A rare spread

All kinds of books are on sale — classics, children’s books, study guides, biographies, and if you’re lucky enough, some rare editions as well. There are stalls by publishers and distributors from across India but the bulk of them are from Bangalore itself – Navneet Publication Ltd, Jaico Publishing House, Pageturner, British Library and Sahitya Akademi to name a few.

Sudha Book House was one of the most crowded stalls.  “We specialise in old books which go back as far as 1,835 editions. We also have autographed copies by 200 authors like R K Narayan and Nehruji, which I’ve spent more than 20 years getting signed,” says D Gopinath, the stall owner.

Other than the usual book sales, this one also has some unique stalls. The Krishnamurti Foundation of India (KFI) stall is one such example. “The young and old have been coming to this stall wanting to find books on Jiddu’s philosophies. We have some subsidised books which are very popular,” says Suresh Manjani, the man in charge of KFI publications.

“Compared to last year, the turnover and the crowd has been much better this year,” he adds. For the common book lover attending the fair, there’s a plethora of options to choose from. The best part is that the options do not stop at books. Customers can also consider purchasing stationery, DVDs, and even the new-age audio books.

“There’s a very good spread of books. In fact, it’s too good because it’s confusing to select one stall with the number of publishers here,” says Tina Chandy, a visitor at the fair. “The only thing I didn’t find were books on art and craft, which was a little disappointing,” she adds. The book fair is being held till November 27 at Gayathri Vihar, Palace Grounds. It will remain open from 11 am to 8 pm.