The Haul at the 33rd Hyderabad National Book Fair

I have made it a habit of going to the annual Hyderabad book fair on the first day itself in the hope of picking up good books long before anyone could get to them. This year too I was there on the first day of the 33rd Hyderabad National Book Fair at the NTR Stadium on Monday evening. Most of the stalls were up and the shelves filled with books in the few second hand book stalls I visited. I could pick up only four titles and that left me quite relieved since I had expected to return home with more than a dozen books.

I have managed to find and read most of Graham Greene’s titles but there are a few titles I couldn’t find all these days. When I saw a nice copy of ‘The Tenth Man’ by Graham Greene at a second hand book stall put up by someone from Mumbai I bought it. I got it for hundred rupees. The prices this year are almost the same as they were last year. The crowd too was a good one.

The second title I found was a book set in Africa. I never miss buying any book on Africa so I when I saw a copy of ‘I Dreamed of Africa’ by Kuki Gallmann I decided to buy it. It was a Penguin title and was in quite good condition. This was slightly expensive at a hundred and fifty rupees.

The third title was an old copy of ‘Poetry and Experience’by Archibald MacLeish. Inside the pages I found a poem written a piece of paper by someone who was perhaps attempting to be a poet. I bought this book for a hundred rupees.

The last title was a wonderful find. I spotted a copy of ‘The Children of Dynemouth’ by William Trevor. It was an almost brand new copy and I got it for a hundred rupees. Inside the pages I found a British Rail ticket someone seems to have used as a bookmark.