Book lovers flocked to Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School this past weekend for the 54th annual West Tisbury Book Sale. Vineyarders and vacationers of all ages perused the well-organized stacks for literary treasures. Sections included travel, gardening, architecture, mystery, children’s books (perhaps the most extensive of all), art, nonfiction, fiction, there was even a Vineyard authors table.

The book sale began over five decades ago at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury, explained Susan Wasserman, president of the Friends of the West Tisbury Library. “It takes a full month to set up for the sale,” she said. “We have over 25 volunteers who work throughout the month to sort and price each and every book we receive. None of this would be possible without them.”

Usually, the book sale is held at the West Tisbury School but as it is under construction this summer the organizers had to scramble to find a viable alternative. “It’s really hard to find a space that is the right size and will allow us to be there for an entire month prior to the event,” Mrs. Wasserman said.

The book sale is a major fundraiser for the library, allowing for projects that town funds don’t cover. “Some of our special requests have included our renovated basement for the children’s room, and $125,000 dollars in architects’ fees to create an initial plan for the grant that we received to expand upon the library,” Mrs. Wasserman said. The sale also helps provide for smaller necessities, such as a color copier for public use, a scanner, a water cooler, landscaping, their Web site, staff training, summer reading, and the Halloween party.

If that seems like an unbelievable bounty all thanks to one event, one involving used books no less, consider how much the book sale raises.

“We made over $10,000 the first day,” ten-year-old Henry Bassett proudly exclaimed. A true testament to the sale being a family affair that crosses generations, young Henry is Mrs. Wasserman’s grandson.

“People plan their vacations around this,” Henry added. Already savvy to the idea that much of life comes down to location, location, location, Henry surveyed the new digs at the high school and declared, “Having it at the high school is helpful because more people drive or bike past and come in to see what’s happening.”

While setting up and sorting the books, volunteers found everything from personal objects to money that had been used as bookmarks. This year, the team found over $103 dollars hidden away in various pages.

Laura Ramotar of Brooklyn, N.Y. is a regular at the book sale. “We come all the way to the Island every year specifically for this,” she said. “I collect cookbooks and I have been able to triple my collection by coming to this sale alone.

Marianne Krause of Washington, D.C. agreed with Ms. Ramotar about the extensiveness of the sale’s collection. “This is the greatest book sale I have ever been to,” she said. As a testament to this statement she held up two hefty bags full of books. “My grandchildren visit me at my beach house in Chilmark every summer and we love to have books to read. We go to the library a lot, but it’s nice to be able to have some books in the house for when they arrive.”

Ms. Krause is a pediatric and adult neurologist. Many of the books she finds at the sale she brings back to her practice in Washington. “I see a lot of children in my work, and some of them really need books. I like to have books for them in my office as well as books that they can bring home after their visit.”

Ms. Krause is not the only one who gathers literature for those in need. The last day of the sale is called Free Day where everything that hasn’t been sold becomes a giveaway. People travel to the sale from all over to pick up stacks of books to send to Third World countries, day care centers, and hospitals.

In an age where technology seems to be king, queen, prince and princess, the West Tisbury book sale tells a different tale, one in which the beleaguered book, which so many declare a thing of the past, is not going anywhere soon.