39th Buenos Aires International Book Fair.

 

39th Buenos Aires International Book Fair. (Year 2013)

Having visited the 39th Buenos Aires International Book Fair, which took place from April 23 to May 13, 2013, at the La Rural exhibition grounds (Av. Sarmiento 2704, Plaza Italia, City of Buenos Aires), under this year's slogan "Books as Bridges," what caught my attention as something new was visiting the Favaloro Foundation booth. When I arrived there, eager to purchase the book De La Pampa a los Estados Unidos [From the Pampas to the United States], which—along with several others by the author—was on display behind a glass shelf, I was told no: in order to buy them, I had to go to Belgrano Street during regular business hours. So I left without the book.

Now I wonder: why go to the Book Fair, show you the book, but not sell it to you? They were promoting the Favaloro University with no less than ten different brochures—something I don't think is wrong, even though there is a specific fair for universities, but it felt a bit misplaced that at a book fair they wouldn't want to sell you a book.

The two photographs that follow belong to the booth of the Argentine Library for the Blind (Biblioteca Argentina Para Ciegos), whose website is http://www.bac.org.ar/. It is a non-governmental, non-profit organization whose main objective is to contribute to the full integration of people with visual impairments into society.

It is worth mentioning that the BAC was declared of "cultural and educational interest" by the Legislature of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

At this booth, Braille books were on display, and they provided information and explanations about reading and writing for the blind and visually impaired.

There was also a guide dog or seeing-eye dog there; on this occasion, it appeared to be a Golden Retriever wearing a sign that read, "Do not touch me, I am working."

An eye-catching booth this time was that of the Province of Jujuy. As seen in the photograph, they built a sort of tower made by stacking giant books. At that booth, I purchased a book titled Historia del Jujuy indígena [History of Indigenous Jujuy] by author Enrique Normando Cruz. (Purmamarka Ediciones, 2012)