By Bảo Long
Every year, thousands of new books pour into the market, pushing quieter titles out of sight and, often, out of print. Sales charts may decide what stays visible, but they rarely determine a book’s lasting worth.
To rediscover those forgotten volumes, readers must step away from glossy bestseller tables and wander into the hushed, dust-scented corners of second-hand bookshops, where time moves more slowly and stories wait to be found again.
In Hà Nội, Hộp Bookstore is one such place, home to dedicated curators who work tirelessly to bring these books back to the shelves.
“The pleasure of hunting for old books lies in its simplicity: the uncertainty of what today might yield,” said Lê Tuấn, owner of Hộp Bookstore.
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| Lê Tuấn hunts for valuable old books in wholesale secondhand book warehouses. VNS Photo Bảo Long |
“Some days, I leave with nothing. Other days, however, I stumble upon books I was aware of, those books whose existence intrigued me, yet I had never physically encountered. Then, suddenly, I find one nestled among the stacks. That act of discovery is where the true joy and excitement lie,” he added.
The quest to stock his shelves takes him to many places. Once, he found himself in a warehouse in a remote location, crammed with books, and he had only a few days to save as many as he could before these cultural treasures vanished into recycling centres.
“When I’m faced with an overwhelming volume of books, I simply can’t take them all”, Tuấn said. “There are moments when I look at a title and think, ‘Maybe this one has lost its value, maybe no one will ever need it again’, so I leave it behind. But later, when I think about it, I realise someone out there might still be looking for exactly that book one day.”
To the untrained eye, these piles of paper may look like waste, but to book lovers, it is heartbreaking to see or even hear of books slipping into the void due to neglect.
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| The first edition of the novel ‘Chùa Đàn’, printed on poonah paper in 1946, was auctioned by Hộp Bookstore to support people affected by floods in central Việt Nam. Photo courtesy of Hộp Bookstore |
Bookstore owners remain optimistic about the return of young readers. Lê Quốc Việt, who started his career in selling used books in the 2000s, believes that more and more people are returning to books as living standards improve.
“Many people look everywhere for a book they can’t get anymore: maybe it’s out of print, or it’s a childhood memory they want to find again. So they turn to second-hand bookstores,” he said. “But not every shop will have it; you need to be lucky, almost like having the right connection with the book.”
Trần Hồng Nhật, a young customer, said: “Today, I found this book on the phenomenon of literary criticism. I’m not sure whether it’s still being printed, but I couldn’t find it anywhere when I searched for new copies.”
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| Young readers eagerly sift through stacks of old books at Hộp Bookstore. VNS Photo Bảo Long |
“Another reason I like going to second-hand bookstores is that I’m drawn to the style of old editions. They carry a sense of nostalgia, and that’s very much my taste. That’s why I enjoy coming to places like this.”
And sometimes, good books simply fade into the flow of time. Shops like Hộp become places where old books are carefully and methodically curated, their stories and information shared with young readers through thoughtful write-ups and a sleek, well-designed website that’s remarkably detailed and professional.
“My background is in data, so when I started working with Hộp, I wanted to use technology to make sure these old books don’t fade into oblivion.” Thảo Anh, a staff member at Hộp in charge of developing and operating the website, said.
“The experience of browsing books in person is something irreplaceable. Many people, for example, love the feeling of touching the texture of a book, or catching the scent of an old one.”
Used books often carry unexpected surprises between their pages. Tuấn said: “For booksellers, author inscriptions matter a great deal, like when a book carries the writer’s own signature and a personal note to someone. That alone makes the book significantly more valuable.”
While signatures add financial value, sometimes the true worth of a book lies elsewhere.
Tuấn recalled a German edition of The Little Prince that he keeps for himself. Inside the book, someone had tucked in a notebook containing a handwritten Vietnamese translation by a young girl. Alongside the text were illustrations she had drawn while reading.
“From these traces the book left behind, I imagined a story of its own,” he said.
The journey of a book never truly ends, as long as someone is willing to search for it. VNS
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