These Are The Best Bookstores in Delhi

In a time when traditional stores are being ‘phased’ out by branded stores in malls, Khan Market’s Bahrisons manages to hold its own. The key perhaps is an informative attitude to books & the readiness to procure the ones that aren't available. Bahrisons has an array of books of all kinds, & well displayed, with each shelf bound to arrest your attention. They've moved with the times as well, & there’s an outlet now at DLF Place in Saket.

Location | Opp. Main Gate, Khan Market

After the closing down of the original Oxford Bookstore at the Statesmen House, we are happy to see the bookshop cum cafe (Cha Bar) bigger and brighter than before. With so many different genres and variety of books, one can easily lose themselves here for hours on end, while sipping on a hot beverage. It has a lovely play/reading area especially for kids which is a great initiative.

Location | N81, Barakhamba Road, Connaught Place

The Full Circle bookstore is a classic example of a café-cum-bookstore, at the Khan Market outlet as it is located above Cafe Turtle. This is a perfect place where one can have a good read while enjoying the food at the café. The bookshop is stocked with a number of books on a wide variety of topics. The place has a beautiful appeal to it - thanks to the extensive use of wood, handmade Buddha wall hangings and the creative atmosphere. It also has outlets in GK I & Nizamuddin East.

Location | Shop No.23, Khan Market

Om Book Shop is a part of Om Books International and is the largest chain of bookstores in Delhi and NCR. It offers different genres of books ranging from Art, Autobiographies, Spiritual, Cookery to Business and Finance to name a few including movies, magazines and cds. OBS also promotes book reading among children with hosting special story telling and book reading sessions every month in their stores.

They’ve Got Multiple Outlets Across Delhi NCR

Picture Credits: Shival Srivastav

Midland is a bookstore that was established initially in 1985. Stocked with books from all leading publications as well as magazines and stationary, this book store caters to a wide number of customers and carries books for all genres and subjects. The staff employed in this store is very helpful and knowledgeable about the books. Its outlet in South Extension has a warm and inviting environment that beckons book-lovers time and again.

Location | G-8, Basement Main Market, South Extension I

In the last 22 years, People Tree has become a brand. It is not just a shop, but a lot more. With its team of extremely creative artists, photographers & designers it has made a huge name for itself in the market of personalized t-shirts, artworks, crafts & books. The bookstore which opened in 2001 has a great collection of books, especially in Hindi literature, cinema, theatre, music & travel. Films & music are also well-stocked here. This CP based design studio-cum-store is a meeting point of art, commerce & madness where handicrafts, textiles, illustrations & tees are created. Don't visit this store on Sunday as it remains closed.

Location | 8 Regal Building, Parliament Street, Connaught Place

The Book Shop, earlier placed in Khan Market was very popular and a landmark of sorts, until it shut down. It has since moved to Jor Bagh in the form of a humble and cozy modest shop which may not be so easy to find, but it's definitely worth it - once you do. Don't get put off by the size of the store, as you would be surprised to find many rare prized possessions that you wouldn't be able to find elsewhere. One can easily spend half a day in here.

Location | Jor Bagh Colony

For those wanting their books cheap & in bulk, there is no joy compared to what this area has in store to offer all the bookworms. Located in Old Delhi between the Delhi Gate & the Jama Masjid, this stretch, over a kilometre long, sees its pavements lined with novels, magazines, study guides, illustrated coffee-table books, even stationery & music CDs. Navigating through the crowd that throngs here is tough business, as people tramp around, bargaining vigorously & stocking their bags to bursting points with old tomes sold at less than a tenth of their market price.

Location | Near Delhi Gate

Books are famed to be one’s best companions and M/S Faqir Chand and Son books store stands tall serving this purpose in Khan Market. Children books, periodicals, magazines, drawing books, cookery books, comics, non-fiction storybooks and reference books are available here. Step in here at any of the week except for Sundays when it remains closed.

Location | 15-A, Khan Market

Crossword aims to be a point of cultural and social interaction where authors and poets hold court, where children are regaled, where people gravitate to be informed and to be entertained! From fiction novels to autobiographies, comics, self help books et al, Crossword has just about everything and is truly a bibliophile's haven!

Location | Select Citywalk, Saket

Galgotia Book Shop

Stroll along CP’s Inner Circle & you will come across this bookstore tucked in the corner of B Block. Walk into the store & your senses shall be welcomed by the musty smell of old books & long shelves lined with all sorts of things to read. The more ‘visible’ portions of the store stock a large fiction & nonfiction collection, in addition to books for children, dictionaries & travel guides. To the right, is a dingy section of the store, which stores all manner of old tomes, & is one of the genuine treasure troves for the same. There are large coffee tables, volumes on cars, architecture, history, wildlife, motorcycles, planes & what not. There are heavy encyclopedic volumes of all kinds, in addition to old picture books etc. 

Location | 17 B, Inner Circle, Connaught Place

Delhi Book Store

This is one of the leading book stores for medical and non-medical books in India. It aims to be the bookstore of choice for Doctors, Engineers, Technocrafts, Corporates, Scientists, Academics, Students & Scholars. Having started selling books on foot and cycle, today the Delhi Book Store is Asia's largest showroom of medical books, with a record 99,000 titles on display. Spread over 20,000-sq ft., the five-floor showroom in Daryaganj retails books on all branches of medical science. It has been quick to embrace modern methods of distribution, while building on its heritage and outstanding history.

Location | 19, Ansari Road, Daryaganj

Also, it is worth noting that there are two major Book fairs that take place in Delhi on an annual basis - The New Delhi World Book Fair and the Delhi Book Fair at Pragati Maidan.