(MENAFN- Gulf Times) At the Doha International Book Fair, the 3D castle-shaped stall
has seen a constant stream of bibliophiles. By Umer Nangiana
From the biography of US President Barack Obama to children's books, including the one written by Obama, this different-looking
book stall by the Embassy of United States of America in Doha offers a range of books in both English and Arabic language.
At the Doha International Book Fair, the 3D castle-shaped book stall not just stands out; it has attracted a considerable number
of people including students since its opening earlier this month.
The stall put up by Public Affairs Section (PAS) Doha is participating in the fair that was officially opened by HE the Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud and HE the Minister of Culture,
Arts, and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC). The fair will continue till
January 17.
US Ambassador to Qatar Dana Smith presented both Qatari officials with a series of American publications at the launch of the
stall.
The embassy booth features Arabic translations of American authors, English language teaching material, and student advising
material, including test preparation books. Visitors may enjoy free publications from various American authors in addition to
brochures on American history, maps of the US, and information about Muslim life in America.
"We have a lot of Arabic books that have been translated from English to Arabic besides children's books and the books about the
rise of global economy and Barack Obama's biography," Pamela Russo, the cashier at the booth told Community.
"We also have some academic books such as the ones that will help you with the GRE, the GMAT, SAT, and TOEFL. We also have some
English books for children; small chapter books, picture books and others," she added.
The books translated from Arabic to English include novels, biographies and information. Russo said they have one book, for
instance, about the making of a movie Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Audrey Hepburn. In other books, the booth features one that
is a comparison of lives of Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass, the two greats of American history.
Russo said the versions of books available at the booth are the less expensive ones than you would find somewhere else because
they are not selling their books for profit but as an outreach to the community. "Some of the students' advising books, one of
them we have here, we sold for QR70 and one that may be other location sells would be sold equivalent to 70 US dollars. Our books
are a little bit cheaper than you would somewhere else," said Russo.
During the first half of the fair, people visiting the booth have been asking for a lot of English books but overall they are
excited about books they didn't think they would find in Arabic, said Russo. For instance, they have the Arabic version of Randy
Pausch's Last Lecture. In the book, Pausch gives his last lecture after discovering that he was dying. It is a piece of advice
not only to his children but everyone. The book comes with a CD of the lecture.
In the morning, Russo said, it is the young students from the elementary and primary schools who come in looking for books in
English and there are a lot of Arabic-speaking people who come in looking for books in English to try and improve their English.
Students who are looking to improve their test scores so that they can study in the US also frequent the booth in good numbers.
The design of the booth for this year is unique. "It is a 3D castle-shape and it has been designed by one of our media agencies
that we work with every year but this year I think it is unique," said Russo's colleague Mohammed Abbaro, Digital Media
Assistant, present at the booth.
When you come around the corner, you notice it right away. It stands out. Russo said they also have contacts for academic
advisers which they give to students asking about it. The books available at the booth were ordered from the US while the Arabic
translations were sourced from the Middle East, said Abbaro.
The two officials invited people to take the opportunity to get books at below cost as "this is a non-government organisation and
it is getting the books below cost just to reach out to the community," Abbaro said.
Russo said the book fair features books in all languages besides different activities for children and is a great place to come
out with families in the evening, buy couple of books and have a nice time.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.