The Sunday Haul (on 28-02-2021)

For the first time this year I ventured out to Abids carrying a cap that I put on after I reached Abids. The temperature here is hovering above 30 degrees and it is uncomfortably warm in the open. I was glad I had the cap on because I saw many people look at me with something like envy. Cap on head I browsed for an hour and half and managed to pick up four books. The first find was a title that I almost missed spotting because it was partly hidden under other books piled in a heap.

A week ago I began to read Robert Graves’ ‘Greek Myths’ and have been fascinated by the characters in it and what they do. It made me want to read the Greek philosophers to better understand people and their actions. I have always been fascinated by the writings of Aristotle, Sophocles, Epictetus and so on. I do not miss any opportunity to buy stuff that makes one think about the human situation and what people do in different situations in life. On Sunday I came across a copy of ‘In Consolation to His Wife’ by Plutarch, which was a slim, small book with an eye-catching cover. I picked it up for just thirty rupees.

The next find was a rather nice copy of ‘The Sense of an Ending’ by Julian Barnes that was with the same seller who had the Plutarch title. I already have a copy of ‘The Sense of an Ending’ and have read it a couple of times. I liked it so much that I bought the second copy I saw last Sunday because I want to give it to someone I know and also because it was priced at only fifty rupees. The first copy I had bought many years ago was two hundred and fifty rupees if I remember correctly. Getting it for just fifty rupees was a pleasant surprise.

The next find was another title that I already own. I saw a copy of ‘The Craft of Fiction’ by Percy Lubbock with a different cover and when I opened it I noticed that it was an Indian edition. Nevertheless I bought it for the seller asked for only thirty rupees for it. I don’t know where my first copy is so finding this copy was a happy coincidence since I was thinking about it a few days ago when I read about it somewhere.

The last find of the day was an unusual book. I couldn’t fail to miss it because it had an unusual title. It was a copy of ‘An African student in China’ by Emmanuel John Hevi. It had an intriguing ring to it so I picked it up. The seller asked for only twenty rupees for it.

That was last Sunday's haul at Abids.