Opening Morning

At the beginning of the fair, there is an exciting buzz. Trading has already begun before the doors have even opened.

Some people are stressfully putting the finishing details on there stands at the very last minute. Others have grins on their faces as they say hello to their good friends and colleagues. It is  the greatest moment in every book fair. A room full of hope.

The books here are fantastic and at times to me unbelievable. Some things here I have only read about in books. Today, I look up close and even touch some pages.

There are beautiful books all over the hall. I like beautiful books, but today my favourite books are the fashion books. There are displayed men in military uniforms and women in various dresses. These images often coloured by hand. It is at this point today that I think, I was to open my own bookshop today, this is the material I'd like to deal in. Of course yesterday it was philosophical books, the day before medical books. But here lies the pleasure of a book fair. You see those books, those objects that hold something important in your heart, are important for you because of some small memory you have as a child or an adult.

Frank Werner of Brockhaus Antiquarian from Germany

Frank Werner of Brockhaus Antiquarian from Germany

As I strolled the book fair this morning, I met a man who quite striking, turns out to be a charming and jolly man with an obvious love for ethnology.

I see some objects on his stand, things that I have never seen before. Palm bark books with a language that I don't recognise, and next to these, bamboo sticks about the length of a ruler with a similar script. Frank told me that these books are from a Batik cannibalistic tribe who designed their own language possibly before the Europeans. They were very beautiful objects, ones that I would have like to touch but didn't dare because of their meaning in history.

Cannibal palm leaf book from Brockhaus Antiquarian 

The were four objects in total. The first two were recipes for magical and medical positions which were illustrated with pictures to show the causes of the ailments. Another objects, this one bamboo, he tells me is a threatening letter. “oh?” I say and he replies "I would not like to receive a threatening letter from a cannibal." I nodded my head in agreement.