The Literary Corner Above ost folks relate the Chowrasta wet-market in George Town with its everyday din – the noisy shoppers flocking with basketfuls of bargain, the stench-shrouded butchers, the heady spread of fresh leafy vegetables. But just a little above from the bustle is a quiet corner that is a world away from the commotion of the market. Up on the top floor, in the far corner of the market complex, is a world of books. The hushed dingy corner with its small line of shops selling second-hand books is like a breath of calmness from the furious tumult of traffic and humanity outside. That is, if you can breath through the dim dusty air and stand the mild cobwebs that stick on your fingers along unexpected nooks of the shelves. I must confess on this website – I have a secret. I am an incorrigible book addict. And there is no help for poor me. My room is packed with volumes of disparate titles, much to the long, wound-up chagrin of my wife and my mother. And this here is the quiet haunt in Penang where I am found in my spare time, sniffing around shelves to add to my already lonely, brimming collection of arts, philosophy, dialectics, et al. But since I am doing a story on Chowrasta, this place cannot be given the miss. So I take along my colleague Adrian – the web designer cum photographer of this website – for a good look around at the corner. We come across a diverse range of books at bargain prices. In one shelf, I find disparate titles such as the 'Facilities and Plant Engineering Handbook' and 'The Official James Bond Movie Book', next to 'Archaeology of Ryuku Islands' and 'A History of the World's Motorcycles'. A heap of the very tacky 'Mills & Boon' romance novellas lies next to teenage adventure books of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. The book-sellers here rely on trading books – buying or acquiring from various sources and selling off to customers at higher margins. Bargaining is important, as it is in all of Chowrasta. Adrian find an old nostalgic copy of Angus MacGiver's 'The World of First Aid English' which is being offered for a price of 12 Ringgit. Quite inevitably, Adrian begins negotiations. How much, he asks, can the item be lowered to? The seller instantly offers the book at ten, Adrian wants it for five ringgit, and a deal is made at seven. In fact, the corner is a haven for school textbooks. Students in school uniforms frequent the area, browsing for notes and academic texts on subjects such as history, geography, English, mathematics and the sciences. Interestingly, the book-sellers have quiet a bit of history spanning the last few decades. The vendors began their trade along Tek Soon Street near Prangin Road (now Jalan Tun Dr Lim Chwee Leong) before the 1960s. Today, the street is a narrow pass under the towering shadow of the Komtar building. The sellers then moved in the early seventies to MacAlister Road where they operated in roadside stalls. They later moved to Chowrasta and have plied here for the last thirteen years. Being an aficionado of classic literature, the corner is for me a treasure cache of titles. Bending down low and burrowing through the tight shelves and dusty columns of books, I find Hardy, Shelley, Trollope and Dickens. Just an arm's length away, I see the toothy grin of Alfred E Neuman on a 'Mad Magazine' cover, next to a stack of glossy 'Muscle & Fitness' periodicals. And there are the handsome Marvel comics, old copies of 'Dandy' and 'Beano', Stephen King stories, 'Shoot!' football magazines. I finally eye an old cracked-up cover of 'The National Geographic Magazine' dated September 1951. The book is slightly tattered, but still readable and very impressive. I grab it. How much, I ask the vendor with battle-ready doggedness for heated bargaining. Six Ringgit, he replies stolidly, and it's not negotiable. I sweep the cash out of my wallet and snap up the book without the slightest argument. Written by Himanshu Bhatt Related Story: The "Crossroads" Marketplace Chowrasta, George Town's most vibrant and lively marketplace, offers a vibrant history and an amazing variety of wares. Click here for full story.   | Home | About Penang | Penang Specials | Events and Festivals | Local Cuisine | | Heritage | Accommodation | Attractions | Shopping & Entertainment | e-goodies | Powered by  Penang Network Services Sdn Bhd 13th Floor, Wisma TNB, No.30, Anson Road, 10400 Penang, Malaysia. Tel: 04-228 9100  •  Fax: 04-228 9300 •  E-mail:info@penang.net.my Disclaimer and copyright  •  Editorial Team

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