Whispers of the Past: Kolkata Book Fair and Rare books

🖊️Anushka Bagchi

I stand here in the Temple of Tomes worshipping the gods of words, I find myself enchanted by the books of yore. The Rare bookstores of International Kolkata Book Fair have yet again surpassed expectations and provided lovers of literature with a timeless library.

 

Let me walk you through some of the more audacious books that stood out. Starting with a 120 year old volume titled France, The Apostle and The Ethics of War by PSS Paul Hyacinthe Loyson. Loyson was a sulpician carmelite Priest who left the Church, married and founded a Catholic Gallican Church. The book is a compilation of his sermons delivered before the Royal Institution of Great Britain. Another eye catching book was a biography of Sir John R Robinson, the 1st Baronet of London. His reputation preceded him with both positive and negative accounts alike. He was the first Mayor of London. Next up on our list is The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. Published in the year 1859! Now that is pretty old! It is one of the earliest examples of detective novels. Long before the advent of the holmes and Poirots, we had Walter Hartright, a young art teacher employing many a sluething techniques that the world now associate with being in the ammo of more famous detectives. If you are lucky, you might just get your hands on one of these, but you must be quick, for they are selling like hot cakes!

Apart from fiction, religion they also have a plethora of books on tantra, the stars, the universe, the Earth, science and technology, maths and philosophy. If you have any interest in cartography, you might find yourself a book on maps, not just about the world, but on a variety of topics like the human brain and fictional lands. If you prefer encyclopaedias then maybe a Britannica would excite you. You would find yourself engrossed in a factopedia and sputtering them out to impress your friends. 

 

It is indeed a wonderful affair, the blue skies, unfettered winds, a cup of tea and your favourite antique book in hand but there's no you to be found. For yourself and your soul are lost in the stories of the past. Stories written by people who seem so different but their experiences seem so familiar at the same time.