This sale is said to have broken all records. The 350 stalls at the sale did brisk business and each stall had people coming back for more. It might have been the attractive discounts or the real love for books that lured them. But do people buy these books to read them or simply to add on to their collection?
C Manjunath, a professor, who bought books worth Rs 2,000 at the Sammelana, says, “Yes, there are few people who buy books of great authors only to add to their collection. But they never read any of those books.”
He adds, “I was awestruck when I entered the venue. There were over 350 stalls, each selling more than 5,000 books. I bought books related to the subject I teach and I
refer to them on a regular basis.”
Praveen Kumar, a young professional says, “Every exhibition lures visitors to make bulk purchases. I am sure those who go to book exhibitions buy a lot of books.” He adds, “Whenever I buy a book, I can’t stop myself from reading it. I don’t rest till I finish the book. There have been times when I have finished a book at a stretch.”
Balu Prasad, an engineer, confesses that he has read almost all the books that he has bought thus far. “There’s not a single book in my collection that I haven’t read. Book exhibitions don’t always come to the City so when they do happen here, one has to make the most of it. Being a book lover, I watch out for book exhibitions and the attractive discounts that come with them,” he says.
But Ankitha, a student, has a different point of view. “Whenever I see the ‘bestseller’ or ‘award-winning’ tag on a book, I buy it immediately. But after turning two or three pages of that book, I get bored,” she laughs.
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