Coimbatore’s Old Book Market is having a busy season with schools reopening

Discover the hidden gem of Ukkadam Old Book Market in Coimbatore, where second-hand books share firsthand stories.

Hidden in plain sight near the Ukkadam Bus Stand in Coimbatore, beyond the rush of buses and blaring horns, thrives a quiet world. For over 30 years, it has steadily fed curiosity, supported students, and kindled the joy of discovery. This is the Ukkadam Old Book Market, a place where second-hand books tell firsthand stories.

Step inside, and you are greeted by uneven stacks overflowing with paperbacks, hardcovers, exam guides, and timeworn dictionaries. Dust motes swirl like confetti in the sunlight. If you listen closely, you will hear the rustle of pages being flipped, the murmur of titles being read aloud, the banter of booksellers greeting regulars.

For bookworms, this market is more than a retail space. It is a routine.

The market has 31 stalls arranged in a neat space; each one distinctly curated. Some stalls specialise in school and college textbooks; others stock fiction and biographies, among other genres. One may have a stack of books on Thermodynamics next to a box of Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven novels. Another might surprise you with a Sidney Sheldon adjacent to class IX Mathematics textbooks. “Whatever the syllabus, whatever the level, we try to keep something for everyone,” says KM Fazulul Rahiman, a veteran bookseller.

June and July mark the busiest time of the year, when the new academic season draws in a steady stream of students and parents. Guides for JEE, NEET, UPSC, TNPSC, and NET fly off the shelves, along with school textbooks and exam manuals. If a particular edition is unavailable, they go a step further by trying to source missing titles from elsewhere. They also help by suggesting different publishers, authors, or books others in the same age group or exam category have found useful, something that reminds one that this place is alive, not automated.

While commercial bookstores and digital platforms often dictate reading through bestsellers and algorithms, the old book market does something quietly radical. It listens. If a visitor mentions a book from 10 years ago, chances are someone here will have it, or know who might. The sellers frequently exchange stock, refer customers to one another, and even keep running lists of requested titles.

In a sense, this is what sets the Ukkadam Old Book Market apart: its community spirit. “We work together, not against each other,” says K Mohammed Raja, who has manned his stall for several years. “That is why the market has survived so long. If a customer walks away happy, even if it’s not from my shop, that is a win for all of us.”