Old and tattered or new and crisp, a book is a friend that will take you anywhere if you give it a read.

And the Friends of the Library of Hawai'i's 61st annual book sale, opening this weekend at McKinley High School, will have more than 150,000 books waiting for their new friends.

"This is huge," said Byrde Cestare, executive director of the Friends of the Library, about the scope of the sale, one of the hotbeds for bargain hunters every summer. "We know from past experience that 30,000 people will come through our doors."

New this year: A music tent that includes Hawaii Public Radio's stash of vinyl, CD and DVDs.

Cestare said sale organizers have been uncrating 5,000 boxes jammed with volumes — and potential treasures.

"We figure there are at least 30 books in each box, and books are heavy and we probably have tons of good stuff, with something for everyone," she said.

"We've increased floor space, outgrowing the cafeteria at McKinley, by adding outside tents, and it's become such a huge job to get the sale ready, we now employ Island Movers to do the excruciating work of transferring the boxes from our Kaka'ako warehouse to the site.

"We have a limited staff of volunteers to set up the tables and get organized. We're still looking for a couple of strong guys, so maybe we'll check out the football coach and get some team members."

There's sure to be a "find" among the loot, Cestare said.

"Last year, I found a bizarre German book that my dad used to talk about," she said. "It was incredible. It wasn't an expensive book, but it was a sentimental one, out of my past."

Harry Potter books — hardcover and paperback — are annually a fixture, so if you haven't yet visited Potter in literary form, here's your chance.

This year, donations to the Friends included an autographed book by renowned artist Madge Tennent. "It must have come from her library," Cestare said.

Individuals commonly clear out their crowded book shelves, but estates often donate a stash of books, too. So this year's offerings will include titles that apparently had resided in an estate library.

"There are some missionary names; you really don't know what you're going to see on our tables," Cestare said of potential discoveries.

The most valuable item this year might just be a first edition of Ernest Hemingway's novella "The Old Man and the Sea," valued at $1,000 to $2,000. "We'll probably be selling it at way under value," Cestare said.

That volume will be one of about 50 "Glass Case Books," items that have particular interest or value. Prices in the collection will typically range from $40 to $60.

"We'll have an original Elvis Presley Christmas vinyl album, with photos of Elvis, that will be $300," she said. "There have been reissues, but they haven't been able to duplicate the original — or that's what I've been told."

Another highly regarded find is an author-autographed copy of Zane Grey's "Riders of the Purple Sage" novel, plus a signed copy, dated Dec. 25, 1932, of his "Thundering Herd."

From collector's standpoint, the sale also includes several vintage albums — long-playing discs from a bygone era — framed and ready to hang on your home wall.

Last year, the sale grossed $202,000. The tally should exceed that this year, said Cestare.

Because of the crush inside the cafeteria, nearby tents — the Big Top (40 by 80 feet), Little Top (20 by 40 feet) and the music tent — will handle the overflow. Plus there's a food concession and a will-call tent.

The seasoned book hunter will go early, then go again and again, because the stock is replenished.

The first-day crush is the worst, and there's elbow room later in the sale.

Cestare said the Friends hope to supplement the annual sale someday with a year-round store.

BOOKMARKS: THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

FAQs about the book sale — with responses from Byrde Cestare, executive director of the Friends of the Library:

Most popular sections?

"Cookbooks, children's books, travel books, art and architecture books. These sell the fastest."

And the range available?

"Language books, self-help books and practical stuff — like dictionaries. Everything."

Beyond books?

"Records — vinyl, CDs — and DVDs. Our Hawaiian collection is magnificent. We have a lot of original hula albums, and halau looking for vinyl will find something. Hawaii Public Radio has joined us, and they'll have a lot of stuff, too."

Where does the money go?

"The funds support our 51 public libraries statewide; we help pay for those things that are not in the state library budgets. We have 28 Friends of the Library affiliates; we'd like each library to have one, kind of like a PTA that helps the school. We also gave a grant to the Moloka'i library — with the shutdown of the movie theater there, they've been able to buy a bunch of DVDs for public performances of movies."

What changes are in store for book hunters this year?

"We've eliminated some of the 'sales' from past years, but everything will be half-off the last Saturday, and every book will be 50 cents (two paperbacks for 50 cents) each for the final Sunday."

— Wayne Harada