TILL the 1970s, Karachi was famous for its coffeehouses, its libraries and its bookshops — both new and old. While new bookstores kept popping up over the years, the number of old ones has lessened and lessened with the passage of time. Now it seems that Karachi may be a haven for new books but for old ones, such as inexpensive copies of classics, you have to have an eye, conveyance and a lot of patience.

There was a time when Karachi’s famous Urdu Bazaar used to be the hub of old books. You name it, they had it. From the old books of Ibn-i-Safi to Manto’s stories, from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to Treasure Island, each and every book was available at Urdu Bazaar. In the vicinity was Khori Garden where the latest magazines, booklets and books were available at unbelievable prices. Some of their stuff would at times be damaged but that didn’t seem to matter much in the pre-internet age.

And then came the internet and ruined everything! The magazines that were easily available at Khori Gardenwere now available for free (or at nominal charges) on the World Wide Web. Sports magazines were shown the exit with the introduction of constantly-updated websites and the same was the case with entertainment gossip and news. By the time the news reached the country through magazines, it was either old stuff or very old stuff.

Thankfully, the tradition of selling old books has been continued by the bookstalls at Frere Hall where every Sunday you still get books at affordable prices. The tradition was halted for a handful of years during the last decade but it’s back now with a bang. Additionally, a handful of old books’ stores at Boating Basin and Clifton are carrying the flag forward, but no one knows for how much longer. The advent of e-books and the popularity of Kindle (and tablets) has dented the popularity of hardcovers and paperback books. Free torrents can get you anything from Dan Brown’s latest to John Grisham’s first novel; the latest edition of some international book as well as the e-version of entertainment magazines and cool technical books.

But for those who still know their way around the city, there are a few bookstores in Saddar that still sell new and old books together. They can get you any book you require from anywhere in the world and not even advertise about it because they believe in making friends, not customers. Such bookshops are a rarity in the city because here you can have an interesting conversation with the owner and even ask him for advice on what to read and what not to.

All is not lost when it comes to old books in Karachi because the footpaths in Saddar (notably Regal Chowk) as well as the book bazaar in the Gulshan area (opposite Baitul Mukarram Mosque) are still popular amongst readers. They have been fighting off the ‘downloaded’ books for some time now and what makes them superior is the quality of their stuff.

Some of the books they have aren’t even available online and if you have an eye for books, then these two places are a must for you to visit. The now-defunct Sunday bazaar in Defence also had a huge collection of books, comics and magazines. It was also a sort of meeting point for book lovers and with its termination, Karachi has definitely lost one book lovers’ paradise.

Published in Dawn September 4th, 2016