An employee at Zizawa holds up two books published by Nagani Book Club. Pic: Nyunt Win

RARE books, including those published by a club famous for its role in Myanmar’s struggle for independence, are being exhibited in the first book fair held by Zizawa bookshop in Yangon’s Ahlone township.

The fair – which is being held to mark Zizawa’s nine-month anniversary – features more than 60 of the 71 books published from 1937 to 1941 by the famous Nagani Book Club.

The club was founded in Yangon on November 4, 1937, by a group of patriots intent on ousting the colonial British from Myanmar.

The fair also features about 30,000 books for sale at discounts of 10 to 20 percent, including classic works by famous Myanmar writers produced during various periods, books about Myanmar and a wide variety of other subjects, and encyclopedias and dictionaries.

“These are books I’ve been collecting since about 1994,” said U Kyaw Minn, the founder of Zizawa bookshop.

“I started collecting books when I was young but back then it was a hobby so I only bought what I liked. When I retired from my work as a seaman in 1994 I started collecting different kinds of books with the aim of opening a bookstore one day,” he said.

U Kyaw Minn said he decided to collect works published by Nagani Book Club for two reasons.

“The first is that Nagani books motivated people to develop a patriotic spirit and work towards independence for our country. Many people who became good political leaders were inspired by these books. The second reason is their rarity. Most people today have never seen Nagani books,” he said.

He said one aim of the fair was to provide libraries all over the country with books at the lowest possible prices.

He said he plans to hold more book fairs in the future, adding that the next one might feature first-edition volumes published more than 70 years ago.
The book fair will continue until September 16.