What I Got at the Regent

By Centre for the Book | He Rau Kupu | Posted: Friday May 01, 2026

On Tuesday 21 April, an Otago Centre for the Book event, called “What I Got at the Regent,” drew together a group of book enthusiasts to show off an eclectic collection of treasures, bought at this year’s Regent Theatre Book Sale, mostly for the standard Regent price of $2.

Every year, thousands of people attend the annual Regent Book Sale, which began in 1979. Centre for the Book co-director, Assoc. Prof. Paul Tankard, who hosted this first-time follow-up event at the Athenaeum Library in the Octagon, said, “There are a lot of people like me, for whom the Regent Book Sale is the most exciting event of the year. I wanted to gather some of them together.”

Some people are collecting genres (crime fiction, NZ poetry, children’s books); some, particular authors; some, special topics (World War 2). Others are after bibliographical curiosities. Some find surprises, others just what they were looking for.

“Everyone was interested to find what other people are buying,” Paul said. “We’ll certainly do this again, after the next Regent Book Sale.”