The Sunday Haul (on 23.06.2019)

It had rained heavily on Friday night here in Hyderabad and going by the clouds it looked like it would rain on Sunday too. Call me selfish or whatever but I did not want it to rain on Sunday at least until the afternoon because it would mess up my Abids book hunt. Luckily though it was cloudy it did not rain in the morning on Sunday, and I was also lucky enough to find some good titles in the haul.

I began to read books when I was not yet in high school and that was sometime in the mid-seventies. One of the first books I had read was ‘The Guide’ by RK Narayan that I found on the shelves of an uncle who was an English lecturer. Until last Sunday I did not have a good copy of the book with me. Last Sunday I came across a book that simply had ‘The Guide’ by RK Narayan on the faded hardcover. When I picked it up for a closer book the back cover detached itself and remained on the ground. When I looked at the inside pages I was excited to find that it was a 1958 edition published by Methuen… Seeing the condition of the cover I wouldn’t have bought it. But when I looked at the type face I couldn’t resist buying it.

The previous Sunday I had seen a nice hardcover copy of ‘In Other Words’ by Jhumpa Lahiri that I did not buy. The seller had asked for such a steep price I thought it was not worth buying it at that price. It was the English translation of the book that Jhumpa Lahri wrote in Italian. I love to read such books about how someone did something interesting and also difficult. However, later after I got home I regretted not buying it and hoped I would find it this Sunday. Luckily for me no one had bought it and I took it along with two other wonderful titles I found with the same seller.

One of the titles was ‘High Five: An Anthology of Fiction from Ten Years of High Five’ edited by Megan Sexton. This is a collection of nineteen short stories published in ‘High Five’ literary journal over a period of ten years. The stories are divided into three categories- Self, Family, and Other. I could recognize only a few names I had read before: Ha Jin, Peter Ho Davies, Leslie Epstein, Alice Hoffman, Robert Olen Butler, Madison Smartt Bell, and Ann Beattie.

The third title was a nice, small book that I nearly missed since it was partly hidden by another larger book. It was a copy of ‘Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual’ by Michael Pollan. There are sixty four rules of eating in all, divided into three parts: What should I Eat, What kind of Food Should I Eat?, and How Should I Eat? The rules are very interesting and one rule (Rule No. 11) that I found to be pertinent was ‘Avoid Foods advertised on Television.’ I got these three books for three hundred rupees.

The last find was a nice copy of ‘Indian Country’ by Peter Matthiessen. I haven’t come across any title by Matthiessen except ‘The Snow Leopard’ and finding this title was like finding a treasure. I got it for just sixty rupees.

The Sunday Haul (on 16-09-2019)

Normally I say a little prayer in my heart before setting out for Abids to look for books at the famed Sunday book market that I’d find some wonderful books but sometimes, very rarely, I say the opposite prayer. I pray that I don’t find any book worth buying though I could have skipped going to Abids when that mood takes over but I don’t because going to Abids on Sunday mornings has become such a habit that if I stay even a minute longer at home after eleven on Sunday that I get kicked out. Last Sunday turned out to be one such day when I wished and prayed that I wouldn’t find anything worth buying.

The prayer almost came true and I returned from Abids without buying a single book but on the way home I saw something that changed everything. At one of the sellers in Chikkadpally I spotted a beautiful, almost new copy of ‘The Gene’ by Siddhartha Mukherjee and I almost bought it. But I realized I already have it and had also read it so I came home without buying it. Later in the evening, mind clear after the afternoon tea, I remembered that I had read ‘The Gene’ in the library at the Institute and that I do not have the copy of the book at home since I hadn’t bought it. That was enough to make me jump on my two-wheeler and rush to Chikkadpally silently praying that no one had bought the book I now desperately wanted to own.

I almost collapsed with relief when I saw the copy of ‘The Gene’ by Siddhartha Mukherjee at the same place where I had seen it in the morning. It was a hardcover copy with the jacket intact and in almost new condition. I got it at one third of the cover price.

A Midweek Haul

The previous Saturday was a holiday for us because it was the second Saturday. I dropped in at the Unique book store in Lakdi-ka-pul to check out the stock. The store was downsized to just one small room from the two-room store it had been the last time I was there. The stock too seemed lesser than before but I could find two titles that I bought.

The first title I picked up was a nice copy of ‘The Way of Story: The Craft and Soul of Writing’ by Cathrine Ann Jones that a red cover with a Japanese painting. I bought it because I simply cannot resist any title on writing. I noticed that the author had signed it for someone called ‘Afeefa’. After going home I started reading the book out of curiosity after I read in the Author’s Note where she thanked her son, Christopher Rama Rao. I was surprised to learn that Cathrine Ann Jones had been married to Raja Rao, the English novelist, author of ‘Kanthapura’ and ‘The Serpent and the Rope’!

The other title I picked up was a copy of ‘Death of a Thin Skinned Animal’ by Patrick Alexander that promised to be a good read. I read it right away after I got home and was pleased to discover that Patrick Alexander was a wonderful writer. I was glad I picked it up on a hunch that it could be a good book. This midweek haul cost me quite a packet but I am glad I hauled in two good titles- one entertaining title and another educative title.

The Sunday Haul (on 09-06-2019)

Now that Ramzan was out of the way the second hand booksellers were back at their usual places at Abids. The morning was warm but nowhere as hot as it had been the previous Sunday. It had rained on Friday evening and things seemed to have cooled down a bit. The forecasts said there was another week or so to go before the monsoon hits the state and the rains come down. Everyone in the country seemed to be waiting for the monsoon and following the forecasts rather keenly. The monsoon is a phenomenon by itself and makes for a fascinating subject.

Coincidentally, I found a rather wonderful book on the monsoons that I have already read before quite a long time back. It was a nice copy of ‘Chasing the Monsoon/ by Alexander Frater that I wanted to buy and read since right now there is so much of hungama about the monsoons. I got it for sixty rupees.

Next find was a beautiful copy of ‘The Maltese Falcon’ by Dashiell Hammett, a copy with the same cover that I had picked up not so long ago. I have about four copies of this book but I wanted this copy too. I couldn’t talk myself out of not buying it and ended up feeling glad that I bought it anyhow. I bought this book also for sixty rupees from the same seller.

The previous Sunday I had seen a copy of ‘Bengali Cooking’ by Chitrita Bannerjee that was in a good condition with an attractive cover but somehow I did not buy it. I have a copy of ‘Eating India’ by the same author so this Sunday I decided I would buy it. It did not come cheap though and I had to pay a hundred rupees for this book.

Then after chai at the local Irani I spotted a beautiful copy of ‘Quick & Easy Indian Cooking’ by Madhur Jaffrey. It had some wonderful photographs on glossy paper and the production was high class so I thought the seller would charge me a bomb. But I got it for a jaw dropping price of only fifty rupees.

After these two cook books I started for home feeling thirsty. I had forgotten to bring the water bottle so I wanted to go home and have some water. On the way I stopped at one of the sellers at Chikkadpally. I spotted a nice copy of ‘The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux. I have about four copies of this title including a hardcover copy, and did not feel like adding a fifth one on the shelf. But it was too tempting to leave it behind for someone to pick it up so I took it. I got it for a hundred rupees

The Sunday Haul (on 02-06-2019)

On Saturday there was a respite from the hot weather with cloudy skies and a cool breeze. I believed the weather would continue on Sunday too but I was disappointed. It was quite hot last Sunday when I reached Abids about an hour earlier than my usual time. Sunday was Telangana Formation Day and I had been to the Institute for the flag hoisting event. Soon after it was over I set out for Abids. It was the last Sunday of the Ramzan month so all the regular stores were open which meant that the second hand book sellers had to disperse to various corners of Abids other than their usual places in front of the regular stores.

The first find was an unusual book. I spotted a nice copy of ‘An Unquiet Mind’ by Kay Redfield Jamison lovingly encased in plastic by the previous owner. It was a memoir of mental illness by the author who was also a psychiatrist by profession. In fact she was ….which made the book more interesting. Inside there was high praise for the book but even without it I would have bought the book because I love reading memoirs.

The previous Sunday I had seen a copy of ‘Beloved’ by Toni Morrison that I did not buy right away. I decided to buy it on the way back after checking out other sellers. However I forgot about it somehow and it was only after I reached home I realized I had forgotten the book. I hoped no one would buy it and so passed the week in anxious anticipation though I already have a copy. Luckily I spotted it at the same spot last Sunday and took it. I got it for just fifty rupees.