For your reading pleasure

His book collection numbers between 12,000 and 15,000 he doesn't really have a count anymore! and he's been around for 35 years. He is ...

His book collection numbers between 12,000 and 15,000 he doesn8217;t really have a count anymore! and he8217;s been around for 35 years. He is Mahendra Tanna, owner of the second-hand book store in Hong Kong lane in the Deccan Gymkhana area. Popular with many Puneites, Tanna8217; is a small shop that caters to readers of all age groups.

Started by his father in 1962, the book shop has become synonymous with popular fiction and children books8217; collection in the city over the years. He buys books as per the demands of his customers. 8220;Tintin, Asterix, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drews, Archie comics8230; are popular with children and as far as pop fiction is concerned, Jeffrey Archer, Sidney Sheldon, John Grisham and Frederick Forsyth rule the roost. Jane Austen, Pearl S. Buck and George Orwell are popular as far as classics go,8221; points out the man. 8220;They are the fast-moving books,8221; he adds.

The book shop-cum-library is a favourite with many, primarily because of the excellent customer service. If a particular book asked for is not in Tanna8217;s current collection, he takes note of it and delivers it to his customers in the minimum possible time. His shop is closed on Mondays, the day he goes to Mumbai and accumulates more books for his collection.

Having interacted closely with customers over the years, Mahindra has become conversant with the names of many authors. He modestly tell that he is only a Std. VIII pass from Gujarati medium. But having sold books for over three decades now, he knows what the demands of his customers are.

While the latter span various age groups and belong to different professions, interestingly, 8220;the number of women customers is much more than the men.8221; The reason obviously being his large collection of Mills and Boon and other romance novels.

8220;I price the books reasonably, hence normally there isn8217;t any need for the customers to indulge in bargaining at all,8221; says Tanna. So for all those avid readers desirous of a good read or those who would like to add to that personal collection, this shop has a great deal to offer.