Growing up days – the fragrance of old books

There is a special and unmistakable appeal of old books, especially their fragrance. Some of these books are moth neaten, others appear to be falling apart from their bindings and have outlived their usefulness but, these are still considered to be treasures in the hands of connoisseurs.
In Kolkata, there are two major outlets for old books. The biggest ones are in College Street scattered around the boundaries of Presidency College and then there are the ones in tiny shops that line Free School Street.
All the stall owners take the utmost pride in their inventory and preserve the books because some of them are real gems which they have procured for next to nothing but which can fetch for them good money provided the proper customer comes along.
The books range from every conceivable subject under the sun and books on engineering or medicine can be found nestling in between books of Shakespeare and Dickens. The owners are always ready to help out the customer and can even oblige by booking an order to locate a specific book for you – he will not guarantee positive results but will try his level best to satisfy your needs and admit failure if he does not succeed. He could bring for you an alternate book and would not bother if you do not accept the alternate - he will add it to his shelf and wait for someone else who might need it.
To such people, it is the fragrance of old books that matter. (to be continued …)