Book Lovers! These Stalls In Saket Sell A Host Of Pre-Owned Books Starting At Rs 50

If you’re anything like us, then chances are a Kindle just doesn’t do the trick! We’re all for being tech-savvy, but when it comes to the good ol’ leisurely pleasure of reading, swiping across a screen doesn’t come even CLOSE to flipping actual pages. But sigh, the Great Amazon Sale is only bi-annual and since we need a constant inflow of those gorgeous paperbacks and hard-bounds to breathe in the the magic of the written word, frequent book purchases can become a bit of a cost issue. If you can stay up through the night and polish off that 400-page novel because you JUST couldn’t wait to find out how it ends (#SleepIsForTheWeak), you know what we’re talking about!

But guess what, we’ve found the perfect, perfect solution for you. The PVR Anupam Complex in Saket houses four stalls selling the largest array of second-hand books! Located in the centre of the square, these are pretty easy to spot (but just in case you’re still confused, look right near Subway and Keventer’s).

50 Bucks & Up!

You will spot pile after pile and stack after stack of pre-owned books of every kind ever, mostly in quite a decent, readable condition. Books by popular authors, both Indian and international, start at a mere Rs 50. Most books are available at Rs 100, however, a few special editions or hardcovers may cost a bit more. We found a delightful hardbound, glossy paper, full colour recipe book here for Rs 250, and an Amazon search later revealed the reality - renowned Italian author, limited edition copy, retailing at almost 20 times the price for which we scored it! What an irresistible steal! You can pay via cash, and some of the sellers also accept Paytm.

Works of popular authors like John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, Sophie Kinsella, Dan Brown, Stephen King, Cecelia Ahern, Robin Cook, Danielle Steel and Nicholas Sparks are available aplenty, alongside much-loved series such as Twilight, Sherlock Holmes and The Hardy Boys. There are also a few copies of books by authors which don’t actually retail across Indian bookstores (the imported kind which cost Rs 1,500 on Amazon. Yay!). And of course, you’ll find several piles devoted to Indian authors such as Chetan Bhagat, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan, Shobhaa De, Amish Tripathi, Jhumpa Lahiri, and even younger, newer ones on the block.

If classic is more your style, then there are lots of options for that as well. And if you’re looking for something specific, there’s also a smaller range of subject-specific books, ranging across the arenas of sports and fitness, family and self-care and culinary arts, to name a few. There are also a host of encyclopedias and atlases up for sale as well!

Weekend Shopping Sesh Sorted!

The underlying muskiness in the air around these stalls is the sure-shot way to the heart of a true bibliophile. Since there’s no way you could resist this and will end up making a LOT of purchases (and justifiably so!), don’t forget to carry a large bag along with yourself, since the sellers don’t hand out carry bags. 

Toh bas, next Sunday when you’re trapped inside your home, thanks to the crazy Delhi monsoon, you can just curl up on the sofa with a sizzling samosa, some garam chai and one of the treasures available at these stalls, and visit a different world for a few hours. Such unadulterated, pure bliss!

Take out, at the least, a solid one hour before going book-shopping here. There are innumerable titles for you to scan through, and as you get lost in the world of books and read all the blurbs at the back of the covers (“haan bhaiya, yeh waali bhi chahiye”), you won’t even realise where the afternoon went. You can stick to tried and tested varieties or pick up something to read of a genre you’ve never read before; there’s something for everyone.

We don’t know exactly what, but there’s something absolutely enchanting about old books. Perhaps it’s the lingering smell, the aging covers, the yellowing pages, or the mysteriously highlighted sentences. It’s as if they tell a story of their own, a story of the lives of those who held these in the past, devouring every single word. An echo of their thoughts, their voices. It’s a different kind of magic. Dive in!

Location | PVR Anupam Complex, Community Hall, Saket District Centre

Browse Through More Images: