Book fair biggest yet with a third more exhibitors

ABU DHABI // The 19th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair will be the biggest yet, bringing together 637 exhibitors from 53 countries when it opens tomorrow at the National Exhibition Centre. Juma al Qubaisi, director of the event as well as being the director of the National Library, said yesterday that the number of exhibitors was expected to be up by 32 per cent on last year.

"Abu Dhabi is entering the spotlight of the global publishing industry," Mr al Qubaisi said, adding that the UAE would be known as "the international publishing hub of the region". Abu Dhabi's 2008 Book Fair attracted 482 exhibitors from 42 countries. Best-selling authors who will be on hand at the event include Rajaa al Sanea, the Saudi Arabian who created Girls of Riyadh; the Swedish crime novelist Henning Mankell; and Simon Kuper, the British writer of Football Against The Enemy.

For the first time, leading chefs and authors of Gourmand World Cookbook Award-winning cookbooks will demonstrate their skills live. mkwong@thenational.ae