VENTURA : Many Swamp Sale of Books to Aid Libraries

Book buffs hit the mother lode Saturday at the 28th annual Ventura Friends of the Library used-book sale.

People lined up to get in, descended in droves upon the rows of paper and hardbacks and left with armloads of books, said Bill Swanson, chairman of the sales committee for the volunteer organization.

By early afternoon, the paperback fiction section was almost wiped out, nearly exhausting the entire supply for the two-day sale.

“We were swamped,” Swanson said. “We had to fight them off. People just ran in and began grabbing books.”

By the end of the day, group members estimated that they had raised about $8,000, more than half their goal of $15,000. All proceeds will go to buy new books for the city of Ventura’s three libraries.

The search for the best finds is nothing new at this popular event. With 48 categories, ranging from gardening to genealogy, and about 20,000 books, the sale is rich with possibilities for avid readers.

While perusing the worn spines of children’s books, Ventura engineer Chuck Felts came across a blast from the past--a book from the Donna Parker, Special Agent, collection. The series is similar to Nancy Drew children’s mysteries.

“I’m keeping this one for myself,” he said, adding that he would part with his other find, an old Tom Swift book that will go to his children.

Cutting through the hoards of browsers, Dawn Wright of Port Hueneme zeroed in on the foreign language books. To her surprise, she found what she was looking for--a Hebrew song book complete with a cassette tape.

She plans to use the book to impart the language to her three children, whom she teaches at home. They are already learning Greek in order to be able to read the Bible in the languages it was originally written in.

But not everybody found what they were looking for.

Although loaded down with history books, Camarillo resident Bobbie Pittman searched in vain for a book about the St. Francis dam disaster.

Just as well, she said.

“If my husband sees me walk in the door with all these books, he’s gonna kill me.”

The sale continues today from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. in the parking lot in front of J.C. Penney at the Buenaventura Plaza.