A haven for city booklovers

PATNA: Are you a booklover and are looking for books at extremely cheap prices in your city? If yes, visit Ashok Rajpath where dozens of bookstalls line the southern pavement right from Patna College to Science College. Bookstall owners virtually occupy the entire sidewalk of the busy thoroughfare and sell books from 9am to 9pm. Thousands of people, mostly students, walk past these stalls every day and purchase books of their choice.
Some stalls have been at the place for several decades. However, with ever-increasing business and competition, their number has grown manifold in recent years. Books meant for competitive examinations for admission to medical and engineering courses and jobs in various public or private sector organizations are sold here. Help books and guides for civil services examinations are also found in plenty.
For those who want to buy books at cheaper rates, the old book market of the city located near the Gandhi Maidan, is the ideal place. However, there is little guarantee of books being original. “We bring books from Delhi and Kolkata. The old books have been collected over the years. Some were bought too. People come to our stalls from Punjab, Delhi and even the South. We also have foreign customers,” said a book seller.