Theatre 24 Hour Book Sale convener Kath Wallace said attendance at this year’s event was excellent, although organisers could not pinpoint why.
The sale was held at the Edgar Centre, in South Dunedin, on Friday and Saturday.
Proceeds support the operation of the 98-year-old Regent Theatre, which is run by a charitable trust.
All told, it raised $134,111.11
Mrs Wallace said the generosity of Dunedin people underpinned the event.
The money raised would go towards a new ramp for easier access behind the Regent Theatre stage.
"Everything here in this building has been donated. And if you look around at some of the things that we’ve got, they’re absolutely fantastic."
"Without their support, we would never ever be able to do this."
Some 1800 boxes of books were sorted for the sale and for the first time, the price of most had risen from $1 to $2.
Mrs Wallace said the change had been daunting and it was unclear how the public would react.
"But people don’t seem hugely deterred. There have been no complaints," she said.
"We’re conscious of the economic climate out there and people not having the money to spend, but we try to keep our children’s books the same as what we’ve always done."
The book sale does not include CDs, vinyl records, DVDs, or music memorabilia — a separate music sale will be held mid-year on the Regent Theatre stage.
Preparations for the music sale would begin soon, and then it would be time to start work for next year’s book sale, Mrs Wallace said.
"The cycle begins again. It’s like the never-ending story sort of thing."
After about two hours of browsing, Ava Hasler, of Dunedin, was sorting through about a dozen of her final picks and was pleased to have found one by crime author Patricia Cornwell.
"I decided to go through some different ones, but ... she is one of my favourite authors."
The sale was something Miss Hasler looked forward to every year — it was a great way to bring parts of the community together, she said.
"There’s a very big diversity here. And I mean no-one really cares, they’re just looking for books.
"You’re going to get cheap books and you’re going to find something."
