The Leipzig Book Fair () is the second largest book fair in

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after the

Frankfurt Book Fair The Frankfurt Book Fair (German: , FBM) is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. The five-day annual event in mid-October is held at the Frankfurt Trade Fair grounds in Frankfurt am ...

. The fair takes place annually over four days at the Leipzig Trade Fairground in the northern part of

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

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. It is the first large trade meeting of the year and as such it plays an important role in the market and is often where new publications are first presented. . The Leipzig Book Fair generates most of its revenue from the general public. The evening program includes readings by authors in bookshops, cafes and the historic Leipzig City Hall.

History

The Leipzig Fair has its origins in the 15th century. The Leipzig Book Fair became the largest book fair in Germany in 1632 when it topped the fair in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

in the number of books presented; Frankfurt featured 100 books, compared to Leipzig's 700 that year. The success and importance of the fair is linked to the emergence of a vibrant publishing industry in the city. By the 16th century, Leipzig was home to the first daily newspaper, '' Einkommende Zeitungen'', as well as the Reclam Universal Library. Catalogs of the books included in the sale were produced from 1594 to 1860. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, the fair was an important event for European book sellers, and was hosted twice yearly, occurring around

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(Ostermesse) and St. Micheals (Michaelismesse). It remained on top until 1945 when Leipzig became part of socialist

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and Frankfurt, in

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surpassed it to regain the number one spot. During the East German era the fair remained an important meeting place for book lovers and sellers from both East and West Germany. It provided access to Western publications for East Germans, who were not legally allowed to purchase the material, but could read it at the Fair. After

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, the fair moved from the Trade Fair House ''Messehaus am Markt'' in the

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( Markt / Petersstrasse) to a new location removed from the city center. After the move, the fair experienced a renaissance and continues to grow until the break by the

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Profile

Today, the fair aims to be for the public, above all, and to emphasize the relationship between the authors and the fair's visitors. The new orientation is necessary to compete with Frankfurt Book Fair, which sees a much larger volume of industry trading. The Leipzig Fair was one of the first to recognize the growing market for

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...

s and incorporate this trend into its concept.

"Leipzig liest"

In parallel to the exhibitions, the Leipzig book fair is notable for its reading festival 'Leipzig liest'. During the four-day fair Leipzig hosts over 3,600 events (2018) both in various locations throughout the city and at the fairgrounds, making it the largest event of its kind in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Awards

The fair is the site of the presentation of several important German book prizes: The Leipzig Book Fair Prize (2002–2004 the German Book Prize), and the Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding. The fair also sees the nominations for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis.

Numbers

In 2010 the fair experienced record attendance, registering 156,000 visitors and 2071 publishers from 39 countries. In 2012 there were 163,000 visitors, and in 2019, 286,000 visitors.

References

External links

Official Website of the Leipzig Bookfair

Frankfurt and Leipzig Book-Fair Catalogues
{{Authority control Events in Leipzig Trade fairs in Germany Book fairs in Germany Tourist attractions in Leipzig