Here are some of Delhi’s best book stores

A person who doesn’t read lives just one life, whereas a person who lives a thousand. For all those inflamed by an all-consuming passion for books, Delhi offers a wealth of books & an array of incredible experiences whilst buying them, for the city loves its books as much as its readers. Among the ‘traditional’ book havens in Delhi are the ones located in its oldest urbane shopping zones – Connaught Place (CP) & Khan Market.

Bahrisons

Despite branded stores in malls displacing traditional stores, Khan Market’s Bahrisons continues to survive. The key, perhaps is an informative attitude to books & the readiness to procure the ones that aren’t available. The shelves at Bahrisons are bursting with books of all kinds, and each one is bound to catch your attention. They’ve moved with the times as well, & there’s an outlet now at DLF Place in Saket.

Location | Opp. Main Gate, Khan Market

Oxford Bookstore

After closing the original Oxford Bookstore at the Statesmen House, we are happy to see the bookshop cum cafe (Cha Bar) bigger and brighter than before. While sipping a hot beverage, one can easily lose themselves here for hours on end, since there are so many genres and so many books to choose from. It has a lovely play/reading area, especially for kids which is a great initiative.

Location | N81, Barakhamba Road, Connaught Place

Full Circle

In the Khan Market outlet, Full Circle bookstore is a classic example of a café-bookstore, since it is located above Cafe Turtle. This is a perfect place where one can have a good read while enjoying the food at the café. The bookshop is stocked with several books on a wide variety of topics. The place has a beautiful appeal to it – thanks to the extensive use of wood, handmade Buddha wall hangings and the creative atmosphere. It also has outlets in GK I & Nizamuddin East.

Location | Shop No.23, Khan Market

Om Book Shop

Om Book Shop is a part of Om Books International and is the largest chain of bookstores in Delhi and NCR. It offers different genres of books ranging from Art, Autobiographies, Spiritual, and Cookery to Business and Finance, including movies, magazines and CDs. OBS also promotes book reading among children by hosting special monthly storytelling and book reading sessions in their stores.

They’ve Got Multiple Outlets Across Delhi NCR

Midland

The Midland bookstore was established in 1985. With a range of books from all leading publishers as well as magazines and stationary, this book store caters to a wide range of customers. The staff employed in this store is accommodating and knowledgeable about the books. Its outlet in South Extension has a warm and inviting environment that beckons book-lovers time and again.

Location | G-8, Basement Main Market, South Extension I

People Tree

People Tree has grown into a brand in the last 22 years. It is not just a shop, but a lot more. With its team of highly creative artists, photographers & designers, it has made a name for itself in the market of personalized t-shirts, artworks, crafts & books. The bookstore, which opened in 2001 has a great collection of books, especially in Hindi literature, cinema, theatre, music & travel. Films & music are also well-stocked here. This CP-based design studio-cum-store is a meeting point of art, commerce & madness where handicrafts, textiles, illustrations & tees are created. Don’t visit this store on Sunday as it remains closed.

Location | 8 Regal Building, Parliament Street, Connaught Place

The Book Shop

Formerly located in Khan Market, the Book Shop was a landmark of sorts and very popular. It has since moved to Jor Bagh in the form of a humble and cozy modest shop which may not be so easy to find, but it’s worth it – once you do. Don’t get put off by the size of the store, as you would be surprised to find many rare prized possessions that you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere. One can easily spend half a day in here.

Location | Jor Bagh Colony

Daryaganj Sunday Market

It is impossible to compare what this area has to offer bookworms who want their books cheap & in bulk to what this area can offer. Located in Old Delhi between the Delhi Gate & the Jama Masjid, this stretch, over a kilometre long, sees its pavements lined with novels, magazines, study guides, illustrated coffee-table books, and even stationery & music CDs. Navigating through the crowd that throngs here is a tough business, as people tramp around, bargaining vigorously & stocking their bags to bursting points with old tomes sold at less than a tenth of their market price.

Location | Near Delhi Gate

Faqir Chand & Sons

Books are famed for being one’s best companions, and M/S Faqir Chand and Son books store stands tall serving this purpose in Khan Market. Children’s books, periodicals, magazines, drawing books, cookery books, comics, nonfiction storybooks and reference books are available here. Step in here at any week except on Sundays when it remains closed.

Location | 15-A, Khan Market

Crossword

Crossword aims to be a point of cultural and social interaction where authors and poets hold court, where children are regaled, and where people gravitate to be informed and to be entertained! From fiction novels to autobiographies, comics, self-help books et al, Crossword has just about everything and is truly a bibliophile’s haven!

Location | Select Citywalk, Saket

Galgotia Book Shop

A bookstore tucked away in B Block of Central Park’s Inner Circle will catch your eye as you stroll along Central Park’s Inner Circle. Upon entering, you will be greeted with the smell of old books and long shelves lined with books of all kinds. The store stocks a large collection of fiction and nonfiction, as well as children’s books, dictionaries, and travel guides. To the right is a dingy section of the store, which stores all manner of old tomes & is one of the genuine treasure troves for the same. There are large coffee tables, volumes on cars, architecture, history, wildlife, motorcycles, planes & whatnot. There are heavy encyclopedic volumes of all kinds, in addition to old picture books etc.

Location | 17 B, Inner Circle, Connaught Place

Delhi Book Store

This is one of India’s leading book stores for medical and non-medical books. It aims to be the bookstore of choice for Doctors, Engineers, Technocrats, Corporates, Scientists, Academics, Students, and Scholars. A record 99,000 medical books are on display in Asia’s largest medical book showroom, which started selling books on foot and bicycle. There are books on all branches of medical science in a five-floor showroom in Daryaganj that covers 20,000 square feet. It has quickly embraced modern distribution methods while building on its heritage and outstanding history.

Location | 19, Ansari Road, Daryaganj

Also, it is worth noting that two major Book fairs take place in Delhi annually – The New Delhi World Book Fair and the Delhi Book Fair at Pragati Maidan.