The Argentinian genius of a writer Jorge Luis Borges once said: “I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” Libraries, big or small, personal or public, are captivating, but bookstores are equally fascinating for some of us. There is a freedom that you feel in a bookstore that is not the case when in a library, particularly a public or a university library, where a certain discipline has to be observed.

During my stay abroad or travels taken over the years, I have always been overawed by bookstores offering old and new books and enjoy visiting them even more if they house a café, where you can get yourself a cup of hot black coffee while browsing through books or magazines. Such activity brings so much pleasure and deep comfort.

Dillons bookstore on Gower Street, one of the largest multi-storeyed bookstores situated in central London, was my permanent haunt during my longer stints in the city for work and studies, spanning from 1995 to 2000. It was later acquired by those running the bookstore chain Waterstones and is now called Waterstones, with the café still named Dillons. Maybe that is to keep the legacy of the old store alive.

The range of subjects and the titles available under each of the subjects was remarkable. Since my primary interest was fiction, creative non-fiction, history and poetry, there was hardly a title I looked for that was not found there. I remember some leading writers visiting the store on occasion for book-signing events.

After I left London, I kept visiting Waterstones on Gower Street on my subsequent trips as well, before falling for a relatively smaller Foyles bookstore at Southbank by the river Thames. The Foyles at Southbank has some sales staff who are passionate about books themselves and introduce you to contemporary writings of merit. It has a wide collection of children’s books and a good stationery store as well. I have already written once about Saqi Books near Bayswater in London, which I visited a few weeks before it was closed down in 2023. It was one of finest bookstores offering titles in both Arabic and English.

In New York, my friends Sajid Samoon and Hasan Mujtaba once took me to the majestic New York Central Library and then to the Strand bookstore on Broadway. The first visit to Strand made me feel so rich and exuberant. The store has a collection of old, new and rare books, magazines, maps, and reference materials, all together in the millions. By any standards, old books were quite reasonably priced.

The Strand has a different ambience compared to the British bookstores. In fact, it is even different from the bookstores Second Story and Kramers near the Dupont circle in Washington DC, where another friend Nazeer Mahar took me when I was visiting the city some years ago. Second Story offers a good collection of second-hand books, including some rare books on a variety of subjects. It also has maps and archival materials. Even when old or used, the books are in good shape. Perhaps, some are restored after acquisition by Second Story itself.

In the same vicinity, Kramers is not just a bookstore but also houses a nice bar and a fine restaurant. Many artists, authors, booklovers and foodies gather at Kramers. Besides contemporary and traditional collections, it offers a good number of audio books as well. At Kramers, after buying a couple of books, Mahar and I had our meal after sharing a somewhat rustic beverage.

After I left London, I kept visiting Waterstones on Gower Street on my subsequent trips as well, before falling for a relatively smaller Foyles bookstore at Southbank by the river Thames. The Foyles at Southbank has some sales staff who are passionate about books themselves and introduce you to contemporary writings of merit.

Let me now take you to my favourite bookstore in Delhi. Between 1994 and 2014, I visited India multiple times for a host of reasons — academic or literary conferences, research work on education and child labour, progressive writers’ moots, poetry readings or track-2 dialogues. I haven’t been to India since but always feel happy when I find a mention of Bahrisons Booksellers, one of the cosiest and friendliest bookstores anywhere.

It is located in the Khan Market. The market is named after Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan (commonly known as Dr Khan Sahib), the elder brother of Bacha Khan. The market was established in 1951 to support the refugees who had migrated to Delhi from what is now Pakistan. Bahrisons was established there in 1953 by a refugee from Malakwal, district Mandi Bahauddin, now Pakistani Punjab. I have met the next generation, the couple who are running the bookstore now — Rajni and Anuj Malhotra. Once, Anuj and I had a long chat on the partition of Punjab and the suffering inflicted on refugees on both sides as a consequence.

Over the years, Khan Market has become an exotic and expensive shopping area in India. However, Bahrisons not only exists but thrives as a bookstore. It must have been hard to survive the pandemic a few years ago and then manage the old business of selling books under extensive market pressures in the neoliberal world.

I can say that, until 2014, books were much more affordable in India as compared to the UK or the US. That made one crave for more and to buy more. The joy of visiting Bahrisons is only comparable to the feeling I once had when my dear friend Divya Singh in Delhi used to send me wonderful books covered in bubble wrap in hard envelopes.

The writer is a poet and essayist. His latest collections of verse are Hairaa’n Sar-i-Bazaar and No Fortunes to Tell.

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, April 12th, 2026