
While the world discards paperbacks for ebooks, we’re champions of the irresistible charm that wandering through libraries holds. Towering shelves of tomes filled with history and stories and that scent of timeworn pages, ahh! Whether you want to cosy up with a gripping thriller in pin-drop silence or simply admire stunning architecture, these libraries in Mumbai are ideal literary sanctuaries. Stacked with everything from academic texts to bestsellers, these beautiful heritage and modern libraries are a treat for bookworms’ souls and eyes.
1. Asiatic Society of Mumbai Library
This arresting neoclassical building is a treasure trove of 100,000 books, painted folios, artefacts and rare manuscripts. The original Italian Dante’s Divine Comedy holds pride of place. Constructed in 1833, the wood-panelled periodicals room, wrought iron Regency-era bannister, exterior Greek columns and grand flight of steps make this one of Mumbai’s most stunning edifices. However, this is a members-only library. That said, the annual membership of INR 3,000 for residents is a small price to pay.
📍Town Hall, Horniman Circle, Fort
2. David Sassoon Library and Reading Room
Fort knocks it out of the park when it comes to breathtaking historic libraries. This 154-year-old Victorian Gothic building underwent a renovation in 2022 and reopened its doors to bibliophiles in 2023. Louvred windows, Minton tiles and arched ceilings are just a few of the architectural features that secured it a Grade 1 Heritage building listing. Not to mention a reading room that’s straight out of the Hogwarts Library. Over 30,000 books in English, Hindi and Marathi are stacked around on floor-to-ceiling shelves.
📍 152, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Off David Sassoon Library Marg, Opposite Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Fort
3. J.N. Petit Library
Started in 1856 by a group of Elphinstone College students, the kaleidoscopic stained glass windows and limestone exterior of this public library bring the Venetian Gothic whimsy of Italian cathedrals to Old Bombay. The airy reading room’s high-vaulted ceilings and gold-flecked mouldings create an inviting atmosphere to immerse yourself in the 100,000 books spanning classics, fiction, management, religion and more. One of its crown jewels is the invaluable manuscript of the 1st-century epic Zoroastrian poem Shahnameh by Ferdowsi. More info here
📍 JN Petit Institute, 312, Dr. D.N. Road, Azad Maidan, Fort
4. Maharashtra Mitra Mandal Library

Nicknamed the ‘MCubed Library’ to sidestep its alliterative tongue-twister of a name, this library has multiplied in the number of books (10,000 and counting) and age groups it caters to since started as a children’s library in 1981. Today, shelves here are laden with classics in Marathi, Hindi and English – Dickens, Hardy and Shakespeare rub shoulders with Indian literary giants like Vikram Seth, and Rabindranath Tagore and comics and fiction. It’s a wholesome communal space that holds workshops, quizzes, and book discussions regularly and celebrates neighbourhood talent with a section dedicated to Bandra writers. More info here
📍Ground Floor, Princess Building, D’Monte Park Road, Bandra West
5. People’s Free Reading Room and Library
Time stands still in this Dhobi Talao library like the iconic Parsi cafes that surround it. Aged wooden furniture, marble busts and patterned floor tiles in place since the 1850s retain vintage Victorian charm. Its extensive catalogue, however, has kept up with the times; an internet library and the latest bestsellers stock two floors and multiple reading rooms. You can access it all for a minuscule lifetime membership fee of INR 1,500 per person.
📍 J.S.S. Road, Opp Metro Inox Cinemas, Dhobitalao, Marine Lines, Mumbai
6. Leaping Windows
This comic book and graphic novel-themed cafe kapows its way into this list of old-school libraries and boy, it packs a punch! If you manage to tear your eyes away from its walls painted with murals of comic strips, waddle down to the basement. There lies the true heart of this establishment – the reading room. Plush cushions and bean bags litter this cosy underground nook, while volumes of classic comics from Tinkle and Tintin to DC and Marvel line the walls.
📍Corner View, 3, Dr.Ashok Chopra Marg, Opp. Bianca Towers, Amit Nagar, Versova
7. Trilogy Curated Bookshop and Library
This independent library is a bookworm’s dream come true with bespoke lending membership plans to suit your voracious appetite for books. The two-storied space is packed to the rafters quite literally with books from every genre imaginable and has a curved fairytale-esque staircase to lead you from one level to the other. There’s a reason why it was ranked one of the world’s favourite independent bookshops by The Guardian. More info here
📍 1 Carter Road, Chimbai Koliwada, Behind BMC Pump House Near Joggers Park, Bandra West
8. NCPA Reference Library

You won’t find copies of Mills and Boons or Dan Brown here. This performance arts reference library has India’s most impressive collections of periodicals, encyclopedias and biographies on music, dance and theatre. Located inside the venerated National Centre for Performing Arts, it’s a treasure chest of more than just artsy books. Some 11,000 Western classical music LPs, 5000 speeches, and resources on film, folklore, mythology, architecture, fashion and painting reside here. The star though, is a wonderful new Little Free Library book exchange program. Bibliophiles can leave a book and take one from a unique musical bookshelf – an upcycled double bass that was part of the Symphony Orchestra of India.
📍 NCPA Library, NCPA, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point