Exclusively booked

“This store is not your average Crossword or Oxford. Here we have selected only exceptional and collectors books,” says Ganagadharan.

“The book on Pelé is one of the three limited edition books that we have. There is also one on Valentino,the fashion designer par excellence,and the award-winning cartoonist Walton Ford’s illustrated version of the Panchatantra,all priced handsomely between Rs 55,400 and Rs 1 lakh. This may appear expensive but these books also have a resale value in the auction market,” says the book enthusiast,flipping through the glossy pages of the fantastic Panchatantra.

The store possess many hidden treasures,like Norman Mailer’s Fire on the Moon,that has been rated as the best book documenting Apollo 11’s landing on the moon with Neil Armstrong and his team.

“Since the anniversary of the landing is coming around in May,Taschen will be releasing a limited edition of 20 of this publication along with five kilos of lunar rock. A segment of the rock will come free with each copy of the book,” says a delighted Ganagadharan,who has tied up with Taschen and other publications to bring these books in India. “We cannot give you the moon but at least you can have a part of it,” he jokes.

Books on photography,art,architecture and comic-books,including a copy of Charles Shulz’s 1974 drawings for the cartoon strip Peanuts,line the shelves of this book store. One can even get a personalised fairytale book done with the name of a child and her friends as the protagonist. “This will encourage children to read,we hope,” says Ganagadharan.

The Cartier Collection,priced at Rs 22,000,is currently flying off the shelves.

However,the fact that the store is located in faraway Hyatt does not help draw in the daily crowd of book browsers that one would get at a Crossword or a Strand. “We are planning to hold an auction to attract readers to bid for the limited edition books on Pelé and the rest; this will help create some excitement among buyers,” hopes Ganagadharan.