By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
‘A Continuation of his Highness’ Lifelong Support’
Among the most faithful and illuminating things that the Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi of Sharjah can be expected to do each year during the trade show he founded is to make an substantial annual donation to his emirate’s libraries—an event designed to support publishers, as well.
A prolific and accomplished author himself, Sheikh Sultan is personally making good on the promise of book fairs and trade shows in the Middle East, where these massive gatherings are usually the biggest-selling events for publishers, far outdoing the bookstore-and-distribution scene in many Arab world countries.
And, with this gesture each year, he reminds all comers of the deep levels of generosity he accepts as core to the decades-long focus he has placed on his concept of “the emirate that reads.”
“Libraries are living archives of human thought and bridges that connect cultures and civilizations,” Bodour Al Qasami says.
“This generous grant is a continuation of His Highness’ lifelong support for the publishing sector, empowering publishers to sustain their work and enrich the cultural and creative ecosystem in the region and beyond.”
Held under the theme Between You and a Book, the 44th edition of SIBF continues as one of the largest cultural event fairs of this kind in the world, with the participation of 2,350 publishers from 118 countries, including 1,224 Arab and 1,126 international publishing houses. The fair also hosts more than 250 writers, artists, and thinkers from 66 nations presenting at least 1,200 cultural, intellectual, and artistic events.
Frankfurter Buchmesse Publishing Perspectives 2025 Show Magazine
Our Publishing Perspectives 2025 Show Magazine was released in its print edition on the opening day of Buchmesse, October 15.
If you couldn’t be with us in Frankfurt this year, be sure to download our PDF of the full magazine here.
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