The digital era has welcomed new associations with the act of reading. Modern readers are still turning and flipping pages, but now they are also scrolling and swiping. Literature is no longer dependent on paper since there are now more and more computers, tablets and smartphones that both writers and readers can turn to. Is the print culture going to withstand the thrashing waves of technological changes? Similar questions have been asked over and over again, but perhaps this repetition reflects the depth of our concern.

While e-books are becoming more favourable for various reasons – be it financial or environmental – their predecessors have not completely died out. In fact, it seems that the existence of digital alternatives have only strengthened the will to keep physical books alive. But sometimes having shelves of freshly printed books is not enough. A book’s content is important, but the history of the book as an object – who its previous owner was, when that particular edition was published – is also a crucial feature that can increase the value of just about any book.

Notes in the margins, underlined lines, dog-eared and yellowed pages, or even something as simple as the owner’s name scribbled on the front page, give books a human touch. They all make reading a social experience. When we read a book that we know has been read by another person, we will naturally wonder what her or she thought of it. Secondhand books are perfect for those who want more than just a good a story. Junk Book Store, located in Kuala Lumpur’s bustling Chinatown, is home to thousands of used books that give people a sensation digital books cannot – at least, not yet.

Despite the store’s name, it obviously offers anything but junk. Since 1990, Junk Book Store has been selling out of print books, dated periodicals and all sorts of old books – all of which have been systematically categorized according to their respective genres. One day is certainly not enough to go through the store’s extensive selection of books, magazines, and comics! For those who are more interested in music more than literature can also stop by to browse through the store’s record collection.

One problem that can arise from the quest to save physical books, however, is that we regard them as mere decoration even though they do have a decorative element. Old books are especially vulnerable in this regard because they are objects of the past. The good thing about old books – specifically first or early editions of titles that have been published many times – is that they provide readers with contexts. Just by looking at a book’s original cover, one can have a better understanding of its content. In this case, secondhand bookstores are more than just a place that sells books; they also offer archives that are accessible to the public.

If we think we are out of touch with history – on an individual and collective scale – perhaps it is because we do not have enough access to old books. Jakarta could definitely benefit from having more browser-friendly secondhand bookstores like Junk Book Store. You never know what you will discover while going through the pages of an old history book or even a novel.

Junk Book Store
78, Jalan Tun H. S. Lee
Kuala Lumpur 50000
Malaysia

For more details visit Junk Book Store’s website or Facebook page.