The Sunday Haul (on 20.10.2024)

 Last Sunday I had the kind of super haul of books I haven’t had so far this year. I found more than half a dozen wonderful titles that filled me with lots of joy and also a certain confidence that I indeed have an eye for picking out good titles. 

 

The effects of the viral fever that I had for more than two weeks seemed to be wearing off and I felt much better than ever. I had started for Abids about an hour earlier than my usual time because I wanted to take public transport, and also take my own time to look at all the books laid on the pavements.

 

So, I began first with the sellers at Chikkadpally on the way to Abids. The first find was a wonderful book. I found a copy of ‘Bloomsbury Good Reading Guide’, something I felt I should have found long back. There’s so much about books by well-known writers, books in different genres, and other titles that I looked forward to start reading it right away. I got it for hundred rupees only. 

 

Then with another seller I found an almost new copy of ‘The Crooked Timber of New India’ by Parakala Prabhakar, a title that I had been wanting to read ever since it came out sometime last year. It is about how the country is being run at present. I got it for a hundred and fifty rupees. 

 

Then I hopped on another bus upto YMCA, and from there took a ride on a bike. I had chai and samosa in Grand while flipping through the pages of the two books I had found earlier at Chikkadpally. After the break for tea the first title I found at Abids was something that looked different but good. I spotted a copy of ‘The Novels of Ayi Kwei Armah’ by Robert Fraser, a slim hardcover book. I had never heard of Ayi Kwei Armah, and when I saw that the book was published by Heinemann I felt Armah must be one good novelist. So, I took this book and added it to my haul. 

 

I have the feeling that there is a lot I have to learn about writing beginning with grammar. So whenever I spot a good book on grammar I buy it. When I found ‘Bloomsbury Grammar Guide’, incidentally the second Bloomsbury title of the day, I picked it up. While paying for it I happened to glance at other books on the pavement and my eyes spotted the familiar logo of The Harvill Press on the cover of a book. 

Knowing how precious these books are I picked it up and saw that it was ‘The Conspiracy & Other Stories’ by Jaan Kross. I had once again found a book by an author I had never heard before. When I looked down at the bottom of the cover I saw the blurb by Doris Lessing- ‘Jaan Kross’ scope and depth make him a world writer.’ I knew it was too good and so grabbed it and was surprised when the seller asked just fifty rupees for it. In my heart of hearts, I knew that it was the best find in the haul I had gathered so far. It has the following stories: The Wound; Lead Piping; The Stahl Grammar; The Conspiracy; The Ashtray; and The Day Eyes Were Opened. 

 

I have a few titles by Jerzy Kosinski except the ‘The Painted Bird’ that I am still looking for as he is considered an unconventional writer. So when I spotted a slim book, a copy of ‘Being There’ by Jerzy Kosinski lying in a heap of books selling for just fifty rupees I grabbed it. On the cover it said that it was also made into a picture starring Peter Sellers and Shirley Maclaine. I was pleased to have found it. 

 

After finding these six titles I decided enough was enough and thought of not buying any more titles. However, once at Abids I cannot return without checking out all the sellers. So, it while doing so that I spotted another wonderful title that had the sort of an arresting cover that marks it out as something good. It was a copy of ‘Mr. Mani’ by A.B. Yehoshua, an author I hadn’t heard about before. But I was certain it was a good book even before I read on the cover the blurb by ‘The Nation’ that said- ‘A marvel…the Nobel Prize has been given for less.’ I felt it in my gut that it was a good book and so bought it for seventy-five rupees. It is translated from the Hebrew by Hillen Halkin and is ‘A Harvest Book’ published by Harcourt Brace & Company. 

 

With the same seller was another book on something that interests me a lot- handwriting. I found a copy of ‘The Missing Ink: How Handwriting Made Us Who We Are’ by Philip Hensher, a name I remember reading somewhere. This was the eighth book of last Sunday’s haul at Abids, and it was a wonderful haul of some wonderful titles by authors I haven’t heard about before. I just hope I find the time sometime soon to read at least a couple of books from this haul. 

The Sunday Haul (on 13.10.2024)

I was down with viral fever since the past two weeks and hence missed going to Abids for two weeks consecutively. However, I recovered and went to Abids last Sunday. Having missed two Sundays I was eager and hoped to pick up a lot of books but ended up buying only two though I saw a few titles that I now feel I should have bought and one among them was ‘The Great Railway Bazaar’ by Paul Theroux that I already have. 

Anyway, I first went to the seller at RTC X Roads and found a copy of ‘Subaltern Studies III: Writings on South Asian History and Society’ edited by Ranajit Guha. I had read about Ranajit Guha and so picked it up though it looked like an academic book. I got it for a hundred rupees.

 

When I saw the copy of ‘Walking the Mountains’ by Wilfred Thesiger later at Abids I was thrilled and bought it right away. I thought I had found another wonderful Thesiger title but when I sat in Star of India and leafed through the book over a cup of chai I realized that I already have a copy of it that I found a while ago. I did not regret buying it because I can always give it to someone who might enjoy reading it. 

On Friday last I had been to the launch of 'Beyond Biryani' by Dinesh C. Sharma, at the Guruswamy Centre in Secunderabad. The book is about Hyderabad and how it developed over the years as described by the author. The distinguished panel who had a discussion later highlighted other aspects of Hyderabad not many knew. I had taken along my son who seemed to have been awed by the attendees and the quality of the discussion. The price is of the book is too steep- Rs.799/, and I hope the book is worth it. I also got the book signed by the author who is also a journalist. 

Hyderabad Book Fair news: I had read in the papers that the annual Hyderabad National Book Fair would be conducted sometime in the second fortnight of December this year. A seller at Abids told me that it could be from December 19-29, 2024. So it is a wait of two more months.