Books & Readings

The main English-language retailers are Periplus and Kinokuniya. Periplus is the largest, with roughly forty-five to fifty outlets plus airport branches and an online store. Kinokuniya trades in Jakarta only, at four stores: Grand Indonesia, Plaza Senayan, Central Market PIK and Sogo Central Park. Times Bookstore has left and Aksara has all but closed. Local prices run higher than abroad, reflecting shipping and small print runs, not duty, which books do not attract.

Gramedia, the biggest local chain and publisher, runs more than a hundred branches. Its stock is almost entirely Indonesian, with a modest English selection in a few large Jakarta stores.

Blok M Square is Jakarta's main second-hand hub: dozens of basement stalls sell used, new and vintage titles, continuing a trade rooted in the old Kwitang market.

In Bali, Ganesha Bookshop in Ubud has traded since 1986, strong on Indonesia-related titles in English. The Lontar Foundation, founded in 1987 by four Indonesian writers and translator John McGlynn, publishes Indonesian literature in English translation.

Ordering from abroad has changed. The Book Depository closed in 2023; Blackwell's now offers the nearest free shipping to Indonesia. Amazon rarely ships books directly, so a forwarder may be needed, while AbeBooks remains best for out-of-print titles. On tax, the old US$50 warning is obsolete: books carry no import duty at any value, though the general duty-free threshold is now US$3 per shipment. Educational, scientific and religious books are also VAT-exempt; ordinary fiction attracts VAT (11% at the time of writing) above US$3. For the current position, Okusi Associates is the authoritative guide.

Contributors: jakartass tupai

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