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A cartoon character greets children at the book fair
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Another view of visitors at the book fair
Officials from 797 pavilions representing various countries and international and local publishing houses have praised the excellent organisation and logistic preparations of the fair, describing it among the best of its kind worldwide.
Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Buainian, a Qatari author, stressed the book fair this year has featured some excellent forums and book discussions that have further enhanced the cultural scene in the country.
He also launched some books on the Arabic and Islamic culture. In particular he launched an experimental edition of his encyclopaedia on Arab poets since the pre-Islam era until the modern times.
Dr al-Buainain pointed out that the concept of experimental edition is meant to take feedback from readers and modify the next editions accordingly, as the ultimate purpose of any author is to deliver the message effectively to the readers.
Dr Ali Afifi Ghazi, managing editor of Rewaq history, a magazine, which deals with Qatari and regional related issues, stressed the importance of the fair as an excellent platform to introduce visitors to key stages of Qatar history, in particular the works of the founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani including some of his documents and manuscripts. Besides, Dr Ghazi said that people have expressed interest in the issue and wanted to know more about the various stages of the history of the country.
In the meantime, the exhibitors said that they have made good sales during the fair and the Qatari people are willing to learn and explore new things. They pointed out that they have started to make further discounts on their items as the fair comes to conclusion.
Chen Kai, an exhibitor from China selling educational toys, rated the fair as outstanding by all yardsticks. He said the sales were very good.
However, engineer Ehab Elsayed El-Azab, a visitor to the fair, pointed out the need to introduce more specialised scientific and technical books. He felt that such books were very few in this edition of the fair.
However, he said the book fair is an excellent opportunity to enhance professional knowledge and help people improve their skills, as Qatar has become a hub of distinguished events in different fields including technology and construction.