A greedy haul of Macdonalds at Best Book Centre, Lakdi-ka-Pul …

There were supposed to be three more Ross Macdonald novels at the Lakdi-ka-Pul branch of Best Book Centre (which is actually the HQ of Best Book Centre), according to Vinod’s tip … I had opted to go on Wednesday to the YMCA branch to get Black Money, as it was closer … considering the price I paid for Black Money, I was not very sure about going to Best Book Centre Lakdi-ka-Pul, wondering what the prices there would be … but by Thursday evening, I thought, why not go and see (half the troubles in this world start with ‘why not just go and see..’) … so the next day, I took off in the late afternoon and reached Lakdi-ka-Pul … Best Book Centre is just opposite the Lakdi-ka-Pul bus stand … this was the first time I was visiting the Best Book Centre HQ and I was just amazed at the range and number of books that were arranged in those two long rooms … searching for three books in this sea of books was going to be a difficult task … I took the easy way out and used the search option (i.e. asked the person there to assist me …) he showed me a stack of John D. MacDonald-Trevor McGee books … no, no, the other Macdonald … Ross Macdonald … he then went to the shelf at the end of the room and plucked out two Ross Macdonald-Lew Archer novels and gave it to me … but there was supposed to be three, Vinod told me … never mind, maybe somebody picked up the third one … I was happy with these two ... for the time being … he he … I got these two …

  

And then the stack of John D. MacDonald-Trevor McGee books smiled at me … won’t you even look at the titles, they seemed to ask … how can you go away like that … by now, I was emboldened by the fact that the two Rosses hadn’t cost as much as I had imagined … but these were older and not in as good condition as Black Money … but I had some ‘unspent’ money and I moved towards the John D. MacDonald stack … just to see only (another killer) … and to cut the long story short … I just couldn’t resist … the prices were also considerably modest and I ended up buying 6 John D. MacDonald-Trevor McGee novels … greedy fellow … but what to do ya, that money was marked for books … if I hadn’t bought these books, then the ‘unspent’ money will become sad, no … dil ko khush rakhne ka jai-lib yeh khayal achcha hai …

As I was hauling the haul back to my den … I thought I should tell Vinod that his tip was good as gold and thank him …

Coming back from BB LKP; got 2 Ross McDs…who teesrawala ud gaya shayad…thanks for the tip…

Which two? Small hardbacks?

Ek HB one PB…find a victim & ivory grin…

The third one is another shelf.  Poochna tha na bhai.

Woh hamed ali se poocha, une yeh donon booksaan nikaalke diye…tumhaarse poochna tha…woich…

Asal aadmi se nai poochey tum.  Kya bhai aisa kaiku kar re aaj kal?

Galti ho gayi bade bhai, tengshung mein bhul gaya ji…agli baar yaad nahin bhooltoon…

Theekh hai.  Jaando abhi.

Tumhaara dil nahin, dariya hai, bade bhai…

Bahut khush hua main.  Kabhi chai pilaathoon.

My first Ross Macdonald - Lew Archer novel

It started with a text message from Vinod last Wednesday … he texted me to tell that Amitav Ghosh would be visiting Hyderabad to launch Flood of Fire¸ which was good news indeed … have to finish the novel before that, I responded … I’ll buy it there, Vinod said … and then off-handedly, Btw, saw three Ross Macdonald titles at Best, Lakdikapul.  Go grab them.  This was also good news!! I had sort of placed an order with another second-hand bookseller who said he had two ‘Ross’ titles, and said so to Vinod and asked him if he could remember the titles … he texted me the names … good, these were different … well, this was exciting!  Suddenly Ross Macdonald novels are coming into my orbit … will see if I can get off today early, I said … then Vinod dropped another innocuous bomb … reading all those Hammetts and Chandlers and Leonards have made Vinod very hardboiled and his responses are becoming laconic and crackling … Black Money at BB, YMCA, he texted …  What the kangaroo! How the hell did he uncover that? 

Anyway, that was the name of another Ross novel … I thought quickly and decided to go to Best Books, YMCA, Secunderabad, as it was comparatively closer … Lakdi-Ka-Pul can wait, for now … I searched for Black Money in the usual places and even asked that obdurate chap who minds the store … he uttered the name a few times and then kept quiet … I had no other alternative but to text Vinod and find out where Black Money was stashed … he helpfully navigated me to that particular shelf … I found a John D. novel first, I didn’t pick it up, as it would have compromised my search … and then lo and behold, Black Money was there … it is a good copy, but I had to pay quite a sum for it, compared to Abids prices, I mean … the next day, while chatting, I told Vinod that I felt like crying when I paid that much … Vinod said, it is a good copy compared to the ones I got. I had planned to pick it up actually but left for people like you. so no ronaa. Kismat samjho mil gayaa … Thank you, Vinod bhai … for facilitating Black Money, my first Ross Macdonald–Lew Archer novel … 

Three books (only!) at Best Books Sale, YMCA, Secunderabad

I have been looking forward to the Best Books Sale this time of the year...Vinod first alerted me about the date, which was to be 1 September... I told him I’d be in Secunderabad area sometime in the evening and might find some time to have a look...he said he too had similar plans...then on 1 September I receive text message from Best Books about the sale...that evening, there were three stops on the way to a get-together and I couldn’t manage the time... I was determined to visit the sale early on (early bird catches the worm and that sort of thing...)

The next day I took some time off college and went book hunting...my first enquiry at the counter was...”any Robert Parkers, Elmore Leonards, Ian Rankins...?” “No, sir ... please visit our Lakdi-ka-Pul shop, there are some...we haven’t brought them here this time...”  early deflation of enthusiasm...I had actually come prepared with lists of books of these writers and some more, with titles I had already read ticked off and so on... I was pretty disappointed...

Since I was there anyway, let me look around and see what catches my eye... I knew I’d find something...he he he...the “literature” section holds some promise always... I could see a number of Umberto Eco titles... I have all his novels... there were quite a few Albert Camus books too... most of them familiar titles that I already have... I picked up one which I hadn’t seen/read before... I read in the blurb that it was his last novel, manuscript found among his papers and published posthumously, The First Man... then I saw an Italo Calvino... Calvino is always a treat... I remembered the time when I found two Italo Calvinos at the BB sale a couple of years ago... this was a book of short stories... Numbers in the Dark and other stories... nice... 

 I can consume one slice at a time... but Krishna, mind is not satisfied... then I realised I did not have enough cash on me and had forgotten to bring my debit card...so, that strangulated my book-buying power ... with this new constraint, I contemplated putting the Camus book back on the rack... let’s see, for the moment I’ll hold on... I saw Hermann Hesse’s Narcissus and Goldmund... I had seen this book long years ago in an old friend’s house and was intrigued by the cover page and description on the blurb, and this novel kept popping up here and there at regular intervals and it was the same cover...this time I decided to stop this popping up and dropped it onto my basket...

I looked at the prices of these books...oops! ... together the total came very close to what I had in my pocket... I’d be cutting it very close and I had to reach home and keep at least a couple of tenners in reserve as well... that settled it then!  I re-considered the Camus book and with reluctant resolve, kept it back on the shelf...and headed to the counter with only two books...sigh...

A bunch of ladies were being served at the counter and I envied them...they had together bought 25 BOOKS!!! 

It would be some time before their big purchase would be billed and I wandered along the tables nearby looking aimlessly at the books arranged there...my eyes fell on a book with a striking blue colour and a tempting title...The Picador Book of Blues and Jazz (Ed. James Campbell) ... this was too tempting... the book had articles, stories, and poems on Jazz and Blues by well-known writers and Jazz/Blues performers... I checked the price...it was less than the Camus book that I had returned to the racks (I have to convince myself somehow, no?  he he he...) ... I hastily picked it up lest I change my mind (I am fighting me, you see...)

I checked my precarious finances...ok...just about enough left to reach home comfortably...and for a cup of chai...

Only two visits and this is what Abids’ second-hand book market has done to me...

Yesterday late afternoon I was in Secunderabad...had some work in the general post office and the bus dropped me right in front of Best Books permanent outlet at YMCA...neki and ask ask... I went in...

I had visited the shop a month and a half ago after my “first” visit to Abids ... I found many books that I wanted to read, especially crime fiction... they had a lot of Harlan Coben and John Lescroart novels... they had 1 to 5 of Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar series...  I hadn’t read a single Coben novel and I picked up these five novels ... I had seen some Harlan Coben novels at Abids, but didn’t buy them...so I thought why not now...each book was priced Rs.95, except one, which for some strange reason despite being part of the same series by the same publisher was priced Rs.125... at Abids I had bought five books for only Rs.110 ...  I asked the chap to reduce the price...and said I was willing to pay Rs.75 per book... he refused... at earlier times at Best Books, I would have asked him to reconsider and then he’d reduce the price a little and I’d buy a couple of books, if not everything I had selected... but very refreshingly, I just said fine and walked out without buying a single book...

I would have bought all five books if he had accepted my price, (me) not minding the fact that the prices would be much much lower in Abids ... but it is also a fact that luck plays a big role in Abids...I just didn’t feel like paying his price...

Yesterday once again...I searched for books and all the five Harlan Coben books that I had selected during my previous visit were still there on the shelf...but a different chap was minding the store...after some shelf gazing, I picked up these five books once again and went to the counter... he said Rs.505 for five books...this time I was somehow willing to pay Rs.80 for each book and told him so... I said Rs.400...he said no...Rs.450 for five books...I stuck to Rs.400...he said no...I said fine and walked out without buying a single book...

Abids ... sigh ... hope I go this Sunday...

Second Catch of 2013...

I wanted to write this post as a companion to the First Catch of 2013 post, but as is the norm with me, some other things came in and delayed this till now...

So, this was a visit to the Best Books (permanent) shop at YMCA Secunderabad, not the Best Books ‘Sale’ (which is also held at YMCA, but in a different hall in the compound)...and this was some days after (i.e., in February) my visit to the ‘Sale,’ where I found Hammetts and a Chandler...I don’t know why I had this urge for book buying...maybe I hadn’t read any Spenser books in a while and was craving for some...I had unread Rankins at home, but Spenser is Spenser...

I started looking for Spenser novels...didn’t find any...was disappointed...then shifted my attention to other writers...Elmore Leonard...Peter Robinson...found three Robinsons...Cold is the Grave, Gallows View, and Friend of the Devil and two Leonards...Riding the Rap and When the Women came out to Dance... When the Women came out to Dance is a book of short stories by Leonard, which I thought was a good find...the previous week at the ‘Sale,’ I had found a book of short stories by Dashiel Hammett, The Continental Op and the next week I find Leonard’s short stories...good, I thought...it would be a really interesting study to compare the crime fiction novels and crime fiction short stories by the same author...I started reading Leonard’s short stories the next day and found them equally spicy and crackling as his novels...and the stories I read, each one was self contained...and some months back I had found Ian Rankin’s short stories at the same venue...rather nice...I must find out if other crime fiction writers too have written short stories...

I went around the shop once again trying and hoping to make some of the books look attractive to me... stopped by a stack of Len Deighton books...I have been looking at the Great Trilogy for some years now but have put them back every time I picked them up... I don’t know... after all these years, I thought, why not...and picked up the Berlin Game, Mexico Set, and London Match ... a long-due acquisition I think...