Frankfurt, October 4 :

The Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest trade fair for books, opened its doors to trade visitors today. The 58th edition of the event, which runs till October 8, will see 7,272 exhibitors from 113 countries display almost 400,000 titles. Audiobooks, DVDs, CD-Roms, films, magazines, comics and new media products will also be on display.

Around 180,000 trade visitors are expected to attend the fair along with an estimated 100,000 members of the general public.

India as ‘Guest of Honour’ country at this year’s fair will be using the event as an opportunity to showcase its culture and literature, and to promote the translation of books written in the country’s 24 official languages.

“We are focusing on conveying a holistic image of modern India around books, in keeping with the theme ‘Today’s India,’” said Nuzhat Hassan, director of India’s National Book Trust (NBT), the main organiser from the subcontinent.

Around 1,000 authors are expected to appear at the fair, including many from India, in addition to well-known writers such as Zadie Smith and Ken Follett. Besides the cultural aspect, the fair is mainly about selling book rights.

The Frankfurt Rights Catalogue lists more than 19,000 titles from 70 countries in 55 languages with rights for sale. Major discussions themes at the fair will include digitisation and eBooks, and campaigns to encourage literacy and education.