Browsing the Bookshelves

Two weeks  ago I put in some commission bids at an auction that I couldn't get to. I'd been to inspect the lots the day before, and left my bids with the lovely, helpful ladies at the reception desk.  I always perfer to bid in person, so that you can watch and judge the other bidders in the room but on this occasion it just wasn't possible and there were some really good books in some of the larger lots. With Christmas around the corner, we need refresh and interesting stock.  Each of my bids was rather low-ball, reckoning that conservativism was the order of the day as I wouldn't be there to judge how the sale was doing, so to increase the chances of greating a decent volume, I bid on rather a lot of lots (if you see what I mean).

Well, wouldn't you know it. I won them all. Each and every lot. Some 28 shelves full of books, mostly double stacked, and a few assorted boxes, crates and, bizarrely, a suitcase full of books too (I really don't remember that being with the lot when I inspected).  Now, I'm not really complaining. These are good, interesting, saleable books bought at a reasonable price. But we're a small outfit. I simply don't have the space to take that voume of books - I reckon some 4,000 - all at once. Now you guys could help me out here by buying some of our existing books but working on the basis that my plea will fall on deaf ears, I've bitten the bullet, as it were, and taken on more storage. Now I just have to wait for the books to arrive.  Hours of pleasure to come sorting and cataloguing them all. I love that part of the job; almost as much as I love bidding at auction in person.