Books Alive and Well in Brussels

John Frederick Peto, Take Your Choice (1885), National Gallery of Art

Will digital book readers spell the end of the book or just the old codex technology? The results of this year's Brussels Book Fair do not seem to indicate a crisis yet, with last year's attendance numbers (70,000 entries) broken again this year, according to an article (La foire du livre a accueilli plus de 70.000 visiteurs, March 8) in La Libre Belgique (my translation):

The final numbers are not yet available, but the organizers estimate that 75,000 visitors came to the 2010 fair. The group of exhibitors represented a world-wide influence, said Ana Garcia, the fair's general commissioner. The theme of the "digital breakaway," at the heart of this 40th Book Fair, sparked reflection on how new technology has helped literature be spread. Visitors were able to try out digital book readers and discover different computer applications, such as those available for the iPod.

There was also a part of the fair called the "L@b," where the visitors tended to congregate and check out these digital advances. There was also a notable success for African authors this year.