Abu Dhabi: The Antiquarian Book Fair has once again returned to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (Adibf), located at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), bringing with it intricate and one-of-a-kind pieces that were admired by all who viewed them.
"I participated at the Adibf and received such positive feedback that I decided to participate again this year," said Robert Frew of Robert Frew Ltd.
"Among the collection I brought with me is a selection of 1001 Arabian Nights, several of which are first editions. Not only is there demand for such books in the Middle East but the 1001 Nights are actually influential in the UK… they've become part of our folklore."
Other antiquarian books that are available include centuries-old Quran, manuscripts, and drawings.
"Among the various items we are offering, we have a wide range of Quran, including the first English translation of the Holy Book that was written in 1734. We even have one of the biographies of the Prophet [PBUH]," said Dr Meis Al Kaisi, Bernard Quariton Ltd. "One thing that we've noticed from visitors to our stand is that they're afraid of touching our books, because they're worried that they may damage the pieces but we always encourage them to take a closer look," she added.
Several stands also offer exquisite facsimiles of treasured books, many of which are kept in museums around the world.
"This is our first visit to Abu Dhabi but we were encouraged to come by Dr Khalid Al Daheri, and have received great feedback from our books at the fair. One of the books we are displaying is one of seven sections of the Baybars Quran… the original at the British Library is 700 years old," Michael Falter, Facsimile Editions Limited, said. "We are also are displaying a facsimile of the Alba Bible… I remember one day when a visitor saw both books, she told me that she was happy that both religions were side by side, which made me very happy," he added.
