The Sunday Haul (on 25-05-2025)

 

After the huge haul of more than twenty books the previous Sunday I was reluctant to go to Abids as I was afraid I would find more books to buy. However, keeping my fears aside I went there with the resolve that I would only look and not buy even a single book. My resolve held when I came across a wonderful biography of Indira Gandhi but did not buy it. But the resolve melted when I spotted another book that I felt I would never find again anywhere. 

Exactly a decade ago, in March 2015 I found an old copy of ‘The Love Letter and Other Stories’ by Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer that had fourteen stories in it. I was quite elated at finding a book by a Malayalam writer I had only read about till then. The stories in it were translations of the original Malayalam stories into English. I read all of them and one story about a boy and an elephant remained in my mind. (see post dated 8 March, 2015)

Then last Sunday on the same stretch of pavement at Abids where I had found my first Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer book I found a copy of ‘Me Grandad ‘Ad and Elephant’ by Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer. I almost did not look at the cover of the book that had the title ‘Me Grandad ‘Ad and Elephant’ peeking out on the top of the book while the rest of the book was under another book. I thought it was a childrens’ book and was about to walk away when something made me take out the book for a better look and when I saw the name of the author I was thrilled. I felt a rush of pure joy at finding this wonderful book. 

A Penguin title, it has only three stories: Childhood Friend; Me Grandad ‘Ad an Elephant; and Pattumma’s Goat that were translated from the Malayalam by R.E. Asher and Achamma Coilparampil Chandarsekaran. The cover illustration is done by Krishnendu Chaki and cover design by Amiya Bhattacharya. Also I loved the font used that reminds me of good books. 

It looked an old copy and inside I saw the round stamp of ‘Kaaizens Reading Space & Library’ on one of the front pages. I got this book for just fifty rupees.

The Sunday Haul (on 18-05-2025)

Last Sunday I made the biggest ever hauls of my life when I picked up more than twenty books in a matter of a couple of hours. The previous Sunday with a seller at Chikkadpally I spotted about two dozen titles of J.M. Coetzee that I almost bought right away. Somehow, I decided not to be impulsive and wait a week before deciding to buy them.

Even before I could get to that seller who had the J.M. Coetzee I found a copy of ‘A Career in Book Publishing’ by Samuel Israel that was an NBT title. A long time I had found a copy of ‘Editors on Editing’ that had an article by Samuel Israel that I found to be very useful and informative. I picked up this copy of ‘A Career in Book Publishing’ for fifty rupees. This was the first title in the big haul.

The next find was another wonderful title, a thick volume. I found a beautiful copy of ‘‘The Granta Book of the American Short Story’ ed Richard Ford that I grabbed right away. It had more than forty short stories by writers like Paul Bowles, John Cheever, Robert Coover, Eudora Welty and other well-known short story writers. However, there were names of writers I hadn’t heard before but what made me very happy was that there were stories by writers I like especially James Salter, James Baldwin, and Lorrie Moore. I got this book for a hundred and fifty rupees. 

Next stop was the seller who had the Coetzee titles and I approached with a bit of trepidation. I had already decided to buy all those titles and I was anxious if they were all there. Luckily I noticed that they were all there at the same place I had seen them. These are the J.M.Coetzee titles I picked up: 

‘Disgrace’ 

‘Youth’

‘Elizabeth Costello’

‘Foe’

‘Slow Man’

‘Boyhood’

‘Diary of a Bad Year’

‘In the Heart of the Country’

‘Dusklands’

‘Waiting for the Barbarians

‘Age of Iron’

Summertime’

‘The Master of Petersburg’

‘Life & Times of Michael K’

‘The Schooldays of Jesus’

‘The Childhood of Jesus’

‘Here and Now: Letters 2008-2011’ Paul Auster and J.M.Coetzee. 

I think all these titles belonged to one person who must have sold off his collection of J.M. Coetzee titles. Some of these copies have a curious dedication on the inside title pages. 

Curiously, I found another title edited by Richard Ford who also edited the Granta Book of American Short Story. Another coincidence was that it was also by Granta!

I almost decided against buying ‘The Womanizer’ ed Richard Ford but when I saw the name of William T. Vollman in the contents page I bought it. I had been looking for something by Vollman since a long time and at last I found something. 

The last book I found at Abids was a nice copy of 'Love & Summer' by William Trevor. Though I had earlier found two copies of this title I couldn't resist buying this as I was getting for only fifty rupees. 

The Sunday Haul (on 11-05-2025)

It has become a little cool in Hyderabad thanks to the regular and almost daily thunderstorms towards evening/night bringing in rain. On Sunday too it was marginally cool though I took my cap along. Though I did not spend more than an hour at Abids because I had to return home for a function at home I managed to find more than a couple of good titles some of them I already have. 

The first find was a nice copy of ‘City of Djinns’ by William Dalrymple that I do not remember buying before but at the back of my mind was a vague feeling that I had already bought it earlier. However knowing the noted historian’s books I did not mind possessing a second copy of ‘City of Djinns’ so I picked it up. 

Somehow, I have not read a single SciFi title till now because I find it not to my taste. When I spotted a copy of ‘Broken Symmetries’ by Paul Preuss, a Penguin title I decided to buy it not because I wanted to read it but because I wanted to give it to someone I know who is a huge fan of SciFi. 

Another title I had found a few months back was ‘Foreign Correspondent: 50 Years of Reporting South Asia’ edited by John Eliott and others that I still have not managed to find the time to read, and it was the same title I came across at Abids. Not willing to let it be on the pavement I bought it. It was in good condition and I have in mind someone who told me his dream was to be a foreign correspondent to whom I can give it. 

A long time back a friend who is an avid reader told me about ‘Travels with the Fish’ by CY Gopinath and urged me to read it saying that it was very funny. I couldn’t find a copy and somehow it did not strike me to ask my friend to lend me his copy. But last Sunday I found a copy at last, and felt a bit elated that I had finally got hold of of it. 

Since I had missed stopping at Chikkadpally in the morning I felt restless and after lunch I went there and found a copy of ‘The Iranian Afaquies Contribution to the Qutbshahi and Adilshahi Kingdoms’ by Dr. Sadiq Naqvi. I also spotted a huge collection of titles by a famous Nobel Prize winning author that I planned to pick up next Sunday. Also there were two other wonderful titles I did not buy but told myself I would pick them up next Sunday. 

The Sunday Haul (on 04-05-2025)

 I was glad to be back at Abids last Sunday as I had missed going there since I was travelling in Pune. It was a bit hot when I stepped out of the house and headed to Chikkadpally before going to Abids. 

At a seller in Chikkadpally I picked up the copy of ‘The Wretched of the Earth’ by Franz Fanon that I had been seeing at the same place since about a month. I already have a copy but this copy I saw last Sunday had a different and attractive cover. Besides it looked almost brand new so I picked it up for a hundred rupees. 

With another seller at Chikkadpally I found yet another copy of ‘Art of Living’ by Epitectus translated by  Sharon Lebell that again I have a couple of copies of. I took it and later gave it to someone who follows me on Twitter and who I have been meeting since the past few Sundays at Abids. I got this book for fifty only. 

             A couple of months ago I had found a copy of ‘Viewlu Reviewlu’ by the revolutionary poet Sri Sri and since I read Telugu very slowly I am only half way through it. Sri Sri is a revolutionary poet whose verse stirs the blood when you hear him read it. I was lucky to find his ‘Mahaprasthaanam’ a couple of years ago, and last Sunday I found another of his titles. I found a copy of ‘Khadga Srishti’ at a seller in Chikkadpally. 

    

        At Abids the only title I found was a copy of ‘On Being the Right Size’ by JBS Haldane that wasn’t in such a good condition as a portion of the spine on the top was torn off. But I took it since it appeared to be a good collection of essays by JBS Haldane who had settled in India later in life. I got this title too for a mere fifty rupees. 

            I thought I knew the names of all books that Somerset Maugham until I saw one I had not seen anywhere. I found a copy of ‘The Explorer’ by Somerset Maugham that didn’t take me long to buy. 

The Monday Haul at Pune (on 28-04-2025)

 Last weekend I was in Pune for a family function so could not go to Abids in Hyderabad on Sunday. The whole of Saturday went in the event and on Sunday we went out of Pune and returned in the night. Only on Monday we went around Pune and while going to the Dagdu Ganesh temple I saw a few people with books piled on tables on the pavements near the temple. So, while my family went to the temple I checked out the books the sellers had.

A long time back maybe twenty years or so I saw a copy of ‘Paris to the Moon’ by Adam Gopnik that I did not buy because the title sounded odd and I wasn’t yet deeply into travel books. Later when I read somewhere that it was a good book I regretted not picking it up. One of the sellers at Pune had a copy of ‘Paris to the Moon’ in his pile of books on top of a table. I thought he would ask something like two hundred rupees for it but he took me by surprise when he asked for just seventy rupees for it!

The next title I found was a copy of ‘Punchtantra’ by Gautam Bhatia that I got for just fifty rupees. 

We were put up in Kothrud so I spotted ‘Irani Café’, a nice open café that I decided to check out sometime in the morning. I got the chance on Monday, the day we were leaving Pune, while walking around early in the morning. I was surprised it was open so I went in and sat there reading the newspapers I had bought and sipped chai. I spent about half hour there, a peaceful half hour that I rarely get. It felt good sitting in the neat and welcoming space that I felt glad I had spotted.