Kolkata is a paradise for bibliophiles. Delhi’s Sunday book market on the pavements of Daryaganj may be extremely popular for great deals and Bangalore’s Blossoms bookshop may make great many books extremely affordable for the voracious reader, but no Indian city’s secondhand book market can beat the one at Kolkata. From pulp fiction to classics, non-fiction to self-help, name it and you are sure to find it here.

Free School Street is where old books change hands, from one buyer to the other. The entire stretch is flanked by hole-in-the-wall outlets as well as relatively bigger shops selling used books. The booksellers are sorcerers who excel in the art of conjuring up just the title you are looking for, no matter how elusive or esoteric it might be. Expect books not only in English but also in French, Italian and German.

If you are looking for best-sellers and pulp, the small stores would be your answer. However, for anything literary and old, the bigger stores are a better bet. From Melville to William Burroughs, Shakespeare and Milton to Ogden Nash and Agatha Christie, these stores have them all.

If you look around, you would also find old copies of “Life” and other periodicals as well at throwaway prices. At times, you stumble upon a vintage copy, which if the store-owner has no clue about, could end up in your prized first-edition collection. Signed copies of novels have also been found in these stores.

The best part about shopping here is the price. Despite what they quote, which is usually half the price of any brand new book, there is always enough room for further negotiation. A general rule followed by the regulars at these stores is settling at 60-75 per cent of what the bookseller quotes. If you want to weed out your bookshelf, you could also approach these bookshops as they buy back books but do not offer too much by way of a price.

Reading is an expensive habit? Says who?