THANJAVUR: The fifth edition of Thanjavur book fair, which ended on Monday, recorded a significant sale in historical fiction books. The fair, which was organised by the district administration and the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI), was held for 11 days, and books were exhibited in 110 stalls.
"This year, we witnessed brisk sales of historical fiction books, especially 'Ponnyin Selvan' by Kalki. All the copies of Ponnyin Selvam were sold out," one of the publishers said. The publishers cited the recent release of the teaser of a movie based on the novel to be one of the reasons for the sale.
Even on the last day of the exhibition, customers were spotted carrying the novel that was available in single and five volume formats. Apart from historical fiction, history books, including 'Cholas' by eminent historian K A Nilakanta Sastri, was also sold out.
The history books that were reprinted by the Tamil Nadu Text Book Society, including 'South Indian History' by Nilakanta Sastri, were sold at a cheaper rate. Children's books and books penned by Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary V Irayanbu - 'Vaiyath Thalamaikol' and 'Moolaikkul Chutrula' - too garnered good sale. S K Murugan, the secretary of BAPASI, said,
"The book fair was not held for two years due to the Covid lockdowns. The book lovers were excited when it was resumed this year,. The sales exceeded Rs 1.5 crore this year." Job aspirants from Thanjavur and nearby places benefited from the stall put up by the text book society that provided the recommended textbooks to prepare for the exams, sources said.
S Muthukumar of Thanjavur Tourism Promotion Council, which was one of the sponsors of the fair, said the footfall exceeded one lakh. Rajasekar of Gowra publishers said that there were more book sellers than publishers at the fair, and spoke of the need to sell allopathic medical books, which will benefit the medical students of the Thanjavur medical college.
V Jeevakumar, an advocate and writer, said, "Arranging for the visit of school students and book introduction competitions that were held during the fair will kindle the habit of reading among the younger generation."