A bookworm's delight

How I wish I could be in Brisbane, Australia, this weekend! They're putting on the annual Lifeline Bookfest, billed as the largest second-hand book sale in the world.

Bibliophiles are set to have a whale of a time at the Lifeline Bookfest at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre this weekend, with the range of used books weighing in at 250 tonnes - the same mass of two blue whales.

Lifeline Bookfest co-ordinator Nick Hart said 2009 marked the biggest year yet for the Bookfest, which has been touted as the world's largest second-hand book sale.




More than 2.5 million second-hand books will be on offer when doors open this morning.

Mr Hart said anyone coming along could find a book bargain - from 50 cents up to $600.

"A 20-year-old book on gold prospecting has a price tag of $600," Mr Hart said.

Mr Hart said the current tough economic times would encourage people to come down and look at over 22 different categories of books, placed on more than four kilometres [about 2½ miles] of table space.

"Why would anyone buy a book new for $20 or $30, when they can get the same book for $4-5 here," he said.

All proceeds will go to the financial counselling and other phone counselling services of Lifeline, which has a fund-raising target of $500,000 from the event.

"We've certainly had more demand on our financial counselling service this year," said Mr Hart in encouraging book buyers to continue their support of the Bookfest.

Two and a half million books? Two and a half miles of book tables? Oh, my word . . . I'm drooling at the thought! I'd never manage to get through them all in only two days, but I could have a lot of fun trying! If I could just get through History, Military History, Biography and a couple of other sections, that'd do me.

Only problem is, I'd have to pay about a year's salary in excess baggage costs to get all my purchases back here to the USA . . . and I'd have to spend more money on bookcases when I got home. Considering that I already have 285 linear feet of bookshelves, it might be really tricky finding a place to put them!

Peter