Book Market Delhi

 

 

Old Delhi is a constellation of living artefacts, and Darya Ganj’s Old Book Bazaar is among the most interesting ones. But what makes Daryaganj really popular, especially amongst youngsters, is the fact that it houses one of the most extensive second hand book outlets – the old book bazaar - where book lovers and students come from various parts of the country to purchase books at throw away prices every Sunday. Stretching over a kilometer on the pavements of Daryaganj, this book bazaar has been a special feature of the area for the past three decades and there is something for every book lover out here.Daryaganj is the favourite place to be on a Sunday. Life begins at 7am every Sunday, over the decades for its thriving old book bazaar. This bazaar is a paradise for book lovers all over Delhi and beyond, as a mind-boggling variety of rare books are usually available in this market at very affordable prices.
The Book Bazaar and the shop at Plaza are isolated, much-visited places in the capital thriving on popular demand. However, the old book trade in the capital needs greater organisation, perhaps the establishment of an Old Book Haat along the pattern of the successful Dilli Haat.

 

You will find that the book market stretches westward from this point along Jawaharlal Nehru Marg and northward on Bahadur Shah Jafar Road. The booksellers line the sidewalk every Sunday, only on Sunday, spreading their wares before them — some in neat rows, some in crazy piles, and some in towering stacks.
One thing which clicks in every mind that what do these book-dealers do during the rest of the week? Some of them have small bookshops while others spend the week preparing for the following Sunday. Buying books at good prices from different sources is a time-consuming task requiring business acumen and networking skills”. During the week, they also deliver books to various individuals or other sellers within their business network. It is the only place where, some books which are difficult to find in usual bookstores are easily available here because they are taken off the shelves by publishers due to little demand.

 

Facts:
Many publishers, not able to sell the old editions of books, sell them to these pavement booksellers at cheaper prices. Also, loads of books remain unclaimed during transportation through trains and buses which are then auctioned by Railway and other transportation authorities. Often, customers with old books lying at home come to sell them to these sellers. The sellers also sell in bulk acting as distributors themselves. Traders dealing in used books come from as far away as Hyderabad to buy their stock here.
The booksellers could be provided land to set up permanent stalls, reducing losses due to bad weather. A larger and more organized space would allow books and sellers to be arranged by subject, a big improvment over the way it is now - having to check availability with one seller after another. Other developments - linguistic classification, an exchange zone, etc. - could all be accommodated as well. But all of this takes space, and that problem has yet to be tackled.

Location: Near the Delhi Gate of Shahjahanbad.

 

 

Old Book Bazaar Timing: 10am – 9pm (Sundays only)

How to Reach: Tourists or local person can either take local buses from various points within the city to reach this locality or they can hire auto-rickshaws, taxis or take the metro rail.

Nearest Railway Station: Old Delhi Railway Station.

Nearest Metro Station: Chawri Bazaar.