This will be a day long remembered

I'm really quite surprised how easily I decided to let go of so many of my books.

Our May Long Weekend Garage Sale From Hell starts today at 6 PM and doesn't wrap up until Sunday at the same time.  I don't have much right to call it that though -- it will be my wife bearing the brunt of the frontal assault of the vanguard of garage-salers. They will assess our impromptu fortifications, espy the alleged items of highest value, and wait until Amy is distracted by her 14 month-old baby before they thrust with a low-ball offer and make off with the goods.  I'm pretty sure we won't sell anything for five bucks that will find its way onto eBay to sell for 50 grand next month, but I hope there's enough of relative value to make this worth our while.

Word on the street is that Thursday and Friday G-Salers are the hawks.  Or, more precisely, the vultures that descend on a meaty carcass to rend the choicest bits of meat from the spare frame.  It's the Saturday and Sunday ne'er-do-wells that have to content themselves with the gristle and ligaments left over.

My dad's coming over for a few hours this afternoon to give Amy a hand setting up, and a couple of the neighbours may be able to spare some time.  Other than that, it'll pretty much be my wife with two kids underfoot doing most of the leg-work.

My contribution so far has been the retrieval of three boxes of books from my mom's basement, as well as those that didn't survive the culling of the bookshelves in our own basement.  As I mentioned above, I'm surprised at how many I let go with hardly a qualm.

I couldn't let them go without capturing their last moments.  Here are two pictures of the tables as they're currently set up in the back of our garage.  (Well, they're two doors resting on saw-horses, but you get the idea.)  Glancing through all those titles last night, I believe I've read all but about a half dozen of the books shown.  Many of them multiple times.  These two photos comprise about a third of Amy's and my combined connubial collection.

(click for larger versions if you want to read the titles)

You will note in the second picture that I'm selling my first 10 books from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.  I hope somebody comes along early in the weekend and takes the whole series early in the weekend.  I'll be glad to be rid of them, but then feel sort of guilty for creating the situation where somebody else will read them.  Caveat emptor.

I don't expect all (or even most) of these to sell, but it would sure be nice to clear up the shelf space.

Comments

[Paul]

How widespread is this Thursday and Friday evening garage saling phenomenon? I've never heard of it before. Round these parts, yard sales start as early Saturday morning as you stop being rude to the early birds, and usually wrap up before three PM. Sunday's are much less active, and many people skip them altogether.

[Mark]

Books are the hardest for me to watch go. I don't think I've ever sold any in our multiple garage sales over the years. I've donated many, however.

Like you, I felt kind of bad about foisting some of them on the unsuspecting masses.

Yes, those early birds, Paul, are a pain. Here, if we schedule a garage sale to start at 7 a.m. on Saturday, folks are knocking on the door at 6:45 or earlier -- and a few times we've sold half the stuff before we finish setting up!

[Moksha Gren]

I got rid of quite a few of my similar books a few years back and it was much easier than I would have expected. The only down side is...what's Dex gonna read when he's at the stage that he wants to read crappy Tolkien knock-offs?

Good luck with the garage sale. Hey! Is that Hyperion in that stack ;)

[Mark]

Hey! I have that black Science Fiction collection from the bottom picture, over on the left (next to the white book that says "God" on the spine). Not sure I've ever read a word of it.

I can't tell what most of these are (might have been interested if I could), but I recognize Piers Anthony and at least one Stephen King title.

[Émilie B]

Not the books, no!

I'm sure putting up my own garage sale around here would be more trouble than the profit of whatever I can find to sell from the house. I usually donate to charity the sparse items I'm ridding of. Maybe when I have enough baby stuff to part with, but I expect I'll use the online classifieds instead, try to get a better price there. (Is baby stuff the catalyst behind your own venture?)

Plus, we don't have a garage.

"it'll pretty much be my wife with two kids underfoot doing most of the leg-work" Dashing off?
Good luck to Amy.

[Simon]

Paul, being relatively inexperienced as a Garage Sale host, I have no idea how prevalent this Thursday, Friday thing is. I too was more of the mind to restrict it to Sat & Sun... but who am I to dictate that?

Mark, our start time today is 6 PM, and I expect the after-work crowd to start hounding us much sooner than that. I'll have to get out the de-thatching rake and beat them back from the tables.

And also, oddly, that SF collection you mentioned is one of the few I never got around to reading either.

Moksha, I was initially going to bash the bad Tolkien rip-offs, but they were so critical in the development of my literary passion that I really can't. I'm sure my boys will find their own crappy literature to read before moving on to better things. Like Hyperion.

Émy, one of the biggest contributors to this garage sale will be the baby stuff. Now that Tavish is over a year, we can start unloading the amazing amounts of infant detritus that mysteriously pool in odd corners of our home. And no, I'm not dashing off, I'm just not going to be around for the set-up, nor for most of the Friday activity. You know, being at work and all.

[Moksha Gren]

Wait, duuuuude! You can't get rid of Barlowe's!!

[Simon]

Nice catch, Moksha -- that book's only sitting half in the shot in one corner. Yes, my ETs are up for sale. If you want it, I'll give you a good price. Free shipping!!

[Tal]

Well, if the books don't seel you could always release them into the wild a la BookCrossing...

Good luck with the grarage sale!

[TerriTorial]

Next weekend is our garage/moving sale. I have NOTHING ready. The weather better cooperate because if I have to sit out there, and not even get a tan..it's going to be a very long weekend

[TerriTorial]

oooooh..and I call dibs on the Garfield books. I love Garfield LOL

[tkkerouac]

great blog!