A World of Books in Frankfurt
The 52nd Frankfurt Book Fair is attended by 6,791 individual exhibitors - among them 77 national presentations - from 106 countries, occupying just under 200,000 square meters with approximately 377,000 titles, including 91,000 new publications."Our aim must be for a qualitative growth, that is to say, the presentation of the new fields of business, the new contents, the new media formats, the technological innovations and the new service sectors, in all their diversity and complexity," said Lorenzo A. Rudolf, Director of the Book Fair.The Fair included wide-ranging exhibits covering all aspects of the book, as we know it. In the expanded art sector, attendees found a special show on contemporary book art, an exhibit entitled "Jewels of Books" that included all kinds of books as objets d'art, from hand-press publications to e-books. A "Book Art News Forum" featured an overview of 75 hand presses and book artists from 14 countries.The Electronic Media Hall contained a special theme exhibit called "New Books - New Shops - New Jobs," contending that electronic books and bookselling give rise to a new employment market (e.g. the new professions of online editor, media developer, IT assistant, and web developer). Internet bookshops, publishing companies, multimedia service providers, and career training facilities, were virtually presented at 30 computer terminals. Rudolf promised that certain important principles of the Frankfurt Book Fair would continue to be upheld, including the promotion of smaller publishing companies in the face of agglomeration on the market, focus on contents, and recognition and adoption of innovations.
Advertisments
