About bookshops and about book writers by Raja Ravi Sekhar -
I have been reading books from the age of 6 , particularly books written in English and perhaps much less , books written in Tamil - It would be no exaggeration to state that a great deal of my time is spent in reading books - I have bought books all over the world , seeking bookshops wherever I went - I have preserved all the books I bought and read many of them over and over again - The best times I have had are when I am in some restaurant , reading fact or fiction over a snack followed by coffee or tea - I like to read a bit and think it over - What is the writer trying to say ? There is a strong sense of flavour or taste in which we recognize the "style" , "fist' or perhaps better put , the "hand" of the writer - It will take quite some time before I am through but I will try to table my views and observations about various authors who have given me so many years of pleasure -
Every city or even small town has its major bookshops as well as shops or footpath places where second hand books are sold - It is not so much the extra money involved but you cannot always get all the titles you want - Only a second hand dealer can give you the old and rare books you are looking for - Old and second hand books used to be between Rs.20 to Rs.50 a few years back but now as I write this in 2007 the prices are roughly from Rs.50 to Rs.100 - For the benefit of all book lovers especially those staying in or visiting India , I give below a rough list of shops selling books particularly in South India where I used to go about a great deal for taking part in chess tournaments during 1972-1993 -