Sunday June 28, 2009

Treasure off the shelves

By RENITA CHE WAN

Bliss out on super bargains at second-hand bookstores, and more.

IF you are a bookworm, chances are when you see a shop or outlet, even stalls at flea markets, selling books at reduced prices, you will make a beeline for the place.

With prices of books being generally high at our regular book stores, it is no surprise that when there is a book sale, huge crowds will throng the event. One would have noticed the jostling and pushing at the most recent book sale in Petaling Jaya, where books, including popular paperbacks, were sold for as low as RM5. And people were leaving the place not just with plastic bags but with boxes full of books.

Unfortunately, such events are periodical, and bookworms with tight budgets will then have to get their fix from other sources, normally second-hand book and book rental stores. At these places, if they are really lucky they can get a coveted book for a fraction of the original price, albeit with the dog-ears and other marks of the past owner(s).

In addition, they may even stumble upon rare or collectible books that may no longer be in print at these outlets.

Some books at these outlets are brought in from international sources including the Middle East, Scandinavia and Europe, and may not be available in a chain bookstore.

But most will normally stock a wide array of titles, ranging from romance and thriller, business and motivational to literature and religion.

Renting a book may not be as cheap as purchasing a second-hand book, but one is given the choice to keep or return the book after reading it.

The price for renting can range from RM3 to RM20, depending on the title of the books and demand for them.

Most rental shops carry almost all the latest titles on the shelves of the regular book stores, and their books are wrapped in clear plastic to protect them from dust and water.

Another venue to explore for second-hand books is the flea market, which can yield some exciting and extremely inexpensive finds. There is a drawback, though. At flea markets, the books are not arranged according to subject or author so make sure you have ample time to spare if you want to browse. If you are a true bookworm, you will know that browsing is half the fun of the book-buying exercise.

Loh Chee Keong, an avid reader who loves to scrounge for second-hand books, says one of the most important aspects of buying such books is to know what you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend.

“Knowing what you want will allow you to focus on retail and other sources that are likely to carry the type of book you desire.

“At the same time, knowing what you can reasonably afford to spend for the book will also help you narrow your options, making it possible to spend more time with sources that are likely to have what you want.”

Looking for second-hand books is at the top of his to-do list list whenever he goes overseas, Loh says. “The rustic atmosphere with all the books,” he says with a deep breath. “The day can’t get any better than that.”

The local library is also a potential source for good quality second-hand books, he adds. “That’s another place I would visit whenever I am in another country.”

Most people associate the library with borrowing books rather than buying them, but it is not unusual for libraries to sell off books that see little or no activity, he explains.

Today, we are featuring some second-hand bookstores and book rental shops around the Klang Valley for you to check out. You may be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to find the books you want.

The Junk Book Store, Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, Kuala Lumpur

You can get good second-hand, collectibles and out-of-print books here but they are not cheap. The owner, Adelyn Koh, says h er customers are mainly expatriates who are interested in Asian history.

She says they also look for old comics and even romance paperbacks – Mills & Boons – of the 50s, 60s and 70s! She also has many copies of The Asia Magazine, a Sunday pullout for an English paper from the 1960 s to the early 80s.

A whole room is dedicated to com ics some of which are collectors’ items worth from RM10 to several hundreds of Ringgit.

There is also a room full of “priceless” books that are sold only upon prior agreement between the buyer and seller.

These books are kept under lock and key along with several boxes of old records, including one of Sudirman’s first album and countless others of Kamahl, P.Ramlee and o ther singers of that era. The books are sold, not rented.

Chowrasta Bazaar, Penang

There are bookstores in Chowrasta Bazaar that sell novels, text books and even comic books.

Mo st of the books are second-hand, but there are some new titles too. There are earlier editions of Beano comics which are sold at RM2 per piece. One of the shops has a “S hopaholic series”.

S. Jess, 39, a homemaker, says she goes to a shop that has all the Enid Blyton series and she buys them for her daughter. “The books are tied in rafia strings so you’ll see most of them stacked according to the series,” she says.

Pay Less Books, Amcorp Mall, Petaling Jaya

This second-hand bookstore has been around since 2001 and stocks a long list of titles from romance and thriller to business and motivational. It may not b e as tidy and systematic as other book stores, but most of the books are in good condition and, most importantly, at a fraction of the original price.

“Most of the books were bought in the UK and I try my best to get my hands on ti tles that are not sold here. I also get my customers to sell me their boo ks,” says owner Michael Moey.

Pay Less Books also has a large selection of Japanese mangas. Some of the titles are The Price Of Tennis, Tenshi No Tattoo (Tattoo Angel) and Candy-Candy. The books are priced at between RM5 and RM10.

MPH Bookstore

To promote the reading habit, and to make books more affordable, MPH Bookstore has lined up a series of activities for the following months that bookworms should make a note of.

These include markdowns for thousands of titles under various programmes, the three-for-two promotions (where you buy three books for the price of two) and the “You Got To Have It Corner (most of the titles go at discounts of between 30% an d 50%),” says its chief operating officer, Donald Kee (pic).

“We are also concentrating on children and trying to inculca te a love for reading through the kids’ club,” he adds.

This year, says Kee, MPH has embarked on the Jimat campaign, where several warehouse sales and promotions with discounts of up to 25% are offered.

There will be a Jimat sale at The Curve early next month and from August onwards, more than 1,000 titles bearing the code M014 will be sold at a 15% discount on Wednesdays (the store’s “Jimat Wednesdays”).

Kee is optimistic that reading will once again be a hobby for most Malaysians, especially children, as “the right mode to inculcate reading is to ensure the topic introduced must be something that the person likes.”

“At the kids’ club,” he says, “we also do outings with the members and from their response to particular trips, we will direct their attention to books along the lines of the event.”

Book Centre,Central Market,Kuala Lumpur

The owner, who declined to be named or photographed,says he buys new books from distributors and puts them up for rent.

“I really don’t have to worry about the dog-eared copies as those that have been rented out about five or six times are usually cheaper and sometimes they are not returned, ” he says.

He also sells magazines and cards but his main business is renting out b ooks. He stocks a few copies each of some 30,000 titles, the bulk of which is fiction covering historical romances and suspense novels. The non-fiction s election covers only a few hundre d titles.

Rental amo unt varies between RM3 and R M4 a month.

Of late, the bookshop has seen a drop in business. “There are fewer people walking in to rent but my regulars still come in although they, too, rent fewer books,” says the owner.

City Book Rental, Bangsar,Kuala Lumpur

This book rental store has been catering to the Bangsar bookworms since 1992. It carries the latest titles as well and they are in mint condition.

The books are wrapped in clear plastic covers and you can rent them for about a month. The price varies according to the titles. You can order the books you want and the store manager, Swee Lan, will try to get them for you. She seems to know almost every book in the store. Pick one, be it a romance novel or a thriller, and chances are she has read it and can share her opinion about it. The store also has Archie comics dating back to the 60s. “I also have all the latest Archie comics and you shou ld read them. They’re different now; the humour caters to the current gener ation,”Swee Lan says.

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