‘Booked’ for life!
Deen the Bookman knows his books – they’re stacked around him in neat piles and he makes it a point to know them well enough to be able to match readers to a read they’ll enjoy. Its part-art, part-trade and finding that balance has made him among the more successful second-hand booksellers in the city. “I used to be very interested to read books, but now I have more books that I can read,” he tells us.
Deen’s treasure trove. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
Of late, ‘Deen,’ whose name is actually Tuan Halfleen Packeer Dawood, has rented a stall at the Good Market, where to all appearances he does brisk business. Attracting people with a range of titles that cover the spectrum from Jennifer Crusie to A.S. Byatt – with a nod to the likes of Jonathan Franzen, Ruth Rendell, Mario Puzo, William Boyd, Iain Banks, Danielle Steel and Ingo Schulz along the way. If you’ve wanted to learn how to knit for babies, there’s even a book that’s meant for you. If you’re actually there for music and not books, there are a stack of vintage records and Sinhala music CDs which he sells for Rs.50 a disc. So essentially, it’s a lucky dip which is surely part of the pleasure of a visit to Deens. The books sell for between Rs.250 – Rs. 750, though prices can vary depending on the condition the book is in and how popular or rare that particular title is. As a rule of thumb, he says his books go for 1/3 the store price.
When we meet him at the Good Market at the Racecourse on Saturday, Tuan says he’s brought along 800 odd books but that these represent a small percentage of his stock. While he does have a small, not very memorable shop in Slave Island, his real stash is at his home in Wellampitiya. (He treats it as a library of sorts: you can borrow a used paperback and return it to receive most of your money back or you could just pick out a new one.) You’re welcome to visit, but if you have a particular title in mind, he’s happy to find it for you or even to deliver it to your home if you give him a call. Tuan builds his stock by buying from people wishing to sell their books – and once again he’s willing to make house calls to come and evaluate your stock.
He’s well known for being one of the go-to stalls at the annual book fair at the BMICH, where the best books often get cleared off early. Despite his popularity, Tuan says the business can be tough going. Of his three sons, only one has followed him into this line of work, but he’s proud of what they’ve all accomplished. In the meantime, he’s also discovering that he’s well known on the internet: “However it has gone there I don’t know, but I now check blogs about books,” he says, pleased to have more traffic coming his way.
Find Deen the Bookman at Slave Island Junction (Opposite Victoria Bakery), Justice Akbar Mawatha, Colombo – 2 and at The Good Market on Thursdays in Battaramulla and on Saturday at Racecourse, Colombo 7. Tel: 0722 150250.