New Delhi, Aug 27: Come Saturday, book-lovers will make a beeline for the Pragati Maidan here with the inauguration of the Delhi Book Fair 2008.

Vice President Hamid Ansari will inaugurate the nine-day fair organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP).

“The theme this year is `women writing` as an acknowledgement of the growing contribution of women in the field,” said an ITPO official.

The fair will have 299 participants, up from 224 last year, from India and foreign countries including the US, Pakistan, China, Spain, Iran and the UAE.

The DBF 2008 will also have a number of seminars, book launches and workshops by various organisations.

“DBF provides a unique platform for business-to-business transactions, establishment of new contacts, entering into co-publishment arrangements, translation and copyright arrangements and reprinting of old and rare books,” the official added.

“It also provides an opportunity to meet national and international publishers, librarians, researchers, academicians, writers, students and book-lovers.”

“After the Indian International Trade Fair, DBF is the most awaited of the trade fairs of the year. Besides the usual book-lovers thronging the fair, students of schools and universities are also expected to visit the fair in large numbers,” the official said.

IANS