AUSTRALIA THE FIRST LINK IN THE CHAIN OF WORLD POP UPS ON UNESCO WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY 2016

SYDNEY GOES SHAKESPEAREAN

Being the first in the world chain of rare book fairs is a pleasure and a responsibility. This year, being the 400th anniversary of both Shakespeare’s and Cervantes death, there is no better place for East Coast Australian booksellers to Pop Up than The State Library of New South Wales (SLNSW). The State Library, justifiably proud of their collections of both Shakespeare and Cervantes – including 1,100 different editions of Don Quixote in many different languages – will  be celebrating all things Shakespearean on Saturday 23 April 2016. They will be inviting children and adults to come into the library for, dare we say, a dramatic day. There will be balloons, wandering players, a Sonnet Slam, the beautiful Shakespeare room will be open, and their first folios will be on display – and that’s just some of what is happening!

As the The State Library of New South Wales “goes Shakespearean” on April 23 the Sydney Pop Up Book Fair will fit in beautifully. At 11 am Dr Alex Byrne, State Librarian and a former President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), will launch the 24 hours of rare book activities around the world. ANZAAB’s Rare Book Pop Up Fair will be open from 11 am to 4 pm on Saturday 23 April. That gives Sydney book people just five hours to come and see the highlights from the stock of booksellers many of whom will have come from a great distance. This is 5 hours not to be missed by any book lover!

The Pop Up Fair will display large posters showing an Empty Bookcase. We hope all visitors will buy a symbolic spine and place it on the bookcase. Each spine sold symbolises another world opening for children who need this help so badly.  Across the world book lovers will be filling book cases just like these in an effort to make a change in South Sudan, a country where literacy rates are shockingly low.  We think Shakespeare would definitely have approved.

DUNKELD BOOKSHOPS FEATURES EMPTY BOOKCASE POSTERS

In the beautiful country Victoria the desire to improve literacy rates in South Sudan is very strong indeed. Last year the owners of Roz Greenwood Old & Rare Books organized a great ILAB Pop Up Fair in a woolshed nearby, this year the Empty Bookcase posters will be prominently displayed at Roz and Marg’s lovely bookshop in Dunkeld. They are asking their customers, friends and neighbours to help turn around the life of many in South Sudan by purchasing a symbolic spine. In South Sudan 84 % of women are illiterate – and 70 % of the adult population as a whole. Something unimaginable to most of us, fortunately, but this is reality for South Sudanese and something that we can and will change.  Join Roz and Marg as book spine by spine they affect a change!  And as if this were not enough, they will pack their boxes with beautiful books right in time to travel the long way to Sydney to exhibit at the ILAB Pop Up Fair at The State Library of New South Wales. Bravo!

PERTH BOOKSELLERS POP UP UNDER THE BEAUTIFUL PERTH SKY

Perth, in Western Australia, is the most remote capital city in the world – and one of the loveliest. In 1962 Perth became world famous as the "City of Light" when the inhabitants lit their house lights and streetlights as American astronaut John Glenn passed overhead while orbiting the earth in his spaceship. This year Perth booksellers will shine a light on literacy. They will be joining the world celebrations and popping up together in the very large courtyard in front of the beautiful two story heritage listed stables where Muir Books is located. Here, in walking distance from the State Library, the Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia Robert and Janet Muir, Tara Surry and their colleagues will show an abundance of rare and fine books, maps and prints from all centuries, while raising funds for UNESCO’s literacy projects in South Sudan. Perth has enviably wonderful weather – so be prepared to enjoy an amazing bookish event as part of the great chain of worldwide ILAB Pop Ups on 23 April 2016. And just in case it should rain (or be too hot), Janet, Robbie and Tara from Muir Books have hired a marquee for the day.


Perth booksellers are a very collegiate group and a number of Muir Books bookseller friends are bringing their best books and coming along for the day to sell books and raise money for South Sudan, too, and – I have no doubt – have a lot of fun.  I just wish it wasn’t on the other side of the continent as I know that this would definitely be a great place to visit on UNESCO’s World Book and Copyright Day. 

JOIN US ... ORGANIZE IT ... ILAB POP UP BOOK FAIRS ... ACROSS THE WORLD ... ON UNESCO WORLD BOOK & COPYRIGHT DAY ... 23 APRIL 2016!

March 2016 – For immediate release. Pictures: ILAB, UNESCO. Shakespeare Room, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, Roz Greenwood Old and Rare Books, Dunkeld, Victoria, Muir Books, Perth. Courtesy: Sally Burdon and the organizers.