Friends of the SF Public Library Annual Big Book Sale

Huge selection. Great venue. Very organized with maps. Workers continuously straightening books. Line to checkout wraps around back of the building but lines goes very fast.

I want to come back next year!

Blissful people kept waltzing by with brown paper shopping sacks. So many that I grew curious: what were they all buying?

I've attended many wonderful events at Fort Mason's Festival Pavillion and now another. They were all buying books - imagine, in 2018 - courtesy of the Annual Big Book Sale which benefits San Francisco's Public Libraries.

This book sale is gigantic. When you enter (free of charge) you're given a map and you'll need it. The space is huge and filled. Literally, there are too many books here for me to get my head into. I went first to the "art" books and got a bit lost in the sheer volume. Then I made my way to "cookbooks" and almost ran back to "art". There's a lot to digest here. Mercifully, "graphic novels" had a smaller footprint as did "games". I made my way over to "comics" then to "LPs" and then to the checkout where I purchased 2 books as gifts for my son.

It's easy to spend a lot here (hardcovers $4, paperbacks $3) but the cause is good so spend away. Thoughtfully, there's shopping carts at the entrance so if you want to walk around with 100 "maybes" before whittling down your actual purchase this helps.

Well organized (as one would expect from librarians), this massive book sale is for those who still enjoy the act of turning paper pages. Amazingly, this tribe still exists and they're my people.

A great opportunity to fill up on books!

Parking is hard to find in the area so I recommend to either arrive early or come via muni.

It is a very well attended event by the SF community. Come prepared to spend a few hours browsing around the endless tables of books.

They are organized based on subject so that can help you navigate the large hanger. You can spend hours there and not look over the entire place.

It is a bargain! $1 during the sale and some of the books can vary but by no means are they sold at retail price since some of them are either very old or just books that were neglected or not checked out in the public library.

I was surprised to find some amazing modern books among the tables!

Well worth the visit even if it just to browse and no buy, entrance is free!

The Friends of the SF Public Library Annual Book Sale is a fantastic event that happens for all the right reasons.

Now, this event is more than just your typical book sale. First of all, the ENTIRE pavilion is filled with books. We're talking a good 300,000 books all for under $3. And we're not just talking old books that no one wants anymore. There is books for every single genre (no joke, anything, just think of a genre and it's there) and each genre has thousands of books to support it.

On my recent visit, I got a whopping 15 books all published within the last couple of years that were bestsellers. My total? 30 bucks. Me saying that was a steal is an understatement. I typically spend a good 30 bucks just on 2-3 books. Before I can truly say "get your butt over here and get some awesome books", I need to say one thing, as this whole event is much bigger than just savings.

Here comes the important part. ALL of this wouldn't be possible without amazing support throughout the San Francisco community. The event is only possible in the first place through a member-supported organization (Friends of the SF Public Library) and it makes a strong effort to advocate, fund-raise and help the entire Public Library system of SF through education, volunteering and funding. All in all, this is the perfect chance to not only discover new books, but to help with a cause.

Final verdict: Friends of the SF Public Library has helped create an event that's now going strong into it's 6th year. It's an opportunity for the community to help the library system by buying books, yet it's also your own chance to get these books for a fantastic price- an overall win-win situation for everybody. If you like good books, check them out, as they do two main book sales a year; in April and September. Don't miss out!

The Annual Big Book Sale is one of the best events in SF and one that should never be missed if you love reading. You can stock up on year's worth of reading by buying used books, peruse an enormous selection of books, and see people reading. Most books are $3 or less (on the last day, Sunday, everything is $1) and they're well organized by topic. There are old books, new books, textbooks, CDs, collectible/unusual books, comic books, books under tables, DVDs, cookbooks, etc.

You can usually find books that have sold well in recent years (e.g., The Twilight Series) as many are donated to the library. You'll also find many classics by Dickens, Austen, Tolstoy, James, etc. I usually grab a shopping cart and spend at least an hour searching.

My finds:
* History of the Russian Revolution by Leon Trotsky
* The Life & Times of Grigorii Rasputin
* The Death of the Adversary by Hans Keilson
* Immortality by Milan Kundera
* And the Sea is Never Full by Elie Wiesel

Credit cards are accepted and there's a hold area (not sure how it works). They also added an element of fun with giveaways with clues on Facebook and Twitter.

Free admission. All sales are final.

#500

How to Rock the 48th Annual BIG Book Sale:

1) Mark your calendar.

2) A couple weeks before, drop off your old books at the Book Donation Center:
http://www.friendssfpl.org/?Book_Donations

3) Go to the Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason on the last day when EVERYTHING is only a $1.

4) Marvel that the bazillion books and media are actually categorized!

5) Hit up the fiction, travel, and food sections and really wish you had snagged a cart.

6) 30+ copies of "Eat, Pray, Love" + Overheard "This is the one where Julia Roberts is a prostitute and travels the world." = FUNNY

7) Be psyched that you scored this awesome pile of books for only $9!
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/friends-of-the-sf-public-library-annual-big-book-sale-san-francisco#8EGZxMy0gt8wZTwS56Nwig

8) Come up with a good excuse when you are inevitably asked, "DID YOU JUST BUY MORE BOOKS THAN YOU DONATED?"

9) Something like, "[A]ll proceeds from the Big Book Sale benefit the San Francisco Public Library's literacy programs for children, teens and adults."

SO THERE. :P

p.s. The Annual Spring Book Sale is April 3-7, 2013. Get ready!

Amazing as usual. The Friends of the SF Library rock. I've been using the library a lot more this year since I've become more of a bookworm and they really they offer a lot to the locals.

Sure we're penny pinching more nowadays, but hey, the fact that they offer a book sale of this size where all books and media are $5 or less is awesome. Plus the volunteers are very helpful and you can tell they're helping out because they want to, not because they have to. Props to them for keeping the books organized and restocked!

Picked up 18 books this year for $38. Sure I bought more $3 books this year, but hey, it's going back to help the library so it's all good.

Now I have even more books to add to my already large "to read" stack at home. Maybe I'll aim to read 3 books a month ... maybe that will make a dent.

Please take some time out to visit this place or even your local library branch. The book sale is free and even 1 book purchase helps the library continue to offer a resource for folks of all ages and promote literacy.

Went to the 2013 Annual book sale last weekend and loved it- there were shelves outside for higher priced books as marked, then inside was a room stuffed with boxes of books and you could purchase a paper bag for a flat $5 to fill up with your choice of the materials.

Got a handful of books for my classroom and a bunch of suspense/mystery hardbacks for myself. Not bad for $5- I'm sure when I'm done with them I can take them to a used bookstore and get more than that from them.

Love the timing of this event, too- right before fall really starts, so now I have a stash to curl up with some coffee or tea and read under a blanket now that it's not as warm outside. Winning!

I think I lean closer to 4 stars for the Big Book Sale, but since they are at a 5 star average, I will give it 5 stars. I am huge fan of the San Francisco Public Library system. There are so many branches and it is very well-run. I have spent quite a bit of time at libraries in SF including the one at 19th and Irving and the Main Library..so I am happy to support the SF libraries by spending at their Big Book Sale. Today I went and it was my first time! I thought I would just browse for about an hour and I didn't want to spend any money and collect books that would just sit around...but I ended up spending $30 altogether. I got 11 DVDs, which included 4 seasons of Sex and the City, Juno, Garden State, Duran Duran Live in London, Schoolhouse Rock, etc. Then I got 8 books, which were mostly art and architecture books. I also got Nick Hornby and Camille Paglia. I had to whittle it down from what I threw into the cart. I liked the art and architecture section, the DVD section, CD section, poetry, fiction, etc. I even got a Wii game(Tony Hawk skateboarding)!

Fabulous.

Just came back from the Book Sale and managed to purchase around 20 books. And that was being EXTREMELY picky since it's in the freaking Fort Mason Festival Pavilion. That building filled with tables of books? Hallelujah! Next year I think I am going to have to set Sunday aside and prepare my shelves for some space. Because $1 or less for a book is a deal to be HAD.