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...