Bibliophiles, Rejoice!

Surround yourself with books
Life would clean itself of regrets;
And you'll have at least one place
Where only delight fills your face

She held an entire collection of Enid Blyton's close to her chest, while browsing, completely oblivious of my presence, through Aesop's Fables. Soon, she would go home. At evening, she would lock herself in her room, draw curtains down on the windows, to the outside world, and begin her journey into the land of fairy tales. And then would begin her romance with the printed word, a romance that would last a lifetime.

Bookaholic's Wine
Ever wondered what or how life would be without books? For my part, I wouldn't even dare to imagine. For someone who loves books, book exhibitions mean what wine festival would mean to the man who takes pleasure in drink. And think of it when they come with discounts! 'Money cannot buy friends'? Well, we need to think again. The ongoing English Edition book exhibition - at YMCA, Secunderabad - is certainly a treat, with huge discounts being offered on all kinds of books.

"All books are divisible into two classes, the books of the hour, and the books of all time", said John Ruskin. The exhibition does equally well in both classes. The largest section comprises children's books, all of which come at 20% discount. This time, the sections which have a particularly good collection of books are travel, health and architecture. Did money stop you all these days from knowing the secrets of Business @ the Speed of Thought? Not anymore. This book by Bill Gates comes at rupees 125.

Chapter of Classics
Spend rupees 50, and you can befriend the Sons and Lovers of Lawrence, or hunt Blake's Tiger, or discuss the dark secrets of the mind with Sophocles's Oedipus, or take a journey to Dante's Inferno. There's much more in World Classics section. Any book from Penguin Classics section - comprising Browning, Eliot, Dryden, Standhel, etc - comes at rupees 100.

CD-ROMS come at half the price, dictionaries at 40 to 55% off, management books at 15% off. Those who spend more time in the virtual world need not be disappointed and lose themselves in the labyrinthine lanes of the Web. Computer books come at 30% off. For the obsessive lovers of series and sequels, there are all volumes of Katha Prize Stories, and The Economist pocket edition books, with 20% discount.

The Missing Pages
There are disappointments as well. For, one finds Marquez, Freud, Russell, Sartre, Tagore and the likes missing. Humour, Philosophy and Psychology sections are, to use the cliché, conspicuous by their absence. Also, there is neither the bright orange spine of Penguin's nor the geometric striking black of Routledge's.

Nevertheless, hits outnumber misses. At the English Edition book exhibition, 'To buy or not to buy' would no more be a problem. So, all ye book lovers, go and get your beloveds, and do it before 14th.

 

MY BEST PICKS

ARCHITECTURE THE WORLD OF CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE [Rs 995] STONES IN THE SAND - ARCHITECTURE OF RAJASTHAN [Rs 2250] THE HERITAGE BUILDINGS OF MUMBAI ART PICASSO - PRESTEL POSTCARD BOOK LEONARDO - MARIA COSTANTINO 500 SELF PORTRAITS BUSINESS BUSINESS GLOBAL LIBRARY [Rs 12000] ENVIRONMENT GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE - ANDREW J HOFFMAN MEDICINE GRAY'S ANATOMY [Rs 950] OFFBEAT UNZIPPED - WOMEN AND MEN IN PROSTITUTION SPEAK OUT PHOTOGRAPHY ROMANCE OF INDIA - RAGHU RAI THE BRITISH CENTURY - A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE LAST 100 YEARS - BRIAN MOYNAHAN SPORTS THE DAILY TELEGRAPH TEST CRICKET LISTS [Rs 100]

- Vj

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