Old book hunting in Pakistan

True lovers of reading get excited when a new book in their field of interest is released to the world. Often, we see them lining up in the early hours before bookstores open, to get their hands on the first copy if the writer is renowned. For some, it is a love affair. Charles Baudelaire, French poet, essayist, and art critic said: “A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors”.

In Pakistan, there are well-known and famous old book shops hidden in major cities, like buried gems. In Lahore, there’s ‘Siddiqui Rare & Old Books’ with a brilliant collection, where I often stop and wonder about the supply chain of these valuable reads. Where are the sellers getting their hands on them? That, they’ll never tell.

But what is the future of old and rare literature in Pakistan? Unfortunately, the culture of book hunting, of reading and finding beauty in rare and new editions, is no match for digital content, e-books and smartphones. It feels inevitable that in a few years, these banks of precious pages will fade away, taking away a significant chunk of city culture. For now however, owners of old books shops tell me that the market is still profitable. There’s still enough people out there demanding classics, limited and rare editions. It’s a comforting thought.

In Islamabad, the very first shop in Melody Market was the ‘Old Book Shop,’ which opened its doors in 1967. For decades, it’s been my favorite spot. If the owner doesn’t have the book or magazine you’re looking for, he’ll go out of his way to arrange it for you. He even managed to secure am original copy of the June 1985 National Geographic with the world famous cover of the Afghan Girl, which became the face of Afghan refugees after the Soviet invasion.

That is how the treasures pass on — many yellowed pages with tiny inscriptions, scribbles, dates and important bits underlined by the pencils of people long gone.

Rasul Bakhsh Rais

The passing on of beloved books to old book stores and then landing in the loving hands of strangers, is a story of its own. After closely guarding their book collections their entire lives, after the collectors pass away, their children and next of kin will often sell their entire libraries to old bookstores. That is how the treasures pass on-- many yellowed pages with tiny inscriptions, scribbles, dates and important bits underlined by the pencils of people long gone.

If one is a collector, visiting old book shops is a pilgrimage that must be performed regularly. With patience, time, enough money and perseverance, lovers of books will not be disappointed with what is currently on offer in Pakistan. On occasion, your luck may shine, and you may get your hands on the fourteen volume ‘Journal of Henry D. Thoreau’ written between 1837-1861 and reprinted in 1962. Or perhaps you’ll hit the jackpot and see all or most of the volumes of the collected works of Thomas Jefferson or all the novels of Mario Puzo. I find there’s a book ‘type.’ Most book collectors I come by are bureaucrats, old-fashioned scholars, diplomats, and foreign researchers visiting the country.

Many of the old bookstores have diversified their acquisitions to attract all kind of readers. Besides old book shops, there are longstanding weekly Sunday book bazars on the Mall Road, Lahore in front of Pak-Tea House, Bank Road in Rawalpindi, and Saddar in Karachi. Often one will find reads more precious and timeless than those in their more modern counterparts.

It’s hard to predict when and how the passion for book hunting will truly meet its fate in Pakistan. Only the future will tell for sure, but this is as good a time as any to continue searching for what my hands most desire to hold — I’m waiting for Louis Dupree’s Afghanistan, the first edition, 1980.

- Rasul Bakhsh Rais is Professor of Political Science in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, LUMS, Lahore. His latest book is “Islam, Ethnicity and Power Politics: Constructing Pakistan’s National Identity” (Oxford University Press, 2017). Twitter: @RasulRais