Book Havens: Kannada collection – a guide to popular hot spots to purchase books in the city

Book Havens: Kannada collection – a guide to popular hot spots to purchase books in the city

Higginbothams

Higginbothams is one of the oldest bookstore chains in India. Its first shop was opened in Chennai in 1844 and in Bengaluru, the store was established in 1905. It was started by Abel Joshua Higginbotham, an Englishman who bought the store from missionaries in Chennai.

The store prides itself on its collection of books spanning over various genres, from literary fiction to popular fiction and books for children. Paperbacks that are not currently available in India are sourced from publishers abroad, making them accessible to its customers here in India. According to Murali DP, the deputy general manager at Higginbothams, “Our aim is to make books easily accessible to the public. We hope that when someone walks in with a book in mind, they can find it here or we can try to provide it for them.” The bookstore chain is currently run and owned by the Amalgamations Group. In 2015, the store had shut shop to revamp its interiors and reopened in 2017 with a colorful look and a new layout. Where: MG Road

Blossom Book House

No list on Bengaluru bookstores is complete without this shop. The bookstore was started by Mayi Gowda in 2001 and is now one of the most famous bookstores in Bengaluru, housing between 2,00,000 and 3,00,000 titles, most sourced from around the country, and many imported from abroad. Blossom Book House is also one of the largest second-hand book stores in the country. Where: Church Street

Champaca Bookstore, Library, Café

Spread over an area of 1,000 sqft, the space has a cafe, a bookstore and a library for children. Look out for a book ladder to reach out to the books on the top shelves as you browse through the

3,000-book collection across genres such as feminism, environment, memoir and biographies, sci-fi and fantasy, caste, translations and young adult and sexuality, most hand-picked by a special board of curators. Where: Edward Road

Atta Galatta

An ideal place for those who wish get a warm cup of coffee accompanied by a book, Atta Galatta (started by Lakshmi Sankar and Subodh Sankar in 2012) is a bookstore and cafe that offers customers books that are for sale, as well as a small collection of books from their Reading Section, meant to be read there. The main focus of this store’s collection is Indian literature and fiction. The store also has an event space as well, where activities such as plays, workshops, and storytelling are held regularly.

Where: Koramangala

Nagasri Book House

Started by Venkatesh KV in 1976, the store sells copies of books sourced from different parts of India as well as some imported from overseas. Its collection of general books is sold at a discount of 10-15 per cent while its collection of Kannada literature and fiction books is all sold at a discount of 10 percent. The bookstore is compact in size and offers a collection of books that include popular fiction novels, literary fiction, as well as books on philosophy and  history. Where: Jayanagar

Munnota

This Kannada-centric bookstore comes as a breath of fresh air in a city with many bookstores that cater to an English-reading audience. Started by writer Vasant Shetty on Kannada Rajyotsava 2016, the store mainly houses books with notes on the Kannada heritage and science. Every three Sundays of a month, the bookstore conducts events in and around the Kannada language. Where: Basavanagudi

Select Book Shop

This 74-year-old Bengaluru book house has two floors overflowing with books, old and new. Founded by K B K Rao, the quaint bookshop has been exciting readers with its rare collection of books. This historic bookshop has also been frequented by eminent personalities such as CV Raman, Ruskin Bond, Ramachandra Guha h Karnad. Where: Brigade Road

The Bookworm

The bookstore was founded in 2001 by Krishna Gowda. The store is a favourite among readers thanks to its policy wherein returning a book to the store gets you half the price of the book back. Where: Church Street

Source | http://www.newindianexpress.com/