Rotary Club of Ballarat East member Phil Mann said new stock kept rolling in for re-sale and some was proving worth a little more than typical gold-coin bargains.

"We'll still be selling the same kinds of books, but this time we have a large stock of second-hand valuable non-fiction books, such as local towns and cities books and an Australian military history book from 1907," Mr Mann said.

"We receive a lot of Australiana books and some we research online and find out what they're worth...because they're better books, we will prop them up in a different room where people can see the front covers, rather than just stuffing them on to shelves."

Mr Mann said such valuable reads would still be sold at a fraction of what they were worth for people to enjoy a bargain.

All proceeds from the Rotary sale support Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute.

Rotary Club of Ballarat East opened up its collection early last month for the first time in three years and, along with a sale on the first weekend of this month, has amassed almost $5000 to support FECRI's world-class research in Ballarat.

While pandemic restrictions had shut down most of the club's fundraising efforts for two years, book donations kept coming with people doing stocktakes and clearing out what they had on the shelves at home.

The club has also build up its shelves in a partnership with City of Ballarat libraries to collect pre-loved books when new editions and new adventures arrive for borrowing.

Children's books, novels, cooking recipes, gardening advice, arts and crafts, history and biographies are all staples featuring in the Rotary club's sales.

Mr Mann said they were piecing together a "tidy sum" to support FECRI.

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Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute is the only cancer research hub in regional Australia. The institute relies solely on philanthropy and community support to conduct its work, which largely focuses on unlocking the immune system's response to cancer cells.

FECRI is based at Ballarat Technology Park in the city's centre and boasts 15 staff and five PhD candidates from Federation University.

Rotary Club of Ballarat East's book sale is at the Ballarat Airport on Saturday. Signage will direct to the right shed off Airport Road. The sale runs 9am to 1pm.

The club is also set to host a special book sale edition on October 16 to support Ballarat Engine and Machinery Preservation Club's rally day at the airport.

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