It was so hot this Sunday I felt it would have been better to stay at home than suffer the risk of sunstroke. When I reached Abids at eleven with a cap and a bottle of water, I noticed there was a thin crowd, less than a third of the usual mob. But at the end I was glad I came because I found four good books and two magazines-a really good haul for less than 120 bucks.
The first find was Elmore Leonard’s “Out of Sight” that I got for only ten bucks which was the reason I picked it up though I have this book with me. It was in excellent condition and would make a good gift. I haven’t read the book yet so I cannot say what the story is. The first find was the harbinger of the rest of the day’s haul.
The second book was by an author I had read a lot about and one who was often subject to savage criticism. I wanted to see if he deserved all that criticism and so picked up Sasthi Brata’s ‘She and He’ for ten bucks in the lane that houses the Bommana stores opposite the twin theatre complex on Tilak Road. It was in an okay condition. Only last week I had picked up a book by an Indian writer- Namita Gokhale’s ‘Paro’ which I have finished reading. I will post the review sometime next week.
The third find was a total surprise. I had dropped in at the second hand bookstore at Liberty sometime back and found another autobiography by a writer- ‘Here Lies Eric Ambler’ by Eric Ambler. I did not pick it up since every time I went to the store I could see that no one was interested in the book which was at the same place on the rack. But this Sunday, I saw the book on the pavement. It was a hard bound copy and a first edition, I would notice later. I got this book for only twenty rupees. Somehow I love to read autobiographies and memoirs by writers. I feel reading such books throws some light on the way an author shaped up.
The next find was a sort of text book. It was ‘Understanding Fiction’ by Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren. The book had fifty stories by writers like Mark Twain, O Henry, Bret Harte, William Faulkner- in short all the big names of fiction. It was a sort of text book for readers to go deeper into the story and see how it is written. I thought it would be of use and picked the 515- page paperback for only twenty rupees. I was happy finding this book on this hot day.
The two magazines, I deliberately bought to analyse the men’s magazines scene in India. One was the very first issue of ‘&’ (andpersand) magazine and the second one was the latest ( Feb-Mar 08) issue of ‘The Man’ of the Malayal Manorama group. Sometime back I had purchased the latest issue of ‘Man’s World’ (now just ‘mw’), and a couple of weeks ago I found ‘m’ magazine at Abids. It gave me an idea that I can do a post about these kind of magazines. So, one of my posts in the future would be on the men’s magazines scene in India.
Although I saw yet another catalogue of Mont Blanc ‘Expressions’ I did not pick it up. By all counts it was a good haul and I was glad I didn’t let the hot sun deter me from my trip to Abids.
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