In search of the perfect book…

Amidst the crowded room between shelves and hidden in the tight corners of a small stall lies a little book waiting for an ardent reader to treasure it.

Maybe it’s a collector’s edition, or it could be a rare classic or perhaps a run-of-the-mill popular bestseller – we must remember it’s not a new release and has in fact discovered earlier when it was first published – but, if you believe that a book has a soul then it’s waiting for its ‘mate’ to discover it.

Eight days ago when the 30th edition of the Hyderabad Book Fair (HBF) was inaugurated at NTR Grounds there were doubts.

There were fewer stalls in comparison to last year and most of all, the demon of demonetisation loomed over it.

The weather was not on its side as well; it’s hot and sunny during the day with sudden unforeseen dips in temperature around the evening; there’s only so much preparation readers can make in terms of what to wear and enjoy a day of discovering books.

Perhaps, the economic aspects of HBF are unfortunate; however, hardcore bibliophiles and new readers are thronging the fair alike in their love for the written word.

In terms of its attractions, HBF has many. Organisers left no stone unturned and upped the wow factor this year; there are art shows every day, the writer’s hall is a major hit, and the association with ‘Story Art India’ is the most innovative attraction for children so far.

But, at its core the fair is about books and this is where it makes it mark.

Sellers from across the country along with their counterparts from Hyderabad brought their best books at the fair across all genres.

In particular, the collection of classics is one of the best ones the fair has seen.

Not far behind are illustrated editions of children’s books and making no surprises for their sales are books in regional languages that are ruling the roost.

Of course, it’s a blessing in disguise for city-based sellers that big guns from Delhi and many from Chennai do not have their stalls.

Local sellers are shining with gems, such as rare editions of ‘The Gathering Strom’ by Winston Churchill and ‘A biography of Rabindranath Tagore’ by Krishna Kripalani among others; big names in Classics like the coveted Graham Greene, ahead-of-its-time Kate Chopin’s collection of short stories and not-usually-seen anthologies from DH Lawrence and many more.

A welcome sight for collectors from the city was the discovery of Hyderabad sellers armed with knowledge of the editions they were selling on par with their counterparts from Mumbai.

In this regard, Balakrishna of Sri Vasu Book Centre brought his personal collection of Mir books (yes, you read that right) that includes 12 volumes of leather-bound works of Lenin with pleasure-to-touch embossed details on it, collections of short stories by Maxim Gorky and original out-of-circulation publications of Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

“Most of the times Mir books are about academics, such as in Mathematics or Physics, and they house in depth knowledge of the subjects.

I have those here, too,” says the seller.

“But, I had in my possession some fiction works of this Soviet Union’s publication house of 1946 in my personal library and I brought it here,” he shares and adds, “I am glad people of Hyderabad are opting to buy these rare books; it shows their understanding of literature and gives us pleasure in selling it, too.”

Mumbai-based bookseller Dhananjay Pandey of Pratik Book Centre brought collector’s edition that are over 100-years-old.

“These book are so rare and old that the pages are all weary with age,” he says showing a leather-bound edition of ‘Vintage Cars’, which the seller has for around Rs 5,000.

“It was handed over to me for safekeeping by the family of a collector in Mumbai, who compiled this book circa 1920,” he says.

“I brought it here in the hopes of passing it on to someone passionate about cars,” adds Pandey.

Incidentally, sellers from the land of dreams in the West, especially from Colaba have always been a passionate lot about books.

Says Gyaneshwar Kane, a Mumbai-based seller of Book NX stall, “I may not be much of a reader, but I love selling books.

Most people at my stall are opting for motivational books.

I see it as an opportunity to suggest books that will develop reading habits in them. But, by far our biggest selling books have been classics, mostly Dickens’ and the Brontë’s.”
Pratibha, a Civil Services aspirant, who has been a religious patron for seven years, is happy with it.

“It’s more organised this year and the collection of books is the best!” she affirms.

The book fair has its iconic sights; crowds thronging to make it a success either alone or with families.

Some are seen loitering and “sightseeing” but, majority are readers, who if we did not know any better, would be classified as book hoarders.

Sights of children running around and pestering their parents for illustrated encyclopedias and storybooks are abundant, so are the stereotypical “hippies” with multiple jholas filled with books seen around.

Economic aspects aside, in the case of Hyderabad Book Fair, the verdict is out – it is a victory of books with no competition! Take your time to search for your soul mate, because if there is such a thing as ‘perfect’, you’ll find it at the Hyderabad Book Fair.