I hoard books like old desi aunties hoard bobby pins. A visit to any of Pakistan’s top bookstores – whether it is Reading’s, Liberty, The Last Word, Vanguard or Variety – ends with me walking to the check-out counter with a heap of books, heavier than a boulder and more expensive than a week’s groceries.
My daughter, on the other hand, is all about minimalism. Her stock usually comes from Reading’s online store and then she only buys what she’s sure to read. She stares at my receipt at the bookstore check-out counter and rolls her eyes at me. “Liberty Books is 30% off for the World Book Day sale online.” She says.
Sameer Saleem is the director of Liberty Books, which, established in 1961, has forged strong connections with distributors and customers alike. With 14 stores all over Pakistan, the chain has a vast range of books and enjoys sole distributorship of some of the world’s best-known magazines, like Newsweek, National Geographic, Reader’s Digest and The Economist. When the novel coronavirus first hit headlines, the store had to close. Liberty’s sales halved, and customers didn’t seem as if they were adopting to the new normal quickly. This pushed Saleem to pivot swiftly to the online space.
“One of...
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