Literary guild to host fall book sale
Oct. 13—For literature lovers, the chance to pick up some gently used tomes is a bit intoxicating. Even in the age of electronic reading, there's nothing quite like the weight and feel of a book in one's hands.
That is precisely what fuels the success of the St. Simons Island Literary Guild's book sales. The bi-annual events, held in the spring and fall, feature thousands of titles at great bargains.
George Ragsdale, guild president, says the variety draws shoppers from near and far.
"It's amazing, people come from all over. They put it on their calendars. It's not just the people who live here," he said. "We're lucky that we have had very good weather over the years."
The event, which has been held for decades, will return for its autumn incarnation Oct. 20- 22. It's held in the St. Simons Casino's atrium, right next to the guild's permanent used book store.
It begins with a members-only sale on Thursday afternoon. But if members of the public want in on the early action, all they need do is join the guild — it's a $10 donation. But it's a $10 that makes a major impact.
"Our membership fee money goes to funding literacy programs in the community," he said.
The sale will officially open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 21 and from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 22, with a $10 bag sale also beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. There will be plenty to choose from, both in topics and in volume.
"We estimate that there are about 10,000 (books). Most of it is fiction, but we also have history, biographies, health and religion," he said. "Almost anything you can think of ... we have it."
In order to prepare, guild volunteers work tirelessly to pull books from a storage unit with the help of Golden Isles Moving. Then, it's all about sorting, organizing and preparing.
While it's quite the process, the mission keeps the members going.
"All of the money from the sale goes into buying books and materials for the St. Simons Island Library. They rely heavily on what we're able to raise to buy those things," he said. "What we don't sale, the Friends of the Brunswick Library puts in their store in Brunswick, so we indirectly help them too."
