March 5, 2013
XXXIV International Book Fair at the Palace of Mines The Book Fair is organized annually at the Palace of Mines, an eighteenth century monument located at the heart of the cultural life of our country (Mexico City). th
The Book Fair took place from February 20 to th, March 4 2013. It received more than one hundred thousand visitors. All of them attended looking for the novelties of the Mexican publishing industry, represented by 600 publishing houses in more than 1,250 cultural activities. During the opening of the XXXIV IBFMP edition: •
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Dr. José Narro Robles, Dean of UNAM (Mexico´s National Autonomous University), said: "a society with good educational standards and indicators of adequate welfare has a better chance of developing the love for reading." Paraphrasing Manuel Azaña, Narro Robles also commented that the book "does not make humans happy, just like freedom, also makes them more human." Finally, the Dean, recalled the centenary of the birth of Dr. Guillermo Haro Barraza, Mexican pillar of astronomy, to whom the Fair paid tribute with several cultural activities highlighting the contribution of scientific and technological development in Mexico. Meanwhile, Miguel Angel Mancera, Head of Government of Mexico City said the book "will be our best friend, even in times of technological advancement."
How did the International Book Fair of Mining Palace start?
In 1924, a book fair to promote reading and the interest of foreign publishers, and to encourage the art of printing, took place in México for the first time. Years later, in 1947, due to the will of a distinguished Mexican, Jaime Torres Bodet, a decision was made to hold a University Book Fair, within the scope of the Second UNESCO Conference committed to provide affordable editions to society, coming mostly from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Who organized the International Book Fair?
As we know it today, the fair started in 1980 at the initiative of the Faculty of Engineering of UNAM. It received the support of major institutions like the National Publishing Mexican Industry, the National Council for Culture and the Arts and the Government of Mexico City. All of them have been fundamental to maintaining this effort. What is the activity of the Mexican publishing house? During 2011, the production of books in Mexico amounted to 293,688,179 copies, of which the private sector produced 131.8 million and 26.7% [35.2 million] amounted to the production of books for government programs such as school libraries and the National Program of English in Basic Education. The public sector production was 161,838,778 million copies, of which 79% belong to free textbooks for primary.
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For more information…
In 2011, exports reached 14.9 million books, equal to US$69.7 million. In the same year, Mexico imported 10.2 million books with a value of US$52.8 million dollars.
http://ferialibromineria.mx/xxxiv/
Source: National Chamber of the Mexican Publishing Industry.
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