Living with old books

With "Manh's Cheap Old Book Store", Ms. Huynh Kim Ngan, a resident of Long Xuyen ward, started a business and overcame difficulties with old books stained with time.

Many people think she is crazy.

Manh’s Cheap Used Book Store located on Pham Cu Luong Street is a world of thousands of books stained with time and is also a destination for those who seek memories through “aged” pages. Called old books, but they are only old in the faded cover, a few torn, worm-eaten, creased pages… and calculated by the year of publication. Some people say, turning each yellowed page of a book feels very enjoyable and precious. Reading new knowledge is like reading a new book.

A small corner of old books of Ms. Huynh Kim Ngan. Photo: MY HANH

Yet, many times Ms. Ngan wanted to give up this favorite job. For the past 2 years, she has switched from pricing each book or type of book to selling by weight. Many people think she is crazy, but she thinks that if she puts aside the economic issue, there will be people with the same needs and interests who will have the opportunity to buy a cheap book. Part of that "crazy" way of doing things is that her family has other businesses, making it difficult to focus full-time. Even finding an assistant is not easy, because it requires meticulousness, true love, and respect for each book, not simply coming to work to earn money.

Many reasons influence, but when asked if she would give up, Ms. Ngan firmly affirmed: “It is not easy to give up! Because I never thought that one day I would be able to do this. My sister and I have shared a passion for reading since we were young, when our family's conditions were still difficult, we had to collect each book and cherish it like a treasure. From a small bookshelf at first, now we have 10 large shelves with hundreds of books. Currently, I do business in Long Xuyen, my sister also does the same job in Ca Mau province. The shop buys and resells mostly used books to Ho Chi Minh City. The quantity delivered is large but the profit is not much, for me that is enough.”

At first, Ms. Ngan's husband drove within a 20km radius using loudspeakers to buy books. Later, many people knew the address, phone number and social network, so it was easier to contact and buy. The store has more than 2 tons of books, all kinds from textbooks to research, science, newspapers, magazines, comics... The market for selling used books online is still stronger than selling directly because it reaches many customers. During the year, textbooks are sold at their peak for 3-4 months. Tet is the season for buying and selling books in abundance. Time is constantly changing, the number of people reading quality books is only a small number, but Ms. Ngan does not give up because of that.

Attracting many people to buy old books

Mr. Nguyen Huy Phong, a resident of Long Xuyen ward, a customer of the bookstore shared: “When I was in high school 25 years ago, every week I cycled to the town post office to buy Muc Tim and Hoa Hoc Tro newspapers... The clear and knowledge-filled pages of newspapers for young people have accompanied me on my journey to adulthood. Seeing familiar newspapers from the past, I feel like I found a part of my own childhood again.” For Mr. Huy Toan, a resident of Cho Moi commune, the books left behind the old owner's handwriting and feelings about what they read, current readers seem to interact and touch a new layer of emotions.

In modern life, it is not difficult for people to find information and knowledge every day. Everyone is busy, making the pleasure of reading a luxury. Not to mention the modern, spacious, cool, and splendid bookstores that attract more young people. In the space of Manh's Cheap Used Book Store, it seems that there is more than just buying and selling books. The pleasure of holding a faded, worn book in your hand, reading the typewritten lines imprinted on the page... is a very special feeling. Everything is tinged with time, including the first shelf the two sisters made by their father; the table for payment given by her husband; a few lost paintings among the old books of a customer who had liquidated...

Ms. Ngan confided that there were days when she opened her door and saw no customers, wondering if no one was reading books anymore. A moment later, a customer appeared and bought a book for 5,000 VND, making her happy all day. There were many days when she wandered around buying books but got nothing, and there were also days when she "hunted" for a whole treasure. The career of old books continued like that, ups and downs, joys and sorrows swirling every day, she collected small joys so that the two sisters in two provinces could keep the passion nurtured since childhood.

MY HANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/song-cung-nhung-trang-sach-cu-a460792.html