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Which are some of the good bookstores in Pune? Having a big area and also a good collection of books.

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The responses have brought in light some real gems of bookstores and half of them which I didn't know about and I am sure not all of us know all the bookstores mentioned. So all the responses are wonderful and helpful. Though the one meeting the criteria of the question is marked as the accepted answer but every response helped. Thanks Guys! – Abhinav S Dec 24 at 17:24

17 Answers

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Odyssey has a much better collection of books as compared to Crosswords. Any Crosswords for that matter. In fact their collection of Music too is waaaay better than Crosswords. Crosswords is mostly for popular books only.

LandMark (located near MG Road) is also a big book store. Their collection of books is also much larger than Crosswords. Also, their technical section is more well stocked than CrossWords or Odyssey. Though I don't know whether one can compare them to Barns & Nobles.

The good thing about CrossWords though (IMO) is that - they are located everywhere. So while wife shops, I and son can read books in the same mall. At that point, the intention is to escape from shopping ... :)!

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Twist*n*Tales is just off the petrol Pump in Aundh.
It is not a lot of floor space but quite a good collection.
A nice place to be when you can't go all the way to Landmark or Odyssey,
or you need to request for a book to be brought for you.

Twist*n*Tales
Shop 1, Siddarth, Gaikwad Nagar, Aundh, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

If you need technical books,
Again not a lot of floor space but Technical Book Services is a good place too.

Technical Book Services
844 Dastur Meher Road Camp, Pune, Maharashtra 411001.

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Unfortunately, highly technical books are still not offered by these stores - Crossword, Odyssey etc. For that you may have to go to Appa Balwant Chowk.

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suvikas, I agree 100% with you. Only would appreciate if you could add names of book shops. That would be really helpful – Arati Halbe Dec 17 at 5:15
Pragati Book store (157 Budhwar Peth) has so far been good to me. Do browse the area when you are there. All the bookstores are next to each other. And there are a couple of stores handling used books as well. Haven't tried those, but sometimes you may discover gold :) All the best ! – Suvikas Dec 17 at 6:31
Agreed. Appa Balwant Chowk (Or 'ABC' as it is widely known!) is the best place for techie and academic books. – Amit Paranjape Dec 17 at 10:57
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After learning my lesson the hard and expensive way, I now shop for books only online. Saves atleast 30% sometimes upto 70%. Does not give you the feel of real shopping though.

Raddi ( buyers of old newspapers and books) can have some fantastic books. my favourite one is near KEM hospital in Rasta Peth ( on the road to apolo talkies, just before kulkarni hospital)

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A good service is Flipkart.com for online. And yes, the savings can be good as well. Bhooshan, which service have you used so far? – Suvikas Dec 17 at 17:23
I use indiaplaza.in , get 25% membership discount. searching thru' igloo is also a good option. –  Dr. Bhooshan Shukla Dec 20 at 5:29
+1 for raddi stores. Everytime I'm walking past a raddi store, I check to see what books they have. I usually pick up one or two good ones which are a steal at Rs. 20 or 30. – Navin Kabra Dec 20 at 6:26
On the online book stores firstandsecond.com is also a good site for online buy – Abhinav S Dec 24 at 17:18
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Visiting British Council Library, Pune Granthalay could be useful. They sell old books at quite cheap price.

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There are many Crosswords bookstores in Pune. You can find a list of these bookstores with addresses here.

Then there is Landmark bookstore in Kakade Mall (SGS) at Camp. It is 2 storeys big and very huge.

Opposite Landmark and next to Coffee House is Manneys bookstore in camp. Manneys used to be the largest bookstore at one point of time (before the crosswords and landmarks) but their anti-customer approach over the years have seen their patronage dwindling.

Nevertheless, they are still large and worth a mention.

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Pathfinder, near Neelayam Talkies (off tilak road, about 300 m from S.P. College) has a nice collection of marathi, english books. I am not sure about technical books, but at least in the general books categories, this shop stocks more than what is just "declared bestselling"

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BTW, i keep wishing there should be something like "strand book stall" in Pune. Bangalore and Mumbai are extremely lucky in that respect. – Arati Halbe Dec 17 at 5:22
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Not from Pune but you would find all technical books here http://www.cb-india.com/index.asp You have to go all the way to Fort,Mumbai (Opp to CST ) but its worth the experience. I went there twice and got the books which I couldnt find anywhere else(clojure/erlang etc)

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Book World is another small but very good book shop, located in the basement of Sagar Arcade, very close from Goodluck Chowk.

If you know what you want to buy:

  1. The collection is good, and the owner knows if he has it there
  2. The price: for regulars, he gives 10% discount. Typically, you ask for it, and he gives it, if you don't he won't, of course.

On the flip side, books are sometimes packed so well that you won't be able to browse much effectively. Can't sit and read, no place.

Good for:

  1. Sci-fi and adjacent genres.
  2. Indian literature
  3. Serious literature (the jyoces, the ecos, the hesses, the murakamis, and the likes)

Customer service: can very depending on presence of owner, and his mood :)

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Crosswords on SB road is big and nice. I used to like the one at Deccan but they closed it

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I like Odyssey (in Kakade CenterPort mall, next to E-Square). A little better than Crossword, for a slightly more offbeat books.

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Popular Book House in Deccan Gymkhana. Smaller collection than Crosswords, but still pretty decent. Has been around for 50+ years.

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I have seen popular book house's collection go down in the past 10 years. It was wayyy better 10 years ago. and seriously this is not just a typical "in our days" typical puneri comment. Popular used to be my favourite place to hang out for books 10 years ago, but in last 10 years, it has disappointed me more than once – Arati Halbe Dec 18 at 11:57
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International Book House in Deccan Gymkhana. This place is a little old and time warped,but still has a decent collection. At one time, this was one of the biggest and best bookstores in Pune. This is also the first shop to open on Deccan Gymkhana, around 1930. Having been completely destroyed in the 1961 Panshet Floods, it was rebuilt. Amongst its patrons was Pandit Nehru. (there's a reference letter by him to Indira Gandhi, recommending this bookstore, prominently showcased inside this bookstore!)

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Manneys in Pune Camp, near Dorabjees/M.G. Road. Pretty big, nice collection across subjects.

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There is (was?) the offbeat book store run by a old Gujarati lady from Bombay. This was close to the Ruby Hall. I forget the name of the place. They had an interesting collection of English literature. The place was not large , nor does it have a wide selection (does not satisfy the criteria asked), but I think it is worth a visit.

The name is slipping my mind. Perhaps someone would be able to fill the name in.

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'Computer Hut' as the name suggests any book relating to computers (software, programming, networks etc..) this place has a very good collection, also have books on MBAs & various competitive exams.. it is located in Appa Balwant Chowk inside the small lane beginning with Jogeshwari Temple & Natraj bookstore connecting to Laxmi Rd.

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There are a couple of Bookstores in what is called Hongkong lane on JM Road near Garware Bridge. One is just at the entrance of the lane and gives a flat 20% discount on all books.

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