People should start reading more again! This may well have been the motto of the booksellers who met up in Frankfurt for the first book fair shortly after the Federal Republic of Germany was founded. They wanted to present literature that people in Germany had not heard about for a long time: under the Nazis, the book market was not free. More than 200 booksellers came to the fair, along with international publishing houses that presented their range of books to the public. It was a successful affair in every regard. Both the booksellers and the publishing houses had good financial returns, and the book-loving public was also pleased. Newspapers reported on the newly published books, and it could be clearly felt that people wanted to read again, form their own opinions on authors and make their own experiences with literature.

A year later, in the year 1950, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade was awarded for the first time. It was intended as a sign of Germany’s reconciliation with the world after the atrocities committed by the Nazis. These days, the Frankfurt Book Fair, which takes place regularly in October, is the largest book fair in the world. And anyone who is interested in books can visit this fair and browse through the range of books put on display by the publishing houses. If you are equipped with comfortable shoes and plenty of stamina, visiting the book fair is a real pleasure!

The small regional initiative of publishers and booksellers from the state of Hesse had turned into the biggest book fair in the world.