1.
There are few crowded places in the small-town Germany I have lived in. Parents apparently have difficulty in explaining the concept of a ‘crowd’ to children: television is mostly forbidden for kids, and real-life examples are hard to come by, unless you go to a Bundesliga football match or visit the Frankfurt book fair.
Parmanu 
In India, your quest would not be difficult. Actually, anywhere in the world, your quest would not be difficult. Just go to a bookshop and browse, there are so many more writers than you’ve heard of.
Sined,
Just got something like 40 new books (new to me). MOST excited.
The emphasis on that last sentence was unintended, Bunny. So the point was not that it is difficult to find such books, but that such books are not “shown” to us by mainstream media. Mostly.
You are an exception, of course!
SIGH. Dont talk about books. soooo many to read….so slow i am.
Interesting points Parmanu. And though I agree with Bunny to an extent you are right. We browse and buy but I wonder if known names and titles play at the back of our minds unconsciously. Unfortunately, tweets and FB posts about books/movies etc encourage a lot of herd mentality.
Btw, you can’t buy at the Frankfurt bookfair, but you can pick up books when it closes. The publishers who display there don’t take their samples back, so they’re free for all. Just heard this from a writer I know who was invited there.
Yes, on the last day you can negotiate at some – not all – stalls, and if you are lucky you can carry something back. I still haven’t figured out the magic formula, though.
What an excellent idea! Next time I’m in a bookstore, I will do the same.