Neverending story
The incredible journey of a donated book
By Trinnie Malone
UQ Alumni Book Fair intern
Do you know what I love most about buying second-hand books? Imagining the lives they may have had before coming to me from the clues people have left behind: a receipt used to mark a page, a simple folded corner, or an underlined sentence. Little reminders that another mind devoured the same book once upon a time.
I wonder if they enjoyed it the way I did. Did they lend it to a loved one? Did they like the same characters as me? It’s like having an emotional connection with a stranger you’ll never know. There is something beautiful about that, don’t you think? Almost as beautiful as the stories themselves.
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
This is one of the reasons I decided to donate some of my books to the UQ Alumni Book Fair, which will be held from 28 April to 1 May. I wanted to give them a chance at another life, to become part of someone else’s story. So, I donated a selection of my recent favourites: The Atlas paradox by Olivie Blake, Only a monster by Vanessa Len, and Autumn’s tithe by Hannah Parker.
These are books I’ve reviewed as a personal passion on social media. I’ve adored them so much that I’ve collected additional special-edition copies. But there are only so many copies of the same book I can own; however, who am I to judge if you have 7?
The Atlas paradox was a gift from my sibling. They knew how much I adored Olivie Blake’s work and how excited I was for the next book in the series. I held that book carefully when reading it so as not to wrinkle a single page. And yet, here I am, looking at the faded gold lining of the author’s name as I place it in the donation box at the Book Bunker at UQ’s Long Pocket campus. I wonder if its new owner will be able to tell how much I loved it from the good condition it’s in?
By the way, my sibling knows I decided to donate this book as part of this story. Besides, I own another 4 copies!
The other 2 books are cherished young adult-fantasy novels gifted to me as advanced reader copies through my social media account. I’ll never forget the thrill of holding these books, knowing I had a chance to read them before anyone else. I have each one in hardcover as well, so I’m not giving away my chance to re-read these stories.
After donating the books, I had the chance to work as an intern for the UQ Alumni Book Fair and learn how the dedicated book fair volunteers take care of the books and prepare them for sale. It’s a fascinating journey; more than 110,000 items are donated every year, and UQ Alumni Book Fair Convenor Gary Lambrides refers to it as “managing the randomness”.
Did you know that books for sale are organised into 400 minor categories, such as cookbooks, textbooks, children’s literature, art, history, and rare books? And it’s not just books – people donate magazines, music records, DVDs, and CDs.
A pile of books ready for sorting into the Science Fiction and Fantasy category. Image: Trinette Malone
One of my books was sorted into Science Fiction and Fantasy, while the other 2 were placed in Young Adult. It’s the same genre you would find these books in at a bookstore.
But the pricing… that’s another story (pun intended).
I learnt that pricing can be determined by the author, publication date, format, historical significance, rarity and condition of each book. My books – all from popular authors, published within the last few years, in trade paperback format and in excellent condition – were priced for less than the cost of a coffee and pastry! It turns out most fiction books at the book fair are priced under $5.
UQ Alumni Book Fair volunteer Robert Bourke. Image: Anjanette Webb
Long-serving book fair volunteer Robert Bourke wanted to know the story behind the books and how long they took me to read. Let’s just say I devoured them all in less than a day, and only one of them had a minor flaw, where the gold foiling had smudged from my fingers while reading. I guess that’s what happens when you don’t put books down for a single second.
The scale of donation is far greater than I could have imagined – and I have a very vivid imagination, as I’m sure most readers do. It was humbling to think my donated books would be joining the thousands of others included in this year's book fair, while supporting UQ students, researchers and educators.
It was wonderful to be surrounded by fellow book-lovers with a shared desire to find old books new homes.
You may see me on the first day of the fair attempting to find the books I donated and slipping in a thank-you note for the next reader. I hope their new owners love them as much as I did.
A pile of books ready for sorting into the Science Fiction and Fantasy category. Image: Trinette Malone
A pile of books ready for sorting into the Science Fiction and Fantasy category. Image: Trinette Malone
UQ Alumni Book Fair volunteer Robert Bourke. Image: Anjanette Webb
UQ Alumni Book Fair volunteer Robert Bourke. Image: Anjanette Webb
To be continued...
I’m hoping to follow the journeys of the books I donated to the UQ Alumni Book Fair. You can find my books by the personal note inside. If you become the new owner of one of them, please email contactmagazine@uq.edu.au. I would love to follow the book’s ongoing journey and interview you for a future Contact story.
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