Lahore has a spiritual charm—those who visit often feel an unexplainable sense of belonging. The same happened with my father, Syed Ghulam Ali. He came to Lahore with dreams of becoming a film hero. Although he acted in a few movies, destiny had other plans. When the silver screen didn’t embrace him as a hero, he chose another path—becoming a hero in the world of books.
Founder
In 1954, he established his bookshop and fittingly named it “HERO BOOKS.” By the early 1960s, he had reached a remarkable level of success in the book-selling profession, a feat that remains hard to match even today. At a time when subject-wise book collections were difficult to assemble, my father made it his mission—and succeeded. His stamp proudly read:
“MEET US IN EVERY SUBJECT OF THE WORLD.”
He became a well-known name in academic circles—from schools, colleges, and universities to engineering and medical institutions. He also specialized in rare and antique books. One testament to his standing in the field is that between 1970 and 1985, he supplied books to the prestigious Sotheby’s Auction.
In 1989, I, Syed Shahzad Ali, joined him in this noble work and have been carrying the legacy forward independently ever since. Now, as we step into our eighth decade in this field, I continue the journey under the name:
“Syed Ghulam Ali Hero Iconic Books International”, bringing the world of books to readers both offline and online.