I stopped by the Penguin sale at Singapore Expo this morning, having a couple of hours free before I went to meet some friends in the afternoon. I was there at opening time (10 am), and in the 2 hours I could allot to book shopping, I got through 3 rows of tables. It looked to me like this was about one quarter of what was available in the hall. Digging through the boxes, I was not able to be nearly as careful as I would have liked, but I still managed to find 35 books that I wanted to buy. Most were selling for $4, though there were a few for $6 and a handful for $9. I steered clear of those that were more expensive than this. (I’m running out of shelf space and didn’t want to buy any really massive tomes, so that played a part in me ending up with some good prices.)
I found some really good deals, and came across a few titles that are not easy to find. I even had one fellow come up to me and ask, “Hey, where did you find that one?” (I think it was a Coetzee novel, if I’m not mixing it up with something else.) That made me feel like I’d come up with at least one needle from the haystack.
Overall, I have to say it was a morning well spent. Of the 35 books I bought, 5-6 were for friends, and the rest have already been put in place on my shelves.
The sale will last through this Sunday (June 10). It is in Hall 6B. If there’s a bibliophile in Singapore who hasn’t heard about the sale yet, this counts as your notice. I think you’ll find making your way to Expo this weekend worth the time.
Next up… the National Library Sale (sometime late July or early August).
Shelly Bryant 