New chapter for Sharjah book fair

The Sharjah World Book Fair begins a new chapter next year when it moves to a new home in Al Mouelah district. Organisers promise it will be bigger and better than ever. This year's 10-day fair, held at the Sharjah Expo Centre, was attended by 365,000 people, including more than 30,000 children from 646 schools. "This year there was a special focus on books related to the environment and culture, keeping in tune with the burning issues of the time," said Yusuf Aeydabi, general co-ordinator of the fair.

It will be back next year on Nov 11, he said. The organisers were in the process of completing plans for its purpose-built new home, which he said he hoped would be open in time to host the 28th fair. The book fair, organised by the Sharjah Government's department of culture and information, is held annually with the intention of kick-starting a reading habit in people, mainly the younger generation. The fair is regarded as the flagship of the emirate's reputation as the cultural heart of the country.

The organisers say the fair is also intended to make quality books accessible to students and other readers at affordable prices. Several award-winning books from different parts of the world were displayed at this year's event, and international publishers also participated. There were more than 200 companies from 35 countries, with the US, Britain and India most prominent. [e-mail]