A grand international book fair will be inaugurated by Adel Al-Toraifi, minister of culture and information, on Wednesday.

“The book fair will feature a bulk of literature, including major titles from South Africa, which is the guest country at the fair this year,” said Ahmed Al-Zahrani, a spokesman at the Ministry of Culture and Information. Al-Zahrani said that the 10-day long “Riyadh Book Fair,” organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information, will “offer books of different genres for readers of all age groups.” Besides offering books on discounted rates for children and adults, the fair will encompass a range of events such as counseling sessions and discussions on books, he said.

He pointed out that some 915 publishing houses from across the world, mainly from Arab countries, will participate in the book fair. This will be in addition to a large number of books and works of art of foreign origins to be displayed by the publishers. The area of the book show, to be hosted at Riyadh International Exhibition Center (RIEC), covers 23,000 sq. meters.

The book fair is expected to draw more than one million visitors this year, he noted. A large number of titles from South Africa will also be featured depicting various aspects of that country. South Africa, a nation of about 55 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages and religions, has had a rich legacy in books, literature, art and culture.

Spelling out the highlights of the fair this year, Salih Al-Ghamdi, director of Riyadh Book Fair, said that 1,273 publishing houses applied for participation in the fair of which 915 were approved representing some 29 Arab and foreign countries.

Al-Ghamdi said that the book show will provide a variety of services such as book shipment and e-sales.

He said the current book show will see new developments like an introduction of new corner called “In the memory of the deceased,” which is basically intended to honor great writers and thinkers, who have left indelible prints in the world of books and literature locally and globally.

Asked about the awards given to publishing houses, Al-Ghamdi said that two publishing houses would be honored this year.

The book show will give special care to children through a series of workshops, training and lectures, to be hosted by experts in respective areas, he added. The ministry has also instructed the publishers to refrain from charging exorbitant costs of books at the fair.

The event is being organized under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.