The timeline of Frankfurter Buchmesse from 1949 to today

1st Frankfurter Buchmesse

March

In March, the Book Fair Committee is founded. Its members are Alfred Grade, Walter Gericke, Gottfried Löbemann, Dr Heinz Bergmann and Dr Kurt Georg Schauer. St Paul’s Church is leased as a venue.

June

On 10 June, the first official announcement appears in Börsenblatt, the trade journal serving Germany’s publishing industry; by mid-August only 100 registrations have been received. The Working Group of the German Publishers & Booksellers Associations is not able to decide whether to participate. A book show is therefore held in Stuttgart (160 exhibitors) from 27 August to 25 September and from 1 to 23 October in Hamburg (57 exhibitors).

18 to 23 September

The first book fair in Frankfurt is held in St Paul’s Church, organised by the Hessian Publishers and Booksellers Association, with 205 German publishers taking part. The fair is notable for the uniformity of the stands (the “normal stand” consists of a slanted two-sqm panel with four movable slats, rented to exhibitors for DM 100). Börsenblatt recognises the event by publishing a special advertising issue which simultaneously serves as the fair’s catalogue. Published annually since then prior to the fair, this issue becomes an essential reference work for the retail book trade during the Christmas season. The statistics assembled by the fair’s management record 9,046 paying guests in addition to 4,500 interested attendees admitted for free. Some 8,400 titles are exhibited. The final report ascertains that some 21,000 contracts were signed, totalling approx. DM 2.6 million. An exhibition of French books is held simultaneously in Frankfurt’s City Hall.

2nd Frankfurter Buchmesse

21 to 26 September

The organiser of the second book fair is the German Publishers & Booksellers Association. The responsible bodies are the Publishers Committee and the Committee for Trade Fairs. The members of the Exhibition Committee are publishers Vittorio Klostermann, Herbert Hoffmann and Christian Wegner. The three-member Execution Committee is comprised of Heinrich Cobet, Dr Knut Erichson and Kurt Wolff. St Paul’s Church is the venue once again, along with the provisionally restored Römerhallen in Frankfurt’s City Hall.

Of the 460 participating publishers, 100 are from other European countries and the United States. This marks the beginning of the fair’s internationalisation: in Römerhallen IV, 44 publishing houses from Switzerland are present, 30 from France, 20 from Austria, two each from the US and the UK, and one each from the Netherlands and Sweden. Overall, some 28,000 books, including 5,000 new titles, are on display. Total sales amount to DM 6 million; the organisers make a profit of DM 19,000.

The fair’s first catalogue is 80 pages long. During the fair an international dance evening is held, organised by the German Publishers & Booksellers Association. A gathering of the state associations – forerunner to the general meeting of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association – is also held in St Paul’s Church during the fair.

3rd Frankfurter Buchmesse

13 to 18 September

The fair is held for the first time on Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds (Congress Hall and the House of German Arts and Crafts). As the number of exhibitors rises, so does the event’s international nature: among the 602 participating publishing houses, there are 54 from Switzerland, 42 from Austria, 70 from France, 18 from the Netherlands, four from the UK, two from the US and one from East Germany. The French publishers mount a special show in the House of German Arts and Crafts that features 2,500 titles.

In St Paul’s Church, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is awarded for the first time (to Albert Schweitzer, with German President Theodor Heuss giving the presentation speech). This event, always held on the Sunday, becomes one of the fair’s key events in coming years. Börsenblatt publishes its own picture section of the fair. Three evening lectures are held in the Congress Hall, the book fair’s first programme of supporting events. A total of 36,000 books, including 7,500 new titles are on display. After just a few years, the weekly newspaper Die Zeit is already describing the book fair as an “indispensable institution”.  

4th Frankfurter Buchmesse

25 to 30 September

Routine systems are established and with them the problem of large (and growing) numbers: exhibitors, books, visitors. The transformation from a “sales event” to a market-leading fair becomes visible. One reason for this development can also be traced back to the statistics: the volume of retailers remains mostly constant, while the number of exhibitors and books increases (857 publishers, including 484 from Germany; 22,000 paying visitors). Stand fees are reduced by 10 percent compared to 1951. East Germany does not participate in the fair, returning only in 1955. Three special exhibitions are mounted: “The Most Beautiful Books of 1951”, “Books by the Peace Prize Winner” (Romano Guardini), “Posters from the Book Trade”.

The Sunday of the fair becomes a problem in two respects. On the one hand, criticism is received that the fair remains closed in the morning due to events in St Paul’s Church (eg awarding of the Peace Prize and Booksellers’ Day). On the other, the number of visitors in the afternoon – 6,000 – is considered “alarming”. Yet in response to a query by the fair’s organisers relating to a possible reduction in train fares for visitors, the Federal Economics Ministry declares that the book fair is not of “general economic significance”.

5th Frankfurter Buchmesse

24 to 29 September

The fair’s growing international character becomes evident even before it begins: in addition to Chairman Arthur Georgi and Mayor Walter Leiske, representatives from 10 nations speak at the opening ceremony, including Sir Stanley Unwin, President of the International Publishers Association, who says that “a glorious Frankfurt phoenix has risen from the ashes of Leipzig”. In keeping with the wishes of many exhibitors, a double-width version is added to the types of stands on offer.

International exhibitors outnumber German participants for the first time (505 to 484). Making a special effort to promote the fair among publishers becomes and remains superfluous. However, the focus continues to be placed on retailers, who attend in increasing numbers but whose participation remains unsatisfactory. A “street of window displays” is created especially for retailers and the exhibition “Advertising Resources for Booksellers” is organised. Admission to the fair is restricted to trade visitors until 2 pm. A total of 32,000 paying visitors attend; the number of publishing houses (989) is almost five times higher than in 1949. In addition to French titles, special exhibitions are mounted to showcase Spanish and English books.

6th Frankfurter Buchmesse

23 to 28 September

A total of 14 speeches are given to open the fair. Visitors can attend a specially organised evening of theatre. Cold weather makes attending the fair more difficult, affecting exhibitors and visitors in Hall 7 in particular. A new problem arises, one that will recur and remain without a satisfactory solution in coming years: admission for the general public. On the one hand, members of the public are welcome at the fair (at certain times); on the other, they can prove disruptive, especially when, due to uncontrolled ticketing, “gawkers” are admitted at times meant for trade visitors.

7th Frankfurter Buchmesse

8 to 13 Oktober

A total of 1,150 publishers from 22 countries exhibit 48,500 titles; the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia are present for the first time at the book fair in Frankfurt. East Germany exhibits at the collective stand “Books from Inner-German Commerce”. Several exhibitors eject a neo-Nazi publisher from the exhibition hall at midday when things are quieter. A special exhibition is dedicated to the books of Hermann Hesse, recipient of the Peace Prize. A special catalogue with greater spacing between lines for taking notes is published for the retail trade.

8th Frankfurter Buchmesse

8 to 24 September

Prior to the fair, numerous well-known figures from the book trade approach the fair’s organisers, calling on them to ban neo-Nazi publishers. This “Appeal to the Book Fair” is not successful, since the fair can only exclude those books which have been subject to a legal injunction, otherwise it would be engaging in censorship. The report by the fair’s management expresses concerns about an increase in “competing events” in Belgrade, Warsaw and Leipzig. In contrast to the business of placing orders, previously the primary activity at the fair, the international licensing business, translations and partnerships become increasingly important. After different images were used for the first seven book fairs (and their catalogue covers), the “flying book” (designed by Walter Baum) appears for the first time, remaining the symbol of the fair until the present day.

9th Frankfurter Buchmesse

5 to 10 October

The People’s Republic of China refuses to participate in the fair since Taiwan is also represented there. In October, Dr Wilhelm Müller relinquishes his post as head of the fair’s Administrative Office and returns to his prior profession as a journalist.

At the fair, the exhibition “German Book Illustration Today” is shown. The Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper reports on 7 October:

“One must understand that there is currently no business event on the face of the planet that ‘represents this Globus literarum in a similar manner – this divided globe that temporarily [revives] the illusion of a unified world here in Frankfurt’. Peacefully, the two contrary sides face each other on the book front, West and East, while both vie in the hinterlands by firing off intercontinental rockets. On the book front in Frankfurt, there is no no man’s land between the opponents; they have climbed from the trenches, shaking each other’s hand without forcing a diplomat’s smile – just as the idea does not arise that competing battles are being waged at the book fair, that rival firms are snatching customers from each other. One outward sign of this, in contrast to other fairs, is the traditional uniformity of the stands ...”

10th Frankfurter Buchmesse

25 to 30 September

On 1 January 1958, Sigfred Taubert becomes head of the fair’s Administrative Office at the German Publishers & Booksellers Association; previously, he was the association’s chief press officer and manager of market analysis. Complaints are heard from exhibitors and visitors that there are too many meetings and other events that do not serve the book fair’s actual purpose. Some 500 journalists cover the fair, which welcomes 700 foreign publishers from 24 countries. During the remarks given to open the 10th Frankfurter Buchmesse, the general complaints are dismissed that the book sector is experiencing overproduction, with the justification that the wide range of goods prevents uniformity. Representing East Germany, Klaus Gysi (head of the Aufbau publishing house since 1957, later the country’s minister of culture) warns that “the German infantryman in all his poses” is represented on “a multitude of publications”.

11th Frankfurter Buchmesse

7 to 12 October

In over 4,000 newspaper articles, more than 600 accredited journalists around the world report on the fair, at which 1,800 publishers from 34 countries present some 70,000 titles, including 20,000 new publications. Having hired numerous new employees, the fair’s Administrative Office moves into new premises in Kleiner Hirschgraben. The book fair itself also expands its physical presence yet again by using the newly built annex to the House of German Arts and Crafts, also known as the “glass box”. The 20 publishers exhibiting there are given newly designed stands, which are not well received. Audio records are presented alongside books for the first time.

12th Frankfurter Buchmesse

21 to 26 September

Hall 5 is also used for the fair. The expansion of the exhibition space is necessary not only become of the growing number of participating publishers, but also because larger (double-width) stands are increasingly in demand. A double-width version is used for a small special exhibition for the first time, one that becomes an important part of the fair in coming years: “Practical Aids for Booksellers” (later: “Rationalisation in the Book Trade”).

13th Frankfurter Buchmesse

18 to 23 October

An increase in stand fees becomes necessary at the same time the German mark appreciates, leading to concern that fewer foreign exhibitors will participate. These fears prove unfounded, however. The exhibition space expands by 25 percent compared to the previous year (by 100 percent compared to 1956). The fair is admitted to the Union des Foires Internationales as a full member. For the first time, the traditional reception for international delegations is jointly organised by the City of Frankfurt and the German Publishers & Booksellers Association. Complaints increase about too many events being held that do not relate to the fair.

14th Frankfurter Buchmesse

20 to 25 September

Fixed retail prices are the main topic of discussion at the fair. Some 100,000 visitors arrive in Frankfurt to peruse the approximately 20,000 new titles offered by 2,112 publishers from 32 countries and displayed across 22,000 sqm of exhibition space. Australia participates in the fair for the first time; the number of American exhibitors is 164. The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is awarded to theologian and philosopher Paul Tillich; the presentation speech given by Otto Dibelius. Ten leading figures from Poland’s publishing industry are invited to the fair as guests by the fair’s organisers and government authorities in Bonn.

15th Frankfurter Buchmesse

9 to 14 October

This book fair is marked by an economic upswing: West Germany’s foreign trade in publishing products reaches a record value of DM 318 million. Retail book sales rise by 11 percent. A total of 2,165 publishers from 36 countries participate in the book fair; the UK tops the list of international exhibitors with 223 British publishing houses present in Frankfurt. The press conference focuses on the organisers’ response to the planned value added tax. The German Publishers & Booksellers Association reports that paperbacks, a new segment of the market, already account for 5 percent of book sales. Professor Carl Friedrich Freiherr von Weizsäcker is awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade; Georg Picht gives the presentation speech.

16th Frankfurter Buchmesse

17 to 22 September

Major adjustments to the layout of the exhibition halls are required once again. Even though the affected exhibitors are always dissatisfied and protest, the changes prove, with only a few exceptions, to be effective solutions. For the first time, the fair also rents empty stand space (reflecting the dimensions of the four usual stand types), which exhibitors can use to create stands of their own design.

Although the World Book Fair, which takes place in London in June, is a cause for concern, the turnout in Frankfurt again tops that of the previous year. The vinyl industry’s request to be permitted to participate is rejected by the fair’s management. Special exhibitions are mounted on the topics “Sample Display Windows”, “The Most Beautiful Books”, “Books by the Peace Prize Recipient”, “Practical Aids for Booksellers”, “Bookseller Catalogues and Book Journals”, “Specialist Literature for Booksellers” and “Selected Directories of Public Libraries”.

The German Publishers & Booksellers Association founds the company Ausstellungs- und Messe-GmbH (AuM – Exhibition and Trade Fair Ltd). The AuM Supervisory Board is now solely responsible for the fair instead of the various groups that have previously had a say.

17th Frankfurter Buchmesse

13 to 18 October

The growing crowds increasingly disrupt the fair’s main activities: some 113,000 guests (the most prominent being former West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer) view approximately 150,000 books shown by 2,376 publishers from 38 countries on 28,000 sqm of exhibition space. The special issue published by trade journal Börsenblatt is 1,400 pages long. To curb the increasing theft of books, exhibitors are prohibited from handing out bags as promotional items. The group of exhibitors showcasing audio records numbers only six, having started with 31 in 1963. The “Sample Display Windows” are shown for the last time. Nelly Sachs receives the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade; Werner Weber gives the presentation speech.

18th Frankfurter Buchmesse

22 to 27 September

The fair’s increasingly international nature brings with it a growing number of official visitors. This year, the fair’s management is thus able to welcome the Soviet Ambassador Semyon Tsarapkin. The fair is threatened with political demonstrations for the first time: Yugoslavian exhibitors fear protests by Croatian exiles, and the group Action for Targeted Democracy threatens to put pressure on publishers of “disagreeable authors”.  

A “Frankfurt Evening” is jointly organised at City Hall for foreign exhibitors by the German Publishers & Booksellers Association and the City of Frankfurt. For the first time, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is shared by two authors: Augustin Bea and Willem A. Visser ’t Hooft.

19th Frankfurter Buchmesse

12 to 17 October

With 2,871 exhibitors, 2,031 of them from outside Germany, and 36,000 sqm of exhibition space, the 1967 book fair is the largest book show since the end of the war. The exhibition area has been expanded by 7,000 sqm thanks to the addition of the new Hall 5; as in the past, Hall 6 is reserved solely for fiction. A new colour-coded guidance system, which has also been included in the redesigned fair catalogue, makes it easier for visitors to find their way. New stand resources are in general use, including basic stands, large stands of type A and B, standard-width booths and double-width booths. Almost 175,000 visitors peruse over 200,000 titles, experiencing a record year for the international book sector.

The burgeoning student protests are also evident at the fair; in front of the stand belonging to Greek publishers, students and booksellers demonstrate together against the military dictatorship in Greece that came to power in April 1967. During the fair, numerous students demonstrate against the Springer Group’s press monopoly in Germany, calling attention to threats to freedom of expression. Demands to “expropriate Springer” resound throughout the fair.

20th Frankfurter Buchmesse

19 to 24 September

Germany’s domestic political controversies make themselves felt at the book fair. The protests are ignited primarily by the awarding of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade to Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor. Honoured with the prize as a mediator between African and European culture, he is viewed by others as a “fascist dictator”. During the fair itself, protests erupt at the press conference given by German Finance Minister Franz Josef Strauss of the CSU party at the stand used by the Seewald publishing house. On Saturday, at the behest of the fair’s organisers, the police cordon off all of Hall 6 in order to prevent a sit-in from taking place.

The protests reach their high point on Sunday morning before St Paul’s Church, prompting the fair’s management to ban the public from the book fair on Sunday afternoon. Several publishers (Luchterhand, Wagenbach, Verlag Neue Kritik) close their stands in protest. As a result, a plan is launched to organise the fair strictly as a trade show, excluding the public. Ultimately, however, an agreement is reached to continue as before, admitting trade visitors in the morning and the general public in the afternoon.

21st Frankfurter Buchmesse

8 to 13 October

A Fair Council is formed for the first time to represent the fair’s interests in public and to create a counter-narrative. Key demands include a guaranteed right to freedom of expression, no ban on demonstrations and no stationing of police on the exhibition grounds. Publisher Rowohlt Verlag does not participate in the fair, fearing major demonstrations due to its cooperation with the German Defence Ministry in Bonn. The Peace Prize is awarded to Alexander Mitscherlich in St Paul’s Church.

22nd Frankfurter Buchmesse

24 to 29 September

By 1970, the book fair is no longer the centre of student unrest. There are only a few demonstrations against the stands being misused by the Greek government for propaganda purposes. Just as the fair opens, East Germany signs the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property as well as the Stockholm Protocol.

Ten publishers of religious works join forces, the best known of whom are Don Bosco Verlag from Munich, Driewer Verlag from Essen and Katholisches Bibelwerk from Stuttgart. The aim of this alliance is to coordinate the planning and production relating to certain topics and to launch joint advertising campaigns. The newly founded Austrian publishing house Aktuell Verlag introduces itself by presenting a publication examining juvenile delinquency around the world. A total of 3,384 exhibitors from 66 countries are in attendance for six days on 39,000 sqm of exhibition space. The fair’s 113,069 visitors take the opportunity to browse some 213,000 books.

For the first time, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is awarded to a married couple: social and political scientists Alva und Gunnar Myrdal.

23rd Frankfurter Buchmesse

14 to 19 Oktober

This year’s book fair is unanimously seen as one of the best in many years. During the six days of the fair, 121,227 visitors view the approximately 241,000 books (including 78,000 new titles) exhibited by 3,561 publishers from 58 countries. Publisher Ernst Klett is elected the new chairman of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association. The Publishers Committee and the Association of German Authors make a joint proposal for having publishing houses contribute to a pension fund for writers. The Fair Council calls for a stand to be established for oppressed authors.

Exiled Czech publisher CCC Books GmbH presents itself at the fair and the Diederichs Verlag publishing house celebrates its 75th anniversary. A protest is held during the fair’s plenary session against the repression taking place in Iran. Journalist Marion Dönhoff receives this year’s Peace Prize of the German Book Trade; Alfred Grosser gives the presentation speech. For the first time, the City of Frankfurt organises a programme of cultural events in conjunction with the fair, but the traffic jams that occur near the fairgrounds as a result are considered disastrous.

24th Frankfurter Buchmesse

28 September to 3 October

The Fair Council is dissolved after a dispute over the presence of Nazi publishers, with the participation of K. W. Schütz Verlag in particular being seen as a provocation. Yet the fair is well attended: over five and a half days, 122,713 visitors view the 247,000 titles displayed by 3,683 publishers from 57 countries on the more than 43,500 sqm of exhibition space. They can also visit the special exhibition “Books about Books”.

The fair is overshadowed by an extensive police presence, since only a few weeks earlier a terrorist attack was carried out against the Israeli national team at the Olympic Games in Munich. The traffic chaos reaches “nightmarish proportions”, leading the chairman of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association, Ernst Klett, to call on Frankfurt’s mayor to respond to the situation.

The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is awarded posthumously this year to Janusz Korczak, with Hartmut von Hentig giving the presentation speech.

25th Frankfurter Buchmesse

11 to 16 October

To commemorate the 25th Frankfurter Buchmesse, a multilingual edition of the Börsenblatt trade journal (81/73) is published for the first time, with articles on the history of both the old and the new fair and numerous congratulations from leading figures in the international book trade. The fair’s management recognises 64 publishing companies that were present from the first to the 25th fair. A commemorative coin is distributed at an International Evening held at the Historical Museum. The City and University Library mounts the exhibition “Centuries of Tradition. The 25th Modern Frankfurt Book Fair”.  The fair’s organisers set up an Information Centre for the first time, which proves a great success from the start. It is not only immediately welcomed by the German book trade, but develops into a general information centre and a point of contact for people with a wide variety of questions. The final report on the fair speaks of a “remarkable increase in the number of visitors”, especially trade visitors.

The disruptions feared due to the war that broke out shortly before the fair in the Middle East do not materialise, although the two adversaries are represented at the fair. The Peace Prize goes to the Club of Rome.

26th Frankfurter Buchmesse

10 to 15 October

At the opening ceremony, chairman of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association, Ernst Klett, bids farewell to Sigfred Taubert, managing director of AuM and director of the fair who will be retiring at the end of the year, and gives him a plaque honouring “The Promoter of German Books”. The keynote speech at the opening ceremony by journalist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann on the topic “The Joy of Reading” is widely criticised as being too superficial. This year’s more than 120,000 visitors, including German President Walter Scheel, have the opportunity to visit the special exhibitions “Jan Tschichold” and “Distinguished Textbooks 1959 to 1973”, among others. Despite growing profits, the publishing houses announce an increase in the price of books.

The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade goes to Frère Roger, prior of Taizé.

During the fair, a delegation from the Soviet Union announces that publishers in the USSR will actively participate in the International Library.

27th Frankfurter Buchmesse

9 to 14 October

Peter Weidhaas succeeds Sigfred Taubert as managing director of Ausstellungs- und Messe-GmbH (AuM – Exhibition and Trade Fair Ltd) and director of the fair. The People’s Republic of China participates in the fair for the first time in 17 years. To mark “International Women’s Year” proclaimed by the United Nations, a special exhibition called “Women” (previously shown in Rome and Naples, with its own catalogue) is mounted, created by the AuM Exhibition Committee and funded by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office. The fair publishes a newspaper-style information sheet, “Welcome to the Book Fair City” (in German and English), which proves very popular. A helicopter shuttle is inaugurated between Frankfurt Airport and the fairgrounds.

The trade paper Börsenblatt appears on five days of the fair containing Börsenblatt Extra, which documents important trends and news of the day (until 1985). Harenberg Verlag (publisher of Buchreport) issues a similar publication, Fair News. Demonstrations take place at Spain’s stand, and Maoist groups protest at the Soviet Union’s stand. 

Some 2,300 journalists register at the newly created Press Centre; an analysis of published articles reveals that 70 percent of all press reports cover fiction and thus only a relatively small share of the publishing houses exhibiting at the fair. The foreign book trade, although it makes up more than three-quarters of the fair, appears in only 9 percent of news reports. Coverage of scientific literature, children’s books and the topics of art and religion can be found almost exclusively in trade publications.

28th Frankfurter Buchmesse

16 to 21 September

For the first time, the book fair has a focus topic – an idea proposed by the fair’s new management, which wants to extend the fair’s impact beyond the economic realm. The topic is “Latin America”.

• Special exhibitions and numerous events on the fairgrounds and in the city examine the region’s literature and culture.
• The new idea is a success, as seen in the extensive press coverage it receives.
• Börsenblatt dedicates a special issue to the topic (as it does in coming years as well).

The exhibition grounds are reorganised, so that publishers of fiction and nonfiction are located together in one area, and scientific publishers in another. Combined with a guidance system, this makes the fair’s layout clearer. A magazine exhibition is shown for the first time, organised by the Magazine Publishers Working Group of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association.

29th Frankfurter Buchmesse

12 to 17 October

The International Booksellers Centre is set up by AuM, where distributors from the book trade can meet and exchange ideas. Among the exhibitors this year are 11 Israeli publishers. Springer Verlag presents a new project, the Springer International Student Edition, in which German textbooks are translated into English and produced, printed and sold in a Third World country. The publishing houses Klett and Thienemann decide to work together on Textbook, a project focusing on elementary and secondary schools.

After several authors (namely Günter Grass, Heinrich Böll and Luise Rinser) are defamed as sympathising with terrorist groups, well-known publishing houses (including Suhrkamp, S. Fischer, Luchterhand and Rowohlt) support them by issuing a declaration of solidarity. Visitors to the book fair this year can view some 280,000 titles. The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is awarded to philosopher Leszek Kolakowski.

The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Alternativer Verlage und Autoren (AGAV – Working Group of Alternative Publishers and Authors) organises a well-attended Alternative Book Fair at the Theater am Turm.

30th Frankfurter Buchmesse

18 to 23 October

More than 200,000 people visit stands belonging to 5,098 publishers from 87 countries; some 280,000 titles can be perused and ordered. The 1978 fair is unmistakeably dedicated to the second focus topic “Children’s and Young Adult Literature”. Some 140 publishers exhibit books for children and young people, and 35 events on the exhibition grounds, and in and around Frankfurt, address the subject. Three exhibitions are devoted to international books for young people and how the Third World is portrayed in books for young readers. The Fair opens on 17 October with the presentation of the Children’s Book Prize, and Swedish children’s author Astrid Lindgren receives the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.

The forum on “The Third World in German Children’s Books 1967 to 1977” receives considerable attention from the international press and leads to significant changes in how various publishers exhibiting at the fair view the topic. It becomes clear that the fair’s focus topics are capable of providing new ideas and critical food for thought.

31st Frankfurter Buchmesse

10 to 15 October

The book fair reaches its organisational limits, and publisher Diogenes Verlag boycotts it due to its “gigantonomy”. A total of 5,045 publishers from 80 nations exhibit their titles to 194,000 visitors; more and more space is dedicated to “new media” (especially the online videotex system Btx).

At the same time, 86 publishers participate in the third Alternative Book Fair in Frankfurt (12 of whom also exhibit at the traditional book fair).

The Centre for Librarians and Documentarians, which features an exhibition of specialised literature, is launched as a new centre for trade visitors and is very well received.

32nd Frankfurter Buchmesse

8 to 13 October

The focus topic is “Sub-Saharan Africa”, which also shapes the programme of cultural events, the International Evening in the Congress Hall and political activities by the public in that demonstrations are held in front of the South African stand. Four issues of the special issue of Börsenblatt Extra International appear in three languages for the book fair; they are published by Börsenblatt in cooperation with Macmillan, the US publishing group.

“German Broadsheet Art of the Present”, a new special exhibition, is organised. Some 187,000 visitors peruse the 280,000 titles, including 84,000 new publications, that 5,100 publishers from 92 countries promote at the fair. Media representatives lament the declining quality of literature due to the growing “deluge of books”.

33rd Frankfurter Buchmesse

14 to 19 October

The number of attendees falls to 175,000, but there are considerably more trade visitors, who can critically engage with the 280,000 titles displayed by 5,100 publishers from 86 countries. To continue improving the atmosphere, a Booksellers’ Ship is rented as a venue for evening events on the Main River.

Various “centres” serve as discussion forums:

• the Third World Centre,
• the German Reading Society and
• gatherings of religious publishers, textbook publishers and children’s book publishers.

The Fair Council only needs to convene for its inaugural meeting as the fair proceeds peacefully.

The Alternative Book Fair is held for the fifth time. Its 130 exhibitors move to Oberursel outside of Frankfurt “for reasons of space” and 8,000 visitors make their way to the event. The Peace Prize goes to Lev Kopelev; the presentation speech is given by Marion Dönhoff.

34th Frankfurter Buchmesse

6 to 11 October

The focus topic is “Yesterday’s Religion in Today’s World”, which is addressed in three large exhibitions that also examine the subjects of “World Religions” and “Books about Peace”. The cultural programme includes some 130 events on the focus topic. The Press Office accredits 5,550 journalists, including 18 television crews. This year, 104 literary agents register for the fair, demonstrating that the trade show is increasingly turning into a venue for licensing deals. One special event: Fischer Taschenbuch’s 30th birthday celebration.

Some 14,000 visitors travel to Oberursel to view the 10,000 titles displayed there by approximately 200 publishers at the Alternative Book Fair.

35th Frankfurter Buchmesse

12 to 17 October

Two major trends affecting the book fair become even more apparent than usual this year: first, the gathering’s transformation into a “platform for worldwide communication” and, second, its increasingly international nature, an intentional development that is also evident in the clear support it receives from representatives of the publishing industry in Third World countries and emerging markets.

The rights business is increasingly determining what happens at the fair, and the Literary Agents Centre is becoming a marketplace for planned bestsellers and international marketing. In the Booksellers’ Centre, a special exhibition on “Trade Literature / Catalogues for Booksellers” is organised, drawing a lively crowd. The Alternative Book Fair welcomes 135 publishers.

Smaller publishers appear in greater numbers at the fair once again, although the overall exhibition space has been reduced. A total of 5,950 exhibitors present books from 77 countries.

36th Frankfurter Buchmesse

9 to 14 October

The selected focus topic “Orwell 2000” proves to have little appeal. As 1984 comes to an end, the idea of a future rife with threats has already been discussed at length and, despite an extensive cultural programme, it arouses little interest at the fair. The topic is too mainstream to attract the desired attention, especially from the media.

As in the previous year, new media – creators of audio, visual and data content – are admitted to the fair as long as they are marketed through the book trade. An exhibition is organised on the topic “Microcomputers” at the Booksellers’ Centre, a topic that also receives considerable attention in the “Trade Literature for Booksellers” exhibit.

The fair is held in Halls 3 to 7, which means an increase in exhibition space of more than 17 percent over the previous year. Small publishers are returning to the book fair, encouraged by the fair’s management through the use of joint stands. However, 120 publishers are still participating in the Alternative Book Fair, now held in Sachsenhausen.

37th Frankfurter Buchmesse

9 to 14 October

The Alternative Book Fair no longer takes place, as numerous small publishers have been successfully integrated into the traditional fair. A “tent centre” is erected on the exhibition grounds to draw attention to the promotion of reading and the teaching of literature. This year, 6,635 exhibitors from a total of 77 countries are represented; three-quarters of the exhibiting publishers are from Europe.

The International Evening is held on the exhibition grounds in the foyer of Hall 4. For the first time, the fair’s catalogue is computerised; Börsenblatt Extra appears for the last time and only in two issues. Of the 320,000 titles on display, some 92,000 are new publications. Many people are surprised that the new private TV stations are not yet present at the fair, given that various publishers have a financial stake in them.

38th Frankfurter Buchmesse

1 to 6 October

The focus topic “India – Change in Tradition” is well received internationally, thanks to three related exhibitions: “Indian World”, a display of historical books from the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel, along with “Books on India” and “Printed and Published in India”.

The third generation of exhibitions stands, which require a total investment of DM 24 million, is introduced at this year’s fair. Retail booksellers are increasingly organising bus trips to the fair for interested customers, whom they often provide with admission tickets.

39th Frankfurter Buchmesse

7 to 12 October

Germany’s national railway revises its policy from 1952 of not giving fare reductions for the book fair and some 3,000 people make use of the lower prices to come to Frankfurt.

On the evening before the fair, the International Rights Directors Meeting is held for the first time, drawing 310 professionals from 26 countries. It becomes more and more apparent that the international rights and license business is turning into the book fair’s main activity. This year, 7,191 exhibitors from 90 countries showcase some 320,000 titles, including approximately 92,000 new releases, which are seen by 190,000 visitors. Moreover, 8,000 journalists are accredited for the fair. The Reading Promotion Centre, with its motto “In search of new readers”, again attracts a large crowd, as does the exhibition of more than 2,700 magazines (although it experiences considerable losses due to theft).

40th Frankfurter Buchmesse

5 to 10 October

The fair’s management introduces a new form of focus topic: the Guest of Honour country, which will be featured every year from now on. The countries will be asked to present their literary and cultural scenes at their own expense; the opening event will also be dedicated to the Guest of Honour country. To that extent, Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Andreotti speaks at the start of this year’s fair.

In a response to the overwhelming number of visitors, only trade professionals will now be admitted on the first two days of the book fair. The 40th Frankfurter Buchmesse is almost the last to take place in Frankfurt, since considerable rent increases by Messe GmbH threaten to make stand prices practically unaffordable for small publishers and many foreign participants. However, the fair’s management and the German Publishers & Booksellers Association are able to reach a compromise in time, allowing 7,456 exhibitors from 92 countries to show their books in an even bigger exhibition space of over 100,000 sqm.

41st Frankfurter Buchmesse

11 to 16 October

Approximately 220,000 visitors view the offerings of 8,000 exhibitors from 90 countries. France is this year’s Guest of Honour country. Le Monde and Die Zeit partner to publish journalistic features on the fair, although the understated exhibition pavilion is not enthusiastically received by the public.

Another topic dominates all discussions in and around the fair: the dramatic developments in Eastern Europe and, above all, in East Germany. This is the last fair that will be overshadowed by the Iron Curtain, as Václav Havel, winner of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, is not granted an exit visa. The presentation speech is given by French philosopher André Glucksmann, and Havel’s acceptance speech is read by Maximilian Schell. Havel donates his prize money to found the Atlantis project, which promotes uncensored publishing in Eastern Europe.

The fair is unsettled by threats against the publishers of Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses and by Iran’s exclusion from the event. The resulting security measures cost DM 750,000. On balance, however, there is a significant rise in the number of trade visitors, and many orders are placed by retail booksellers. As the final press releases report, economically it is the best trade show in years.

42nd Frankfurter Buchmesse

3 to 8 October

The opening of the 42nd Frankfurter Buchmesse takes place on German Unity Day. As always, however, the fair is dominated by its international nature: 8,492 exhibitors from 90 countries present 382,000 titles, including 114,000 new publications, in an exhibition area that has once again been significantly enlarged to 131,000 sqm. Japan’s publishers showcase 10,000 titles as this year’s Guest of Honour.

As usually happens, new developments are not immediately met with enthusiasm, in this case the division of the fair into areas for trade visitors and for the general public, and the rearrangement of the halls. The changes, however, provide more possibilities in terms of space and design. The Peace Prize goes to Karl Dedecius. Stiftung Lesen, the foundation dedicated to reading promotion, is established during the fair.

43rd Frankfurter Buchmesse

9 to 14 October 1991

The previous year’s experience proves instructive, and the exhibition area is now reduced to around 126,000 sqm to meet demands by trade visitors for “shorter distances”. Around 10 percent fewer titles are shown, but a new record of 255,000 visitors is set. A total of 301 exhibitors from Spain, the Guest of Honour country, show more than 15,000 titles, while Iranian publishers remain excluded because of the fatwa against Salman Rushdie.

The Peace Prize is awarded to György Konrád, with Jorge Semprún giving the presentation speech. The Reading Tent between the exhibition halls is very well received, and more than 60 authors read from their works there.

44th Frankfurter Buchmesse

30 September to 5 October

The changes in Europe can be felt at the 44th Frankfurter Buchmesse, as 530 exhibitors from 17 countries in Eastern Europe take part. An East-West Centre is set up in Hall 3. The book fair puts a special focus on the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America, and Mexico serves as the Guest of Honour.

This year’s Peace Prize is awarded to Amos Oz, with Siegfried Lenz giving the presentation speech. A slight decline in visitors and an equally slight decline in exhibitors are not seen during the closing discussion as symptomatic of a general crisis in the book industry. The volume of sales contracts signed at the fair exceeds all expectations.

45th Frankfurter Buchmesse

6 to 11 October

Three notable events distinguish this fair:

• the topic “Frankfurt Goes Electronic”;
• the impressive presence of the Guest of Honour region, Flanders and the Netherlands;
• and the awarding of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade to one of the leaders of the peaceful revolution in East Germany, the pastor and writer Friedrich Schorlemmer.

The presentation speech for the award is given by German President Richard von Weizsäcker. Both Schorlemmer and von Weizsäcker invoke the fundamental values of Christianity and praise the courageous commitment exhibited by the country’s citizens as the cornerstones of a future German democracy.

For the first time, a “linguistic region” is chosen as Guest of Honour instead of a single country, and the Crown Princes of Belgium and the Netherlands open the joint pavilion, which is very well received by the public and critics. Afterwards, much greater attention is given to Dutch literature and its translation into German. The new hall dedicated to Electronic Publishing, with its 160 exhibitors from 14 countries, is clearly the main topic of this year’s fair. Political, business and cultural commentators discuss the courage shown by the fair’s management, reflect on the future of publishing and predict both the end of printed books and new sales opportunities for the industry.

46th Frankfurter Buchmesse

5 to 10 October

Industry players are thrilled by the rise in the number of visitors and exhibitors, both of which exhibit double-digit growth. Almost 300,000 visitors view the 322,000 titles displayed by 8,628 exhibitors. Numerous first-time participants make their way to Frankfurt, both from Germany and especially from Eastern Europe. More than 100,000 people visit the hall dedicated to Electronic Media, which has already become one of the fair’s standard features. The fair’s catalogue is published on CD-ROM for the first time. The Guest of Honour is Brazil, making it possible to draw attention to Brazilian literature and culture, with 67 Brazilian authors reading from their work. There is much criticism, however, of how the efforts to showcase this year’s Guest of Honour have been designed and organised.

47th Frankfurter Buchmesse

10 to 16 October

One-sixth of the exhibitors – 1,300 – offer electronic products; CD-ROMs can now be found not only in the hall dedicated to Electronic Media, but also frequently on the book stands next to printed publications. Both the 330,000 titles on display and the focus on Austria as Guest of Honour attract 320,000 visitors. The open design of the Austrian Pavilion located between the exhibition halls is generally well received, and cultural commentators discuss at length the commonalities and specific features of Austrian literature within the German-speaking countries. A new North-South meeting spot is created in Hall 3.

The Peace Prize is given to Islam researcher Annemarie Schimmel, leading to considerable controversy prior to the award ceremony; 26 publishers and booksellers write a letter of protest to the German Publishers & Booksellers Association demanding that the Peace Prize not be awarded. However, the presentation speech by German President Roman Herzog and conciliatory remarks by Gerhard Kurtze, the association’s chairman, make it possible for the ceremony to proceed without trouble and soon silence the protests.

48th Frankfurter Buchmesse

2 to 7 October

Some 1,500 companies from 52 countries now offer multimedia products. The growing number of halls and the expansion of the exhibition area to 180,000 sqm (an increase of 40 percent) are a cause of dissatisfaction among the exhibitors, who claim that distances have become too great, giving international publishers in particular the feeling of being marginalised. There are 1,100 events dedicated to Guest of Honour Ireland, which dominate the fair in cultural and economic terms; the attention given to Irish literature in its original language and in translation clearly justifies the choice of this focus country.

The Peace Prize is awarded to Mario Vargas Llosa, with Jorge Semprún giving the presentation speech. In a “Frankfurt Declaration on the Spelling Reform”, renowned authors, academics, publishers and journalists call for an immediate halt to the planned introduction of new spelling rules for the German language. Discussion of the Net Book Agreement in the UK leads to a heated debate at the fair about setting fixed retail prices for books.

49th Frankfurter Buchmesse

15 to 20 October

At the opening of the 49th Frankfurter Buchmesse, European Commission President Jacques Santer endorses the cross-border fixed retail prices in Germany and Austria, emphasising the dual role of books as economic and cultural assets. Despite a significant increase in the price of admission tickets, more visitors than last year arrive to peruse the 306,000 titles, including 80,000 new publications, offered by the 1,620 exhibitors from 59 countries. A considerable number of licensing deals are concluded during the fair, while multimedia products are again exhibited more in the various subject areas than in the hall dedicated specifically to them.

Portugal is Guest of Honour and 54 Portuguese authors read from their works; the Portugal Pavilion is highly controversial and, with its dark, uninviting design, receives mostly negative reviews in the press. Turkish writer and human rights activist Yaşar Kemal receives this year’s Peace Prize. In his acceptance speech, he emphasises the importance of literature for human rights and the achievement of individual civil rights, noting “Whoever reads my books can never want war again”. In his presentation speech, Günter Grass gives a forceful assessment of Kemal’s work, whose power to create language and unite people he cites as exemplary. He also criticises the German government’s policies on asylum and Turkey, triggering vehement reactions and causing the country’s governing parties to accuse him of being inimically polemic.

There are also heated debates at the fair about the efforts to reform German spelling. In a “Frankfurt Declaration,” the publishers of books for young adults advocate its introduction, while many authors speak out against it.

50th Frankfurter Buchmesse

7 to 12 October

The 50th Frankfurter Buchmesse also highlights the tension between economic events and happenings in the political and cultural spheres. Forecasts of the industry’s future are rather cautious, given the growing shakeout among publishers, the increasing internationalisation of the market and the possible abolition of fixed retail prices for books in Germany. Politically and culturally, the multifaceted topic of human rights takes centre stage. The surprise appearance of Salman Rushdie at the opening ceremony seems to promise a moment of normality, but the extensive security precautions this requires and the continuing exclusion of Iran from the fair make clear that it is not yet possible to speak of a real easing of tensions. The first-time awarding of the Freedom to Write – Freedom to Publish Prize by the International Publishers Association to Turkish publisher Ayşe Nur Zarakolu, who is given permission to leave the country only at the last moment, illustrates that the struggle to ensure freedom of expression is ongoing.

Martin Walser’s acceptance speech after receiving the Peace Prize results, with some delay, in a scandal, as his warning against instrumentalising Germany’s past and Auschwitz in particular meets with growing criticism, and not only from the Central Council of Jews in Germany. The ensuing debate, which is further fuelled by comments in the press, demonstrates both the sensitivity with which the public reacts to questions of guilt and responsibility relating to the Third Reich and the high standing that the Peace Prize enjoys far beyond the book trade.

A total of 290,000 visitors attend the fair this year, business is robust and the halls have been switched once more, with Hall 4.1 now dedicated to fiction and art book publishers. The Guest of Honour is Switzerland, which attracts special attention due to its multilingualism. Opinion is again divided, however, on the exhibition showcasing the focus country, which is considered too austere. Dedicated to Electronic Media, Hall 4.0 has to contend with a significant drop in the number of exhibitors, despite the presentation of the first electronic Rocket Book.

51st Frankfurter Buchmesse   

13 to 18 October 

• Fair director Peter Weidhaas says good-bye 
• Discussions focus on authors and books (“once again, finally”) 
• LitAg is overbooked and changes locations 

Guest of Honour: Hungary; Slogan: "Hungary Without Boundaries" 

After 25 years as its director, Peter Weidhaas says goodbye to the book fair, but the atmosphere is not downbeat. “Generally, the mood was like the weather – excellent,” he says in an interview afterwards. He was particularly pleased, he notes, “that the focus was finally on books and authors again.” His designated successor, Lorenzo Rudolf, director of Art Basel, says he will concentrate on strengthening Frankfurt as a location for meetings and emotions. 

In 1999, it is the authors who are in the spotlight, including Günter Grass, this year’s recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Frank McCourt, Noah Gordon and Johannes Mario Simmel. German left-wing politician Oskar Lafontaine presents himself as a provocateur and prodigal son with a lot of baggage – in his memoirs in which he explains his hitherto mysterious departure from the country’s political scene. Few events at the fair reference the main topic of discussion earlier in the year as reported by newsweekly Der Spiegel: the sudden and “miraculous” appearance of books by young female authors. Hungary, however, does stand out: 10 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the country is presenting its culture in Frankfurt – the first of the former Eastern Bloc countries to do so. In addition, Iranian publishers become a topic: after the country’s president Mohammad Khatami distances himself from the fatwa in place against Salman Rushdie since 1989, they can return to the book fair as exhibitors. 

Another decision by the fair’s management concerns the role of agents and scouts. The more important the global rights and licencing business has become for the industry, the more important Frankfurt has become as a hub and marketplace. Changes must therefore be made: 318 registrations are received for the Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg) in 1999, more than can be accommodated by the venue used in past years. Frankfurter Buchmesse therefore agrees to move the LitAg from Hall 8 to Hall 10, to an area that, at just under 3,000 sqm, is more than twice as large as the old one. At the same time, it upgrades the service available at the centre: participants now have fixed tables and the option of booking a messenger service to communicate between the halls – to make appointments with publishers, for example. 

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

52nd Frankfurter Buchmesse

18 to 23 October 

• Harry Potter alters the law of large numbers 
• “Fascinating Comics” gets off to a flying start 
• The book fair transforms its website into a platform 

 Guest of Honour: Poland; Slogan: "©Poland"

What the publisher Carlsen achieves this Autumn is not just unique, it’s a publishing sensation at the very least. Harry Potter is the talk of the town and, by the time the book fair starts, the publisher has shipped one million copies of Volume 4 to retailers. A rare euphoria sets in, one that is discussed at length in Frankfurt. The fair itself is celebrating a new focus topic: “Fascinating Comics”, which it wants to use to prove that the “nineth art” can play a decisive role in the content business. Moreover, it succeeds better than expected: the fair’s management will later abandon its plan to focus on the subject for only three years; the topic fits in right from the start (first book fair without a centre for comics: 2014). 

Lorenzo Rudolf, who has been director of the book fair since March, concentrates on business as usual in his first year. Although the fair’s website has been relaunched, setting a new standard, that change remains barely recognised for the time being. The fact is: the website has been converted into a B2B and marketing portal, allowing the industry to track trends on an international level and network digitally for the first time – all year round.  

Visitors to the fair therefore encounter familiar formats and topics. Once again, it’s all about the impact of industry concentration, about the online book trade, about digital media – and the inauguration of the International eBook Award, endowed with $100,000, gets the most attention. This year’s gathering is decidedly political: not only do Nobel laureates Czeslaw Milosz and Wislawa Szymborska represent the Guest of Honour country at the opening ceremony, Polish Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski is also present. He uses his speech to issue an appeal, which is supported by his German counterpart Joschka Fischer, that makes headlines: together, they advocate taking Poland seriously as a player between Eastern and Western Europe even before it joins the EU. The fair also makes an impression with its numbers: the last time it had more than 300,000 visitors was in 1995. 

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

53rd Frankfurter Buchmesse   

10 to 15 October 

• Frankfurt discusses consequences of the September 11 terrorist attacks 
• Rebuild of the Forum and Hall 3 allows a compact hall structure
• Trade programme focuses on “big questions” of the book industry 

Guest of Honour: Greece; Slogan: "New Ways to Ithaca"  

The terrorist attacks of September 11 change everything. Even four weeks later, the long-term consequences can only be guessed at; not even philosopher Jürgen Habermas is committing himself at this point. At the award ceremony for the Peace Prize on Sunday, he confesses in his acceptance speech: “At the moment, we are left with little more than the pale hope of a subterfuge of reason – and a little introspection.” 

The atmosphere at the fairgrounds is correspondingly tense and reflective, especially since twice as much security has been hired than usual. More than ever, what is at stake is the future of intercultural dialogue, not to mention international understanding and political responsibility. Countless debates overshadow the fair’s usual activities, but also shape it, without overwhelming it: the first Frankfurter Buchmesse in the new millennium was intended to set new accents, to underscore its importance to the industry as a global power event. Despite the upheaval following the attacks in the US, the fair’s management does not scale back the programme; only 70 publishers and agents, most of them from the US, cancel at the last minute.  

For the first time, events at the fair are concentrated around the Agora, and Halls 9 and 10 are no longer used – which means another move, and not just for the Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (new location: Hall 6.2, from 2002: 6.3). On the other hand, this fulfils a wish many have had for quite some time: distances are now significantly shorter. Exhibitors and the public also benefit from two new buildings: the futuristic Hall 3 and the Forum, which connects to the Festhalle and Hall 1. Both are inviting and cause for amazement, and thus fit in perfectly with the new, often massive stands of some corporate publishers. The fair’s management succeeds this year in making a statement with its trade programme – especially with the conference Frankfurt’s Big Questions, which is dedicated to the momentous topic “The Digital Publishing Revolution”. Ultimately, there are 14 percent fewer visitors and the number of exhibitors also declines, which is blamed less on the fair itself than on the generally uncertain situation. Politically and economically, and also due to the bursting of the so-called dotcom bubble, 2001 is an outlier.

In March 2001, German publishers appear as Guest of Honour at the Paris Salon du Livre, receiving considerable attention and introducing to the French public, in addition to Günter Grass, some of the authors dubbed by Der Spiegel as the “grandchild generation”. 

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

54th Frankfurter Buchmesse  

9 to 14 October  

• Frankfurt Futura Mundi achieves global success 
• Publishers and booksellers focus more on branding 
• Fair’s management wants more relevance 

Guest of Honour: Lithuania; Slogan: "Lithuania: To Be Continued" 

Frankfurter Buchmesse no longer needs to emphasise that it is Number 1 in the international rights business. Yet it also sees itself as a space that creates resonance, a place for intellectual exchange and for looking to the future. What began last year with the conference  “Frankfurt’s Big Questions” is therefore not only vigorously pursued, but also placed in a larger framework this year: “Bridges for a World Divided” is the fair’s new motto and Frankfurt Futura Mundi is the name of the new congress organised together with the Maleki Group.  

The event is intended to provide food for thought, the topics are wide-ranging: questions about biotechnology are addressed, participants discuss the Middle East conflict, children’s rights, cultural identity and global values – and the role of literature is considered throughout. High-ranking guests from the economic, cultural and political spheres call for change, and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan even sends a greeting to the gathering in Frankfurt.  

The congress is a success and well received globally, even if it does not become a permanent institution. In any event, the industry agenda is long enough as it is. In Germany, publishers and booksellers are confronted with falling sales, changing reading and buying habits, and far-reaching structural change. What is crucial, according to some, is to become a brand, to shift into a new gear, to compete for media attention everywhere – a strategy entertainer Dieter Bohlen just happens to embody in Frankfurt as he presents his autobiography “Nichts als die Wahrheit" (Nothing but the Truth).   

The fair’s new director, Volker Neumann, is quite happy with all the commotion. Although he only took over the job in September following his predecessor’s departure, he immediately sees himself as a strategist at home in the thick of things. He supports the trend toward more relevance, is intensifying the fair’s marketing activities, and is trying to promote Frankfurt as an event for authors and the public. “We don’t want a contemplative fair,” he declared in an interview just before taking up his position – and so it came to pass. 

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

55th Frankfurter Buchmesse  

8 to 13 October  

• Forums create new spaces for interaction
• Gap between culture and entertainment narrows
• Russia connects Frankfurt with the ISS 

Guest of Honour: Russia; Russia: "New Pages" 

The 55th Frankfurter Buchmesse is meant to begin a new chapter, economically and in terms of atmosphere – for both the international publishing industry and the book fair itself. All the reforms are aimed at achieving this goal. Among other things, the fair’s management expands the programme of events and decides in favour of longer opening hours on the Friday of the fair, when the general public can even enter the fairgrounds in the afternoon for the first time. It also allows book sales on the Monday of the fair. 

The adjustments are all about facilitating more interactions between people – something that becomes evident in other ways as well. All across the fairgrounds, forums are being created – atmospheric places that fulfil a function similar to the well-known Comics Centre and the special exhibition area for electronic media. There are seven alone in the halls where German-language exhibitors have their stands: for children’s and young adult books, for audio books, and for films and TV (including an in-house cinema), to name just a few. The Electronic Media Centre has been replaced by the Innovation Forum, and – in addition to the new focus topics – the Translators Centre celebrates its premiere. Has there ever been so much to discover in Frankfurt? To that end, the new efforts have been a great success: the supporting programme features about a third more events than in the previous year, the number of visitors has risen by almost 9 percent, and the number of exhibitors by more than 4 percent. 

Mostly forgotten are the difficult discussions about stand and hotel prices, even the decision, not reached until March, to keep the book fair in Frankfurt – for a while it actually looked as if it could move to Munich or Berlin or Cologne. Thus, everyone is once again looking to the future and investing in marketing: the gap between culture and entertainment grows even smaller. In the end, a new easy-going feeling develops that is good for business, one that can be sensed almost everywhere. At the Guest of Honour stand, for example: visitors remember Russia less for its literature than for Vladimir Kaminer, whose Russian disco attracts almost 5,000 dancers. Or for the live link to the International Space Station (ISS), which allows Yuri Malenchenko, a Russian cosmonaut, to inform Frankfurt that he is reading poems by Pushkin. 

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

56th Frankfurter Buchmesse    

6 to 10 October 

• East and West shake hands 
• Trade programme gets a fine-tuning
• Larry Page and Sergey Brin launch the predecessor to Google Books  

Guest of Honour: The Arab World; Slogan: "Arab World – Visions of the future"   

The Arab world wants to engage in a dialogue, it no longer wants to be associated only with terror and fundamentalism – and no topic is examined more intensely by the German media prior to the book fair. After it begins, however, things quickly become quieter: the 2004 fair proves to be a practical opportunity to get things done. 

Things are busier on the days reserved for industry professionals (increase of 3 percent), but there are fewer visitors overall. The shortened fair now ends on Sunday instead of Monday, and the longer hours on Friday are also a thing of the past – as is the big, glitzy and glamourous party for the reading public. The number of events declines, which not everyone feels is good for the atmosphere in Frankfurt. On the other hand, there is praise for the fine-tuning given to the trade programme and forums. German publishers in particular discuss the growing concentration and structural change in the industry, as well as the rampant success of cheap editions marketed as “bestseller collections” – not to mention the Nobel Prize in Literature. When it becomes clear on Thursday that the prize will go to Austrian writer Elfriede Jelinek, there is brief jubilation at the Rowohlt and Berlin Verlag stands. One question is running through everyone’s mind, however: who will guide the world’s biggest book fair into the future? Only in September was the announcement made that, earlier than planned, there would be yet another change at the top.

Ultimately, this proves not to be a problem – unlike Google’s plan. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the company’s founders, even travel to Frankfurt in person to announce their new large-scale project: Google Print, a search engine for full-text books, which is launched in Europe in 2005 and later renamed Google Books.   

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

57th Frankfurter Buchmesse 

19 to 23 October    

• More than 7,000 exhibitors participate for the first time 
• Arno Geiger receives first German Book Prize 
• Brockhaus deftly promotes brand awareness 

Guest of Honour: Korea; Slogan: "Enter Korea" 

Even before it opens its doors, the book fair sets a record: for the first time, more than 7,000 exhibitors register to participate. There has even been a waiting list since the summer for the Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg), and 243 agencies finally get the nod. Juergen Boos, who has been the new director of Frankfurter Buchmesse since the spring, will later describe the feedback from the industry in his post-fair assessment as “overwhelmingly positive”. The success is in keeping with his new policy: from the very beginning, his credo has been that the book fair must change, experiment boldly, make a mark politically. “The fair must renew itself every year if it wants to continue to grow,” he says. 

This indeed happens in 2005, especially in those areas where content can be directly linked to the world of books.  Not only is the new fair for rare books and fine art launched, but a partnership with the Berlinale film festival has been established – benefitting the focus area for film and TV, along with the agents’ centre for adaptations and screenplays that was inaugurated in 2004. Other partners are also gaining in importance, such as Spielwarenmesse, the fair for toys in Nuremberg, which cooperates with Frankfurter Buchmesse to create the special exhibition “Games & Play”. Or LeserAuskunft GmbH, which works with the book fair to organise a press exhibition that features more than 1,300 newspapers and magazines in its first year alone. 

Many literary guests appear at the fair, attracting considerable attention, including A.L. Kennedy, Nick Hornby and Orhan Pamuk, this year’s Peace Prize winner. Mario Adorf and Stephen Hawking, crowd-pullers in the area of non-fiction, also put in an appearance, as does Arno Geiger, the face of a new generation of German-speaking writers. In Frankfurt, he is also the winner of a new award, the German Book Prize, which he receives for his novel Uns geht es gut (We’re Doing Well). The pictures of the award ceremony in Frankfurt’s city hall leave a lasting impression worldwide, surpassed only by those produced by B.I. & F.A. Brockhaus. Two hundred years after the appearance of the first Brockhaus encyclopaedia, the publishing house delivers the 21st edition to the fair in 30 volumes – as gigantic tomes arranged in a circle on the Agora. The installation appears almost otherworldly in the autumnal morning haze, not to mention enduring and timeless. It’s an outstanding example of how to promote brand awareness in the modern age.     

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

58th Frankfurter Buchmesse   

4 to 8 October 

• Exhibitors create alternatives to Google, etc. 
• The book fair exports its know-how 
• Education focus area launches literacy campaign 

Guest of Honour: India; Slogan: "Today’s India"   

Time is short: Amazon and Google are putting pressure on the publishing industry. At the book fair, exhibitors from Germany in particular are the ones thinking outside the box: “Volltextsuche online” (Full-Text Search Online) is launched as a beta version, confidently presenting itself as an independent alternative to the two giants’ mammoth projects: Amazon Search Inside and Google Books. Midvox comes to the fair with a similar idea. 

Frankfurter Buchmesse has spent the past year considering its strategic reach, and is now making an effort to market its know-how internationally.  Although the fair does not pursue plans to open a second location in London, the Cape Town Book Fair, a joint venture with the South African publishers’ association PASA, is taking shape. And in October, an agreement is signed to partner with the book fair in Abu Dhabi. 

In Frankfurt itself, the fair gets even more attention by highlighting the media mix that is now so typical for the industry – for the first time, there is a special exhibition on “Non-Books”. In addition, the fair is focusing on a socio-political issue that many are currently grappling with – education – and is even launching initiatives. Designed as a long-term commitment right from the start, the Education Focus Area inaugurates a worldwide literacy project, the Literacy Campaign (LitCam). The programme for the new focus area features more than 60 events, and India – Guest of Honour in Frankfurt for the second time since 1986 – is actively involved in the discussion: the congress on educational issues is dedicated to the topic “India on the Rise”.   

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

59th Frankfurter Buchmesse

10 to 14 October 

• Education initiative is expanded
• Visitors gather in Web 2.0 Living Room 
• All halls are now non-smoking

Guest of Honour: Catalan Culture; Slogan: "Singular i Universal – Singular and Universal"

The Education focus area initiated by Frankfurter Buchmesse in 2006 is omnipresent this year. The debate on cultural policy goes into another round, and is again international in scope – for example, at a literacy congress on the opening day of the fair. It is also more apparent than in 2006 that education is regarded as a growth driver in the sector: almost one-fifth of all exhibitors bring products related to education and training with them to Frankfurt. Hall 4.2 also features a new special area, the Educational Publishing Forum, created in cooperation with the American Association of Educational Publishers (AEP).  

E-books, open access, full-text search, online marketing and sales, the business models used by Google, Amazon and others, the still unresolved question of copyright in the age of digital platforms: the list of topics relating to digitalisation is getting longer and longer. These topics are also being addressed by countless panels, especially in and around the well-frequented Digital Market Place (Hall 4.2). Right next door, the fair’s management generates even more momentum by setting up a Web 2.0 Living Room for the first time. Here, visitors can meet the creators of the Book Fair Podcast and look over the shoulders of book bloggers. The only thing forbidden in the hang-out space is smoking – something that now applies everywhere on the fairgrounds. 

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

60th Frankfurter Buchmesse   

15 to 19 October 

• LitAg experiences another growth spurt 
• E-readers (and e-books) become the number one topic at the fair 
• Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk speaks about freedom of expression  

Guest of Honour: Turkey; Slogan: "Turkey in All Its Colours" 

In March, Frankfurter Buchmesse expands its network of international locations. The German Book Offices (GBO) in New York, Bucharest, Moscow, Beijing and Warsaw have proven their worth, now it’s New Delhi’s turn. The book fair is taking place for the 60th time, an event that goes mostly unnoticed, like the 30th anniversary of the Literary Agents & Scouts Centre – despite record numbers: 510 agents are represented at LitAg this year, 8.2 percent more than in 2007. One thing that does garner attention, however, is a comment by Andrew Wylie. Known in the industry as the “Jackal”, the literary agent uses the media attention surrounding the book fair to make a well-placed push for e-books – by publicly declaring that in future agents and publishers must insist on a level playing field for print and digital products.   

Wylie’s words are primarily directed at Amazon. He warns of market dominance by the Kindle e-reader (launched in the US in November 2007) and of falling prices and sales. And he’s not the only one who is up in arms: when it comes to digital content, innovative formats, distribution channels, monopolies and the threat of piracy – the discussions in Frankfurt grow heated. For the time being, Sony seems to be an acceptable alternative for German publishers: together with booksellers Libri and Thalia, the company announces at the fair that the Sony Reader will launch in Germany in 2009. 

At some 350 events, Turkey presents itself “fascinatingly and colourfully” – completely fulfilling the expectations created by the Guest of Honour slogan. Visitors gain wide-ranging insights into the country’s traditional culture while getting to know today’s Turkey by experiencing its diversity. Among the country’s young authors, Asli Erdoğan, Elif Şafak and Şebnem İşigüzel stand out in Frankfurt. But the tone is set by Orhan Pamuk during his speech at the opening ceremony. Pamuk, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006 and has long been internationally known, criticises the lack of freedom of expression in his native land.

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

61st Frankfurter Buchmesse   

14 to 18 October 

• Tools of Change for Publishing come to Frankfurt 
• China generates headlines as Guest of Honour
• Fair uses Gourmet Gallery as a culinary rendezvous

Guest of Honour: China; Slogan: "Tradition and Innovation"

Tools of Change for Publishing, or TOC for short: in the US, the conference invented by O’Reilly Media has long been considered a platform for visionaries. Now it’s making its debut in Europe – in cooperation with Frankfurter Buchmesse. One day before the fair, decision-makers and digital experts from the international publishing industry discuss what the future will hold for books and e-books. Ultimately, however, the talks revolve around Amazon and Google: Amazon has just founded a publishing company (Encore) and is in the process of expanding worldwide, thanks to its Kindle e-reader. Google has announced an online store for digital content (Google Editions), while still under fire for its Google Books search engine.  

Another conflict arises concerning China, the Guest of Honour – and it begins weeks before the first visitors even arrive. It is triggered by a symposium in September dedicated to this year’s focus country which ends in uproar. Authors had been uninvited but spoke anyway; some Chinese participants then left the hall; accusations of censorship were levelled against the book fair. When German Chancellor Angela Merkel opens the fair together with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the dispute is still smouldering. Merkel takes up the issue in her opening speech, stressing that China, too, must face up to critical questions about freedom of expression. 

In preparing for China’s appearance as Guest of Honour, Frankfurter Buchmesse focused on achieving change through rapprochement, aware that it was walking a tightrope. “We can point out conflicts, but we cannot solve them,” says its president, Juergen Boos, at the start of the event while the debates about human rights violations are still running hot. Many, however, share his attitude and are looking for consensus: Chinese publishers sell twice as many licenses abroad in Frankfurt this year as they did five years ago, a total of 1,300. 

Another important feature for visitors in 2009 is the new weiss’raum in Hall 4 with its focus on digital communication, digital business models and printing technologies. There is also the Gourmet Gallery in Hall 5 with its adjoining show kitchen. Moreover, the city of Frankfurt redefines its cultural mission, as demonstrated by its Open Books literature festival, which is being held for the first time during the book fair. 

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

62nd Frankfurter Buchmesse

6 to 10 October 

• Frankfurt SPARKS links technology and content 
• Rights business benefits from inclusion of games and music 
• International Centre and Translator Centre merge to become the  Weltempfang

Guest of Honour: Argentina, cultura en movimiento; Slogan: "Argentina – Culture in Motion" 

Frankfurter Buchmesse expands its concept to include an initiative that will surprise many, and not just in terms of its name: Frankfurt SPARKS gives topics relating to digital transformation a new context; at the same time, it allows the fair to increase its exhibitor radius. Film has already been integrated, now the attractive creative industries of games and music are added.  

Familiar elements such as the Tools of Change for Publishing conference are included in the initiative, and there is even space for two premieres: Frankfurt StoryDrive, a two-day conference that looks at the future of storytelling, and Frankfurt Hot Spots. Six hot spots are created throughout the fair, exhibition areas that are packed with innovations and gadgets, each focusing on a different theme: Publishing Services, Information Management, Mobile, Devices, Education, Literature & Special Interest. The idea proves popular: over 7,500 exhibitors ultimately come onboard.    

Based solely on the figures, no one has any doubts beforehand that the rights business will benefit from this expansion. Launched the year before as the third area for rights deals, the Image Centre has grown to over 700 sqm and now has room for illustrations. In the Film & Media Rights Centre, 27 agents are present this year, which might not seem like many compared to the Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg), which has 522 participants, although industry insiders see it differently. After all, in Frankfurt the rights and licensing business happens in all directions. Books, film, games, music, images, illustrations, even merchandising – all of these markets, which are crucial for the content business, are present and accounted for.

Less obvious are the changes made to the hall layout: the fair for rare books and fine art moves to a tent on the Agora, the Gourmet Gallery shifts from Hall 5.0 over and up to Hall 3.1, doubling in size to 800 sqm. Finally, the Weltempfang makes its debut: a merging of the International Centre and Translator Centre. 

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

63rd Frankfurter Buchmesse

12 to 16 October 

• Guest of Honour Iceland is showered with superlatives 
• Frankfurt Academy launched in the Open Space on the Agora  
• Book fair presents itself as world’s largest trade show for content 

Guest of Honour: Iceland; Slogan: "Fabulous Iceland" 

Frankfurter Buchmesse has always been regarded as multi-faceted, addressing a wide range of topics and ideas. Rarely has that been as clear as in 2011. For some, Iceland is the central topic. The Guest of Honour celebrates reading and literature, and those who have been to the exhibition in the Forum speak of it using only superlatives (“a place of longing”, “the most beautiful thing about the fair”, “overwhelming”). Others become enraptured on the Agora, where they feel the future awaits: Frankfurter Buchmesse agreed with Audi in advance that the group’s pavilion, originally planned only for the International Motor Show (IAA) running until September 25, would remain there for the book fair.  

The pavilion measures 100 metres in length, 70 in width and 12 in height, and is considered a bold statement for that reason alone. Given the new name Open Space, it is used by Frankfurter Buchmesse primarily for the book fair’s trade programme – and it’s taken as a good sign that the Audi tagline “Driven by ideas” is still visible on the walls. This is where visitors can see where the publishing industry has its roots, since the fair for rare and vintage books is housed there – but also where it might be headed, thanks to the digital initiative Frankfurt SPARKS, now augmented by the Frankfurt Academy, which was founded in the spring together with the German Publishers & Booksellers Association. The academy offers some 1,100 trade events in its inaugural year, but will be offering even more later: present not only on the five days of the fair in Frankfurt, it will also be active worldwide all year round. At the top of its agenda: continuing education and networking. 

To that end, a massive centre for the rights business is created in Hall 6.0 on 7,000 sqm of space. It houses the Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg) and the new StoryDrive Business Center – a meeting point for visitors from the fields of film and games. Has initiating cross-media projects ever been more convenient?

At the end of the year, the German book industry puts in a brilliant appearance at the Guadalajara International Book Fair. Among other things, this success is due to the participation of two Nobel laureates: Herta Müller and Mario Vargas Llosa.

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

64th Frankfurter Buchmesse   

10 to 14 October 

• New Zealand bestows a starry sky on Frankfurt 
• New focus on media for children and young adults  
• Digitalisation continues to dominate the discussion

Guest of Honour: New Zealand; Slogan: While you were sleeping 

Almost 19,000 kilometres separate Frankfurt and Wellington, the capital of New Zealand: when the sun is rising here, it is already setting there. All the same, some people are initially put off by the darkness in the exhibition space dedicated to the Guest of Honour, and some even get their feet wet, as New Zealand has self-confidently installed two lakes. This becomes the talk of the fair, generates boundless sympathy – and, in the most idiosyncratic way, inspires guests to explore the island nation’s cultural diversity. 

“Bigger, and Better” is the headline US trade magazine Publishers Weekly uses to describe Frankfurter Buchmesse 2012 prior to the event itself, even though most of the changes being made are not even new, but a further development of what has long been part of the fair.

The focus area on education in Hall 4.2 features the “Classroom of the Future”, a space where digital textbooks and interactive learning technologies can be tested. For the students invited to participate, it’s all about hands-on participation, and they declare the Powerwall installed by partner Visenso to be the highlight: the augmented reality tool allows the students to step into a virtual world and learn in 3D. Over in Hall 3.0, the book fair brings together for the first time all exhibitors involved in media for children and young adults, even adding on the Forum for Youth Media, the Kids & eReading Hot Spot and, as a novelty, the IKEA Kids Café. It is thus shifting the spotlight to showcase a growth market, a strategy it will use elsewhere as well – in Hall 3.1, for example, where the Travel Gallery has been created for the tourism industry. Or in the arts area in Hall 4.1, where “State of the Arts” is the new slogan and seems to serve as an accolade for exhibitors there. 

The main topic of the panel discussions, lectures and presentations, however, remains digitalisation. E-books, enhanced e-books, apps, crowdfunding, fan fiction, 360° storytelling, social DRM, self-publishing, metadata, agency models – the market continues to develop, which means that the list of activities the book industry must address grows longer every year. On the other hand, it ultimately generates new business, which is also good for the 600 or so agents who travel to Frankfurt. Frankfurter Buchmesse now offers them a Licensing Day – a welcome extra. 

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

65th Frankfurter Buchmesse

9 to 13 October 

• Walk of Fame promotes authors on the Agora
• TOC is succeeded by CONTEC  
• Agent Andrew Wylie pays the book fair a memorable compliment 

Guest of Honour: Brazil; Slogan: "A land full of voices"

A snow-white dome tent and a circular pavilion on stilts, open on all sides: these are Frankfurter Buchmesse’s answer to the wish many exhibitors have for more attention and interactions. They are situated where there is sufficient space: on the Agora. The dome tent is used for activities related to books for children and young adults and is thus christened the “Kids’ Bubble”; the pavilion, called Open Stage, offers a wide range of hourly entertainment, as well as the StadtLesen reading room which visitors can use as a retreat. This year, the book fair even paints stars on the ground to promote authors and their works, joining everything together to form a ‘Walk of Fame’.  

The Frankfurt Academy once again focuses on trends and forecasts, providing inspiration and networking worldwide. In addition to workshops and panel discussions, the academy organises four major conferences this year, each of which has its own unique character. Publishers Launch Frankfurt and the International Rights Directors Meeting are among them, as well as the all-media conference Frankfurt StoryDrive and, as successor to the acclaimed Tools of Change (TOC) congress, CONTEC. After O’Reilly Media withdrew from TOC as the event’s co-organiser with Frankfurter Buchmesse, it was revamped – and the follow-up conference deemed a worthy replacement. “The good thing about tech and book conferences like CONTEC is that we discuss things here that wouldn’t be on the agenda at other events for another two years,” explains US author Hugh Howey. There’s also something for booksellers at the event, as the book fair develops Level 2, which includes seminars and opportunities for retailers to casually exchange ideas with their international peers.   

Self-publishing is one of the central topics at the 2013 fair, a continuation of the heated digitalisation debate that has been ongoing for years. After the success of the multi-million-selling Shades of Grey trilogy by E. L. James, the topic cannot be ignored: the British author circulated the first volume as an e-book in mid-2011, and Vintage Books – an imprint of Penguin Random House – later landed the license. The phenomenal bestseller has the entire market in an uproar, and the book fair responds: in Hall 3.1, it creates a Self-Publishing Area as a new meeting place for authors, publishers and service providers. Above all, however, a memorable compliment from agent Andrew Wylie remains unsurpassed. Shortly before the start of the fair, he says in an interview with US magazine New Republic: “The Frankfurt Book Fair is my idea of heaven.”  

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

66th Frankfurter Buchmesse   

8 to 12 October 

• Frankfurt becomes “World Capital of Ideas” 
• Business Club receives over 3,000 registrations prior to fair 
• Authors address major political issues 

Guest of Honour: Finland; Slogan: "Finland.Cool" 

The “World Capital of Ideas” – for international guests it’s the place to be. The book fair’s new tagline suggests that times are changing, even if it doesn’t make reference to current market shifts. But it doesn’t need to: publishers, especially large publishing groups, are increasingly operating on a global scale, digital content is on the rise and business portfolios are becoming more diversified. Anyone who has been to Frankfurt in recent years is familiar with the trends – and knows how much the book fair itself is changing. As a look at the statistics shows: while the number of German exhibitors is falling, for the first time, almost two-thirds of exhibitors (64 percent) come from abroad.

The concept the fair’s management is using to respond to these trends initially focuses on content-related issues, on the fair’s programme and the all-important topic of networking (changes in the halls themselves will only become apparent in 2015). There are more than 4,000 events this year, many of which are aimed specifically at trade visitors. Above all, however, the Business Club is launched. Intended as a kind of neutral space, a retreat, it exists solely to take international exchange to the next level. The overall package includes four conferences, including CONTEC and Frankfurt StoryDrive, along with lectures and discussions, and – especially – the opportunity to meet new people in an exclusive and relaxed setting away from the crowds. One added benefit is that anyone who has not booked a stand and would otherwise have to use a meeting room in the surrounding hotels or restaurants can now save themselves the extra effort. In 2014, more than 3,000 people register to use the Business Club. 

In keeping with the “World Capital” claim, this year the book fair expands its offerings for writers. It wants to be not only a stage and an effective venue for promotion, but also an attractive meeting place – with a political impact. Largely organised by Danish writer Janne Teller, the Authors’ Lounge is a platform for discussions and a workshop: within the Frankfurt Undercover project led by Teller, a volume of essays full of issues and ideas is produced and later presented to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. 

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

67th Frankfurter Buchmesse

14 to 18 October 

• A reorganisation creates new “neighbourhoods” 
• The Markets highlights new international opportunities      
• Salman Rushdie appears at the opening ceremony and Iran cancels

Guest of Honour: Indonesia; Slogan: "17,000 Islands of Imagination"

Things have stayed the same at the book fair for a long time, regroupings are needed almost everywhere – something that will also create new “neighbourhoods” for exhibitors. After this year’s reorganisation, everything is more central, more compact, more quickly accessible. Exhibitors from English-speaking countries, who have been housed in Hall 8 since 1999, move to Hall 6, while publishers from the Arab world and Asia can now be found in Hall 4. Even in the German halls, whose layout remains largely unchanged, the fair’s new, very global concept is also having an impact: here, too, there is a stronger focus on the communities for which geographical borders no longer play much of a role. The Orbanism Space in Hall 4.1, for example, is a creative hub and exchange forum for the digital content industry, and was designed in collaboration with partner Leander Wattig. Under the domed roof of Hall 3, the Gourmet Gallery is now partnering with the World Cookbook Fair and has been given more space, while the Weltempfang has moved in next door (previously in Hall 5.0). The Self-Publishing Area, which was set up years ago in Hall 3.1, has shifted down one floor. 

In the Business Club, the changes mainly affect the trade programme, which the fair uses to demonstrate its role as an international hub for new ideas. CONTEC and StoryDrive, two well-received conferences, are replaced by The Markets and the Media & Technology Forum – two formats with a strictly interactive focus. Kicking off the fair, The Markets sheds light on the media business in the US, Germany, China and Indonesia, this year’s Guest of Honour, while the Media & Technology Forum later looks at more detailed issues, including cross-media opportunities, film adaptations and storytelling.  

It was clear in advance that political issues would be discussed at length, and not just because of the crisis in Europe triggered by the influx of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Relief efforts become a major topic, along with war and its causes, prejudices, not to mention human rights and freedom of expression. There’s also Iran’s national stand, empty in protest against Salman Rushdie speaking at the opening ceremony. As he accepts the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in St Paul’s Church, German-Iranian author Navid Kermani directs an appeal to the international community to end the wars in Syria and Iraq: “Only when our societies no longer accept the madness, will our governments begin to take action.”

On an international level: at the latest since May 2015, when Germany was the Guest of Honour at the Turin International Book Fair, German-Italian literary relations have entered a new phase, which will culminate in 2024 when Italy is Guest of Honour in Frankfurt.

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

68th Frankfurter Buchmesse

19 to 23 October 

• Europa is in crisis, the fair’s organisers criticise Turkey 
• THE ARTS+ presents ideas for the global art and culture scene
• “Booknight” brings literature to the red-light district 

Guest of Honour: Flanders and the Netherlands; Slogan: "This is what we share" 

Flanders and the Netherlands are the Guest of Honour at Frankfurter Buchmesse for the second time since 1993. The motto they have chosen for their appearance is “This is what we share” – which fits in nicely with the more general themes of European culture and  European values. At the opening ceremony, those themes shift into the foreground, even upstaging the more prominent guests, King Philippe of Belgium and his wife, Queen Mathilde, and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.  

Europe’s commonalities are discussed on the stage of the Congress Center during the opening ceremony, along with the topics of migration and integration, populism and nationalism. “We must defend our European social model against the enemies of freedom,” says President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz in his speech. Heinrich Riethmüller argues the point even more forcefully. The chairman of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association criticises Turkey’s arrest of writer Asli Erdogan, saying, “For us, freedom of expression is a human right and non-negotiable.” At the Weltempfang, the book fair’s cultural and political platform, this development is discussed at length by Boualem Sansal, Elif Shafak, Ian Kershaw and Timothy Garton Ash, among others. 

Along with politics, there’s art – which was never unimportant in Frankfurt, but also never as visible. Thanks to THE ARTS+, a fair within the fair can now be found in Hall 4.1, jointly created by the well-known media entrepreneur Christiane zu Salm. The new platform serves as a meeting place for stakeholders in the world of digital art and culture, offering them space to talk about the future of the creative industries on an international level – about virtual and augmented reality, for example, blockchain, 3D art, copyright issues, and aspects of cultural mediation. A total of 51 exhibitors and partners arrive for the launch, plus some 150 speakers for the trade programme – such as legendary British artist David Hockney. The 2016 Frankfurter Buchmesse offers other highlights: for the first time, it invites the public to a “Booknight” in the city’s red-light district, together with the Frankfurt association Gastronomie e.V. It also organises an official blogger meeting called Blogger Future Place (in the Orbanism Space), a day dedicated to “Body, Mind, Soul”, and creates special rights for special book fair fans (thanks to the fair’s Circle of Friends).

On an international level: during the Istanbul Book Fair in November, a vigil is held in front of the women’s prison where, among others, author Asli Erdogan is being held without charge.

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

69th Frankfurter Buchmesse 

11 to 15 October   

• Angela Merkel and Manuel Macron print the declaration of human rights
• Penguin Random House seeks new entryways to market 
• Police intervene in protests against right-wing publishers

Guest of Honour: France; Slogan: "Francfort en français – Frankfurt in French" 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron arrive for the opening ceremony. As the Guest of Honour’s representative, Macron begins at the top, delivering a highly ambitious and memorable speech, one that emphasises the power of diversity, proposes a Europe-wide education offensive and calls for creating a vision for a culturally and politically united Europe. He then underscores his message by inviting Merkel to the Guest of Honour pavilion to print the first page of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on a replica of the press used by Gutenberg. 

By then, Markus Dohle, CEO of Penguin Random House, the world’s largest publishing group, has already made his point. At the opening press conference, he presents the book industry as one of digitalisation’s winners, noting that things are going better than ever, and not just for his own company. His assertion is met with general approval. What is unsettling – particularly for booksellers – is what he says about the future: publishers must find new ways to reach readers, by addressing their target groups directly. 

The overriding theme of the fair is initially politics, or rather Germany’s political situation, its harsh realities. Disturbing scenes occur: right-wing and leftist groups clash so intensely that the police must intervene. Juergen Boos, president of Frankfurter Buchmesse, subsequently declares that the fair’s organisers resolutely reject the political stance and publishing activities of Germany’s Neue Rechte (New Right) movement, adding, “We condemn violence as a means of discourse in the strongest possible terms.” At the same time, he points out that even in cases such as this, Frankfurter Buchmesse is obligated to ensure the fundamental right to freedom of expression.

The conflict does not affect the final numbers, at least not decisively: in 2017, the book fair registers more visitors and more exhibitors. BOOKFEST, which the fair uses to extend its activities into the city of Frankfurt, receives the applause that was hoped for. Above all, the rights business is flourishing. For the first time, 500 tables are needed in the Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg), and the trajectory next door is similarly pleasing: the work area for publishers, newly established a year ago as the Publishers’ Rights Corner (PRC), now comprises 33 tables. When it launched, 20 sufficed.

In addition, the Frankfurt Fellowship, which was founded under Peter Weidhaas, the former president of Frankfurter Buchmesse, takes place for the 20th time. So far, almost 400 young publishers from more than 60 countries have participated in the programme, creating an effective international network.

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

70th Frankfurter Buchmesse   

10 to 14 October 

• “On the Same Page” sends a signal supporting human rights 
• Publishers and booksellers discuss their market reach
• Frankfurt Pavilion is the new literary stage on the Agora

Guest of Honour: Georgia; Slogan: "Georgia – Made by Characters" 

Is the right to freedom of expression and information endangered? What about the right to education? The book fair in Frankfurt has often posed these questions, but rarely so resolutely: 70 years after the United Nations proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it launches the international campaign “On the Same Page” together with the German Publishers & Booksellers Association. The campaign’s goal is to counteract populist tendencies – by raising awareness of what constitutes human rights and why each and every individual needs to rise to the occasion and defend them. 

The appeal provides an overall theme for events at the fair, where it is often invoked. The fact that the book fair is taking place for the 70th time, and could therefore also be celebrating an anniversary of its own, is of only marginal interest. After all, the book industry, especially in Germany, is currently facing many challenges: thanks to statistics released by the German Publishers & Booksellers Association in January, there is undeniable proof that the book trade is not as omnipresent as it once was, something visitors to the fair in Frankfurt are still discussing in October. Despite e-books, digital distribution and the many efforts to gain a foothold in social media, the number of people who spend money on books and reading has fallen drastically. 

The book fair seems to be exempt from this development. It continues to be regarded as the place to be by the general public, even welcoming more visitors at the weekend than in past years. Among other attractions, the Frankfurt Pavilion on the Agora causes a stir – as a new stage for readings curated by the book fair. Then there is the Cosplay Corner in Hall 1, which has been enlarged to 8,000 sqm. And Georgia as Guest of Honour: the country presents itself as a multi-layered and modern cultural nation, drawing attention to the 33 letters of the Georgian alphabet, which have long been included in UNESCO’s list of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. The motto of the Guest of Honour appearance: “Made by Characters”. 

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

71st Frankfurter Buchmesse

16 to 20 October 

• Congestion blocks the exhibition halls
• Additional focus areas receive a new layout 
• Rights business moves to the Festhalle 

Guest of Honour: Norway; Slogan: "The dream we carry" 

In 2019, the book fair knows only one direction: forward. For the first time in almost 20 years, it has more than 300,000 visitors, and nothing is dampening the mood – at most, the fact that the walkways in the exhibition halls are often reported as being so congested they’re impassable.  

The public flocks to the discussions, the stars, the parties, to THE ARTS+, which is now partnering with the B3 Biennale of the Moving Image. Bloggers and bookstagrammers meet at Frankfurt Influencer, other new focus areas include Frankfurt Audio and Frankfurt Authors – even if the topics they cover have been present at the fair for some time. Housed in Hall 3.1, Frankfurt Audio brings together audiobook publishers and international streaming platforms; one floor below, where the self-publishing area was previously found, Frankfurt Authors is launched, conceived as a space all about writing. In 2018, the focus areas for education (now Frankfurt EDU) and media for children and young people (Frankfurt Kids) were reorganised along similar lines – to underscore their success. 

Frankfurter Buchmesse is raising its profile as the world’s biggest publishing event in yet another way: by constantly drawing attention to socio-political issues – this year, above all, by organising a sequel to the “On the Same Page” campaign called “Create Your Revolution”. Human rights, freedom of expression, the climate crisis as cultural topic, diversity, identity, the role of machines in modern life: “Create Your Revolution” reflects today’s countless debates, takes a global perspective, calls for action. How seriously the fair itself takes the topic can be seen in the “umbrella protest” on the Agora – dedicated to publisher and bookseller Gui Minhai, who was kidnapped four years before, and directed against China. 

On the other hand, the major change that has taken place next door goes almost unnoticed: as their usual space in Hall 6.3 is currently being modernised, the Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg) and Publishers Rights Corner, the working area for publishers, move into the Festhalle.

This year, moreover, Frankfurter Buchmesse’s international activities – under the motto “German Stories” – enjoy their first public (Guest of Honour) appearance at the Taipei International Book Exhibition.

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

72nd Frankfurter Buchmesse 

14 to 18 October 

• Covid pandemic prevents in-person meetings on fairgrounds  
• Online, Frankfurter Buchmesse reaches an audience of millions
• “Signals of Hope” generates poetry, laughter and discussion

Guest of Honour: Canada; Slogan: "Singular Plurality"  

Five weeks before it should have started, Frankfurter Buchmesse has to cancel the book fair on the fairgrounds, disappointing everyone who was hoping to attend in person. It switches to emergency mode instead; the new Covid restrictions leave it no other choice. Instead of continuing to prepare a large hybrid edition, as originally intended, it now concentrates on Plan B: the global fair goes online. 

The programme of events runs for a total of 260 hours, becoming a non-stop exchange: at readings, lectures by experts, at conferences, curated networking sessions. Litprom organises the symposium “African Perspectives – Writers and Literary Experts in Conversation” together with the KfW Stiftung. THE ARTS+ broadcasts events, ARD streams literary talks live from the otherwise empty Festhalle. Those who miss getting together in the evenings in a bar – the well-known “Frankfurt Factor” – drop by the digital salon “The Hof” instead, and those who want to do a licencing deal do business via Frankfurt Rights. With the launch of Frankfurt Rights, the book fair expands its existing platform IPR Licence in which it has been a majority shareholder since 2016. In addition, in keeping with its socio-political mission, it launches an initiative that brings people together: “Signals of Hope”. The result is poetry, laughter and, above all, a discussion of the current situation – of the Covid crisis and climate change, of human rights, gender diversity, feminism and structural racism. Of the principle of hope.

It’s no surprise that the book fair’s efforts reach an audience of millions. “Our strategy of cooperating with strong media partners and being present with our offerings wherever our target groups are, whether on our own platforms or in social media, has paid off,” says Juergen Boos, president of Frankfurter Buchmesse. He does not mention for the time being the tremendous effort that was required to achieve this success or the fair’s financial position after having offered the full range of events free of charge. In July, Germany’s federal government made €4 million available, a sum that would clearly not suffice – and certainly not to keep the fair afloat over the long term. The year 2020 thus ends with a restructuring that is as extensive as it is painful – one that includes job cuts. 

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

73rd Frankfurter Buchmesse

20 to 24 October 

• Exhibitors and public return, online offerings continue 
• The industry discusses the pandemic’s impact and is inspired by positive examples
• Calls to boycott the fair are controversial 

Guest of Honour: Canada; Slogan: "Singular Plurality (II)" 

An era ends overseas: the largest book fair in the United States, BookExpo America (BEA), ceases operations in the midst of the pandemic. People are therefore looking to Frankfurt nervously, wondering what is planned there. Will it be possible to hold an in-person fair again? And does a hybrid event make sense economically? Would the global industry participate on this scale?  

Frankfurter Buchmesse 2021 provides the answers. The book fair takes place under the motto “Re:connect” and even opens its doors earlier than usual, in September – with a multipart digital trade programme, with the Frankfurt Conference, the Masterclasses and “The Hof”. Participants discuss strategies in times of Covid-19 and positive examples; it’s all about making successes visible and keeping the exchange going. The in-person fair begins on 20 October and the strictest hygiene regulations apply. Everything seems more open and airier – and unusually empty – as only 25,000 people are allowed onto the exhibition grounds each day. Canada garners applause for its Guest of Honour pavilion in the Forum, visitors stroll through the halls, exhibitors, many at collective stands, take a deep breath of relief. The fact that the general public cannot attend events for safety reasons is lamented by some, but has its advantages: many readings, award ceremonies, trade discussions and socio-political debates are streamed live worldwide – directly from the Frankfurt Studio. 

The book fair thus invests in extending its reach and is perceived, especially digitally, in a completely new way. On site, what is felt most is the joy of meeting people once again, observes Juergen Boos, president of Frankfurter Buchmesse. Summing up the event, he notes that the 2021 fair not only fulfilled the high expectations people had of it, but far exceeded them. The call to boycott a publishing house affiliated with the Neue Rechte, the right-wing German political movement, causes controversy online and leads several authors to cancel their appearances at the fair. Boos respectfully acknowledges this development, saying, “As the organiser of the largest international book fair, we strongly oppose the instrumentalisation of our events. For us, freedom of expression is non-negotiable.”

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder

74th Frankfurter Buchmesse

19 to 23 October

• War and crises dominate discussions
• Translators step into the limelight
• Awareness Team takes action against discrimination

Guest of Honour: Spain; Slogan: "Creatividad desbordante – Spilling Creativity"
 

Spain creates a colourful, poetic, immersive world in the Forum, presenting itself in four languages: as an eloquent nation. The aim of this Guest of Honour pavilion is to create a space for interactions and, above all, a place for reflection. Both goals are achieved: the public understands the message immediately and lets itself be carried along. When did we last have such light-hearted moments, unaffected by war and crises?

The fairgrounds are otherwise bustling with activity, and the most striking change is that an Awareness Team is now present in the halls. This is how the fair is responding to last year’s boycott and the accusations of discrimination. Meanwhile, many exhibitors have returned and, although some spaces remain empty, it is unmistakable how much the fair in Frankfurt still enlivens the international book industry. Deals are being made again: for example, in the Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg), housed this year in Hall 4.2, where some 300 agencies are present and more than 450 workstations have been set up. Discussions are taking place again: about the impact of the paper shortage, inflation, rising energy prices. And audiences are being wooed again: countless authors present their works and take advantage of the opportunity to dialogue with their fans and each other. In addition, translators step into the limelight, made visible in many ways, including by the fair’s motto: “Translate. Transfer. Transform.”

And there’s politics, this year’s main topic after Russia attacks Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, sends a cautionary message via video in which he calls on the fair’s visitors to consciously oppose falsehoods and half-truths. “Knowledge is the answer” he declares – a point driven home later by Peace Prize laureate Serhiy Zhadan in his remarks. There are still plenty of other problems such as climate change, which leads the fair to launch the “Act now!” campaign together with the United Nations. In addition, the agenda once again includes diversity issues and the ways in which society is no longer cohesive, topics that are addressed from a global perspective. One development which receives special attention: the protests in Iran, triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amin.

© Tamara Weise on behalf of Frankfurter Buchmesse; Translation: Tim Schroder