O'ahu's most popular book sale is bigger than ever this year, with 200,000 new and used books just waiting for a buyer when the sale began.

That's 30 percent more books than last year. It's so many that the Friends of the Library of Hawai'i Annual Booksale not only occupies the cafeteria, but spills over into two tents outside and an area underneath the library at McKinley High School.

"This year it's really big because they expanded so there's so much more to see," said Kathy Chang of Manoa, who comes yearly during the first four days of the sale because new materials are set out regularly.

She said she purchased more than 30 books during the first two days for almost $100 and picked up comics for her niece and fiction books for herself yesterday.

The sale is a perennial favorite, drawing thousands of people for books that cost as little as 25 cents, as well as CDs, music DVDs and rare or out-of-print Hawaiiana books. Some items are in new or mint condition.

Among the countless shelves and tables yesterday were treasures ranging from "The Little Red Hen," part of the The Little Golden Book series, to the classic "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens.

Volunteers estimate more than 3,000 people have come each day since this year's sale began Friday. Thousands more are expected by the time the sale ends Sunday.

This is the 61st annual book sale and the first time the Friends of the Library of Hawai'i and the Hawai'i Public Radio Almost New Music sale have joined forces.

Lisa Preis of Kaimuki and her children, Anton, 10, and Talia, 8, come to the sale one day every year. Some of the items they found yesterday included books on art and world civilization, along with comics and children's books.

Co-chairs Nobuo Kiwada and Rosemary Chong said the book sale is a good way to promote recycling and it also benefits low-income people. Some buyers who don't speak English purchase dictionaries, and many books sell for $1.50 or $2.

With the prices of gasoline and other commodities rising this summer, reading should be a really big thing, Chong said. She and the other 250 volunteers helping with the sale are encouraging families to buy puzzles and children's books since activities and travel may be limited by financial constraints.

Proceeds from the sale benefit Hawai'i public libraries. Materials are donated through the Hawai'i State Library recycling program and members of the community. All items not sold will be sent to Moloka'i for sale or to the library.

"It's (the book sale) actually one of the traditions in Hawai'i that is treasured by almost everybody who reads," said Chong, noting that volunteers watch as children grow from easy readers to fiction and nonfiction books.

"The more educated our population is, the better we are as a state," Chong said.