Pune seems to take its love for reading seriously. How then do you explain the so many bookstores and bookstalls meeting you at every random turn? And a market solely dedicated to books? Now that’s taking your love to a whole new level. On my Pune visit I went to a bookstore and this book market- both turned out to be delightful visits. This market is called Appa Balwant Chowk or more conveniently the ABC market.

When you enter the market, your eyes will fall on nothing else but books. And it’s not just novels, there are shops selling school textbooks and competitive exam books. Plus, there are a number of stationery shops too to get your hands on some cool notebooks, pens, arts and crafts things and other writing and creative stuff. I picked two notebooks and four pens from here.

There are not just bookstalls, but bookstores as well. The market is a good mix of both and one can choose as per one’s preference. I didn’t visit any of the bookstores because I had already visited one and my budget didn’t permit it. I visited around 3-4 bookstalls here and my bag was already full.

Image credit- WhatsHotPune

Again, I forgot to take pictures of the market. After shopping to my heart’s content and leaving the market, it crossed my mind. How stupid of me. I really need to do something about this. The pictures in this post are taken from the Internet.

From Here I Bought

Chitra Banerjee’s The Last Queen

The Thriller That is Everywhere- The Silent Patient

My Favourite Mystery Writer’s – Five Little Pigs and

And a Novel Everyone’s Talking About- The Forty Rules of Love

The Price You Pay at the ABC Market

The discount on the books here is great and is almost at par with online shopping sites. The books are not original copies, but no bookstall in the world sells original books. Here I spent around 800 rupees and it felt totally worth it.

How to Shop from Bookstalls

We can’t always visit expensive bookstores and online shopping is also not feasible for some. Bookstalls are the only solution for us book sick people. Since shopping from bookstalls is very different from a bookstore, it becomes pertinent to share my experience of not getting duped by sellers selling bogus books at a high cost.

1. Flip the Book

Thoroughly check the book by flipping its pages slowly to check the print, condition of pages (any blank, torn or folded pages) or wrong page alignments. Bookstalls don’t sell original copies and that explains their low prices. So always do this thorough checking when buying a book from a roadside bookstall.

2. Don’t Feel Shy to Bargain the Price

It’s not a first copy. It’s not in the best condition. It has changed many hands. So don’t be shy to negotiate the price if you find it too high. Just ensure you are not paying more than you need to. Shopping for books should be a satisfying experience and not a regrettable one.

3. Read and Return

Most bookstalls have this feature. You can buy the book, read it and return it. In its place, you won’t get your money back but you can buy another book at the same price. If you are buying a higher or lower priced book than the one you are returning, then you pay the extra or get the extra money back. Make sure to let the seller know you will be returning the book after reading, so he can mark the book as so.

4. Don’t Be Compelled to Buy

Just because it’s right in front of you doesn’t mean you should buy the books you want to. I know it is not easy to let go of your most sought-after title when you see it in front of you. But if its condition is not good or if the price is too high and the seller isn’t budging to reduce it, don’t be compelled to buy. Because you are only going to regret doing so. There will come a time when you will find the book at a good rate and in top condition. Till then, finish the other books that you have not touched.

Fin., I hope you enjoyed this blog.

Feature Image credit- LBB