Bookstores in Chennai
Chennai, Tamil Nadu has 33 bookstores on the map. That's 33 bookshops mapped around Chennai, each with its own shelves and specialties. The used sections are where the real bargains hide. Give yourself an hour minimum — bookshops are the one errand that always takes longer than planned.
This guide covers every bookstore we could verify in and around Chennai (within about 40 km), built from OpenStreetMap's community-maintained data. Names you'll run into include Subramani and akshaya, plus Periyar Puththaga Nilayam. If a bookshop's missing from Chennai's list, it probably just hasn't been mapped yet.
The Chennai bookstore lineup
33 mapped within about 40 km:
Subramani
Bookstore
Subramani is Bookstore.
akshaya
Bookstore
akshaya is Bookstore.
Periyar Puththaga Nilayam
Bookstore
Periyar Puththaga Nilayam — Bookstore.
Landmark
Bookstore
Landmark — Bookstore.
Jothi Puthaga Nilayam
Bookstore
Jothi Puthaga Nilayam is Bookstore.
Indian Books
Bookstore
Indian Books is Bookstore.
Hindustan book bank
Bookstore
Hindustan book bank — Bookstore. Also worth knowing about Hindustan book bank: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-17:30.
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:30
பியுர் சினிமா
Bookstore
பியுர் சினிமா — Bookstore on Vikram studio,7 W sivan koil st,vadapalni,chennai.
Vikram studio,7 W sivan koil st,vadapalni,chennai
ரஹ்மத் பதிப்பகம்
Bookstore
ரஹ்மத் பதிப்பகம் is Bookstore on CIT Colony 2nd Main Road. ரஹ்மத் பதிப்பகம் also notes on the map: it has a website with more detail.
CIT Colony 2nd Main Road
Omega Enterprises
BookstoreRun by Isaac
Omega Enterprises is Bookstore run by Isaac. Omega Enterprises also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 10:00-21:00.
Hours: Mo-Sa 10:00-21:00
Good Pastor International Book Centre
Bookstore
Good Pastor International Book Centre is Bookstore.
St. Mary's Co-Cathedral Office
Bookstore
St. Mary's Co-Cathedral Office is Bookstore.
Chennai Law House
Bookstore
Chennai Law House — Bookstore.
Om Book SHop
Bookstore
Om Book SHop is Bookstore.
The Christian Literature Society
Bookstore
The Christian Literature Society is Bookstore.
Parrys Book House
Bookstore
Parrys Book House is Bookstore.
Asian Books & Stationers
Bookstore
Asian Books & Stationers — Bookstore.
Prince Book House
Bookstore
Prince Book House is Bookstore.
Bismi Book Centre
Bookstore
Bismi Book Centre is Bookstore.
Vijaya Store
Bookstore
Vijaya Store — Bookstore.
Sri Thanigaivel Book Centre
Bookstore
Sri Thanigaivel Book Centre is Bookstore.
Periyaar Pathipagam
Bookstore
Periyaar Pathipagam is Bookstore.
Higginbotham's
Bookstore
Higginbotham's is Bookstore.
வேர்ட்ஸ் & வோர்த்ஸ் புக்ஸ் பிரைவட் லிமிடெட்
Bookstore
வேர்ட்ஸ் & வோர்த்ஸ் புக்ஸ் பிரைவட் லிமிடெட் — Bookstore on E28 Besant Nagar 2nd Avenue. Also worth knowing about வேர்ட்ஸ் & வோர்த்ஸ் புக்ஸ் பிரைவட் லிமிடெட்: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 10:00-21:30; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
E28 Besant Nagar 2nd Avenue, 600090
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-21:30
Phone: 044 2446 8659
Moore Market
Bookstore
Moore Market is Bookstore.
ஏலியன்ஸ் கம்பெனி
Bookstore
ஏலியன்ஸ் கம்பெனி is Bookstore.
ScoreMax Tuition Centre
Bookstore
ScoreMax Tuition Centre is Bookstore on Pillayar Koil Street. ScoreMax Tuition Centre also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 17:00-22:00.
Pillayar Koil Street, 603103
Hours: Mo-Sa 17:00-22:00
College Book Stores
Bookstore
College Book Stores is Bookstore.
Periyar Book Exhibition & Shop
Bookstore
Periyar Book Exhibition & Shop — Bookstore.
Cafe Coffee Day;Higginbotham's
BookstoreRun by Coffee Day Global Limited;Higginbothams
Cafe Coffee Day;Higginbotham's is Bookstore run by Coffee Day Global Limited;Higginbothams.
600036
Higginbotham's
Bookstore
Higginbotham's is Bookstore on 116,814 Anna Salai, Chennai.
116,814 Anna Salai, Chennai, 600002
Kalikambal Book Stall
Bookstore
Kalikambal Book Stall is Bookstore.
Blessing Literature Centre
Bookstore
Blessing Literature Centre is Bookstore.
What the map tells us about bookstores in Chennai
4 of the 33 list their opening hours on the map, which is genuinely useful — bookshops keep civilised hours, so the listed ones are usually reliable.
The Chennai bookstore crawl
The efficient Chennai bookstore crawl strings these together: Subramani, akshaya, Periyar Puththaga Nilayam, Landmark, Jothi Puthaga Nilayam, Indian Books, Hindustan book bank, and பியுர் சினிமா on Vikram studio,7 W sivan koil st,vadapalni,chennai — 33 stops, one logical order. 25 more are listed below.
Bookstore tips for Chennai
The regulars' playbook for Chennai's bookshops:
- Check the sale shelf rhythm at Subramani. Shops clear shelves on cycles. Ask when the next cull happens — that's when the bargains land.
- Support the shop's own publishing at akshaya. Some independents publish local authors or print their own anthologies. Buying them funds the ecosystem directly.
- Learn your editions. A first edition, first printing is the collectible one. Booksellers will show you how to check the copyright page.
- Check condition before you pay. Used books: check for missing pages, water damage, and cracked spines. A quick flip-through takes ten seconds.
Good to know
We searched about 40 km around Chennai — that covers the town itself plus the surrounding communities you'd reasonably drive to. Listings come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by local volunteers, so a brand-new bookstore in Chennai can take a while to appear. If you spot one of the 33 that's closed, or a great bookstore we missed, the fix is to update the map itself — that's where this guide reads from.
We don't list prices — they change constantly and vary by edition. What we list is the where: real shops, verified by real mappers, in alphabetical order with no favourites.
If you run one of the 33 listed here and something's wrong — a closure, a move, new hours — the fix is the same: update the shop on OpenStreetMap and the correction flows through to this page on the next daily refresh.
Bookstore listings for Chennai: 33 mapped from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos from Wikimedia Commons contributors; individual photo credits appear in captions. Listing data was last refreshed automatically — verify hours before visiting.