The Book Hunter in Me Strikes Gold at a Book Sale!

For you book lovers and "hunters" like me out there, especially my classmates who have been in the same boat as me looking for the Cythina Rylant biographical book, you will appreciate this little story. The Cynthia Rylant book But I'll Be Back Again as you know isn't the easiest book to get your hands on. It has been selling used in the ballpark of $50 through used booksellers on Amazon, and when I tried to order from Books a Million, they sent my order back via email to cancel because they no longer sell it despite what their website said. However, I did check it out from the York County Public Library (Tabb branch.) So I knew what the cover looked like.

Anyways, last weekend I went to a used book sale at the Hampton Public Library. As you can imagine, I was scanning all the "departments" of books for good finds, from the children's books for the class to local history books for my personal collection to books to read for pleasure. I also had no shame in digging in the boxes under the tables. Well, in the next to last box I looked in under the children's table was a little yellow spine that with my "prior knowledge" I recognized instantly as Rylant's book! My mother was laughing at me because she said I was looking around making sure someone didn't see that I had found something equating to a bar of gold. The topper of it all, because it was the last day of the sale, the children's books were (drum roll please....) 10 cents! I got Rylant's discarded book for a dime! Inside, I felt like I had to run across the parking lot and floor it when I got to the car before I was caught with my "gold." :)

For you "book hunters and gatherers" out there, I am sure you identify with the joy of my find! I do the same thing at garage sales when I go book hunting every single weekend in the springtime, but that's the biggest bargain AND hard to get book I have ever stumbled upon. Very exciting stuff!