History of the Frankfurt Book Fair
Peter Weidhaas
A colourful and revealing look at more than 500 years of commerce conducted at the renowned Frankfurt Book Fair, from its beginnings in the Middle Ages. Even then, in spite of internal strife and religious upheaval, books were becoming increasingly accessible to those who found their way to Frankfurt to buy, sell, and promote. The fact that King Henry VIII sent Sir Thomas Bodley as his personal emissary to purchase books for the new library at Oxford University is an indication of the Fair's growing importance outside Germany.
Through the ensuing centuries, the fortunes of the Fair waxed and waned; however, the period following the Second World War brought with it a new spirit of renewal that has yet to lose momentum. In recent years, increasing number of international book fairs have taken the Frankfurt model, and each is finding its own way to further enrich the world of books everywhere.
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About Peter Weidhaas
Reviews for History of the Frankfurt Book Fair
Cynthia Good He writes with insight ... about the bazaar and the bizarre that make up the world's largest, annual meeting of minds and money.
Ron Robinson
Winnipeg Free Press
Peter Weidhaas offers a most entertaining and historical look at the Fair, showing the importance of books through the centuries, and their importance is still as strong today.
Shelf Life
Fascinating, expertly written, and full of anecdotes and insights, A History of the Frankfurt Book Fair is strongly recommended as a core addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library collections, as well as the for non-specialist general reader seeking to learn more about the origin of the model that all modern book fairs follow.
James A. Cox
The Midwest Book Review
This delightful tome is not only a comprehensive record of the postwar development of the world's largest and most organized book fairs, but also a summary of how today's book industry developed over the past 600 or so years.
Publishing Research Quarterly