There were fewer out-of-town commercial buyers at the Rotary Club of Wanganui Book Fair this year, but two young Asian people who arrived on bicycles bought up so large that volunteers had to ferry their purchases home.
"They were really into a lot of the reference books that almost nobody wants," convener Don Gilbertson said.
The book fair in Wanganui's Taupo Quay began on Saturday, with about 10,000 books sorted into categories and laid out on tables. By the end of the weekend Mr Gilbertson expected to have sold at least 3000 books, plus some records, puzzles and toys. He thought the fair would raise about $5500 for Rotary.
Sunday was not as busy as Saturday, but even so there were about 30 people and 10 volunteers browsing the tables and talking.
History, war, transport, hobbies and New Zealand non fiction were all popular, Mr Gilbertson said. Recent novels by authors like Clive Cussler and Lee Child, selling for $3, bustled off the tables. Some people were looking for romance novels a little spicier than Mills & Boon - "more meatier stories," as he put it.