There might be hundreds of bookstores in Hyderabad but nothing beats the feel for a Book lover once he sets his foot in Abids Book Market Hyderabad where you get books for as cheap as Rs 20. That ‘s is the beauty of this street book market which has survived the test of times over decades. The Sunday Book Bazaar at Abids is worth getting up early for. No really! With second hand books starting at prices as low as Rs 20 you never know how many classic books can be your priced possession for so cheap. There are several book sellers on the street side at Abids book market. I visited it last Sunday and since I started late sun was scorching when I reached there. Though soon, the magic of books dissipated the heat of the sun and I in fact bought a plate full of ripe watermelons sold nearby. Though I will advise you to visit either early in the morning or during evening hours. The books were laid out not only at both sides of the road but the inside corners of the market was also occupied by the book vendors. There were children book,timeless classics, contemporary romance books, competitive exams preparation books,religious and spiritual books at throw away prices. Though books were second hand and duplicate copies but if you try a little harder you can certainly find a few books in great conditions, almost as new. But if you are looking for fresh books,you might be in for disappointment. Though there was lot of bargaining going on and I also tried my hands in bargaining but the smart book sellers were sensed my excitement and I ended up paying their price but I still find it a very economic buy. I even found a lot many telugu and tamil books lying in the simply made book shelves of book vendors at abids book market. Abids book market is also close to Koti book market which is also famous for its Sunday book market at Koti Hyderabad. But I found Abids Book market larger than the one at Koti. At Abids the market is spread over a kilometre long road and includes books from Robert Ludlum and Robin Sharma to CAT mock test papers and Cookbooks from Sanjeev Kapoor.The Bazar stretches from Chermas in Abids all the way up to the GPO and Santosh Sapna Theatre. As it has become apparent by now, it is set up only on Sundays and the timings are 9 am to 5 pm. So be careful about timings if you plan a visit.

But this place can easily find a place in any book lovers heart and satiate his reading cravings once he would spot the heaps of piled up books where he might have to dig up really deep to find a Harry Potter second hand book for just Rs 20 or rs 50. Or it may be a Dan Brown book awaiting his attention. You think of a book genre and its there ,crime fiction novels, self-improvement books, coffee table books, fashion magazines or the tormenting textbooks of medicine, engineering and management you will find everything at dirt cheap prices at ABids Book Market Hyderabad. So all you bibliophile in Hyderabad if you have not been to this market must go at least once. Though be open once you plan to buy books from there and shop books without being particular about an author or publication because we are talking about an open book market with heaps of books where organised sections are out of question. You go there for an experience and finding some great books by chance as an avid book reader.Sadly, this book lover’s paradise has reached an inflection point according to its vendors. Many of them are seen complaining about how the crowd sizes have been falling in the recent years. They say many people are now buying books online and youngsters today watch TV shows and play video games during vacations.It is a sad fact that book piracy combined with e-commerce has lead to the enervation of many such markets. So this post, apart from informing you about this exotic book market in Hyderabad, also appeals all readers to resurrect the dying habit of reading. Please also visit such markets and keep the business of these small time vendors going

The pictures clicked of Abids book market are latest and from my recent trip. Hope you will visit the market soon,even if you don’t read do it to explore the Hyderabadi vibes as one of the places to visit in Hyderabad.

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