‘City of Books’ Looks to Trade on its Legacy

Leipzig, once a center of world publishing, is looking for ways to capitalize on its bookish past:

The books may be piling high during the Leipzig Book Fair, which opens Thursday, but it is not yet clear whether demand will match supply. Sales for the first two months of 2002 were down by 1.3 percent. The eastern city is pinning its hopes on its rich publishing tradition. However, its glory days are a thing of the past. Leipzig is outranked as a publishing center by its major competitors Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt. However, the literary tradition is best kept alive by ”Leipzig Reads,” Europe\’s largest reading festival, which hosts more than 900 readings by authors . . .

More from Frankfurter Allgemeine.