Book lovers from far and wide gathered in their hundreds yesterday as the 38th The Star Regent Theatre 24-hour Booksale got under way in Dunedin.
The queue of bibliophiles stretched from the Regent Theatre doors in the Octagon all the way down Stuart St as eager readers anticipated finding a rare gem for a bargain price.
Theatre director Sarah Anderson said it was encouraging to see the strong turnout.
''It's great to see another huge crowd waiting to get in. There's always a mad rush to get through the doors and it's a lovely day, so I'm sure it's only going to continue.''
Among the hundreds of book lovers was event first-timer Taylor Hind-Appleton (21), from Dunedin, who said she was excited to get involved and find a bargain.
''I'd heard about the sale from a friend of mine and I'm lucky enough to have the day off work today so I can't wait to get my hands on as many good books as possible, especially the sci-fi ones.''
For the first time in its long history the book sale opened a ''Books as Art'' exhibition, showcasing old unwanted books that have been turned into intricate pieces of art.
Ms Anderson said the exhibition added a new flavour to an already popular event.
''It's the fresh new thing this year that we hope is going to bring even more people along. There's some fantastic pieces in there and we hope it's going to make the event even more spectacular as years go on.''
The 24-hour book sale caps off more than nine months of hard work for the team of dedicated volunteers who meet every Sunday to sort and price books.
Ms Anderson said it was a ''mammoth'' job requiring thousands of hours.
''The guys who do the sorting are a different kind of committed.''
Proceeds from the sale will go back into the theatre to fund an 80-100 person multi-purpose ''blackbox'' performance space.
The sale finishes at noon today.
-By Eddy Bramley
