Bergamo. The 65th edition of the Bergamo Booksellers’ Fair ended yesterday, Wednesday 1 May. An edition that celebrated 65 years of age by celebrating reading in its deepest meaning and which confirmed itself as one of the most important sector events at a national level: more than 135,000 visitors in 12 days of the event and over 17,000 books sold , among the numerous titles of novels, essays and volumes for children offered to people from Bergamo.
A positive result from the oldest booksellers’ fair in Italy which however highlights, despite the large public participation, a drop in sales compared to the previous edition (-10% compared to the 20,000 books sold in 2023), also disadvantaged by the weather conditions of the first days.
A figure in line with the trend of the Italian publishing market (-4.1% in the first quarter of 2024 according to AIE – Italian Publishers Association data), a source of deep concern also for the independent bookstores of Bergamo which confirm this trend aggravated by the of general difficulty for family incomes and the entry into force of new measures which will further influence the market. In particular, the library bonus will disappear and the bookshop tax credit has been more than halved.
The protagonists of this event, once again, are the independent bookshops from Bergamo – Libreria Arnoldi, Cartolibreria Nani, Libreria Palomar, Il Parnaso libri&natura, Punto a capo libri – which at each edition return to embrace their public again through the discovery of new literary releases, the love for the great classics and the presentation of the numerous more independent and local realities.
The location of the Fair remains particularly appreciated by the public. This year the Sentierone has been transformed into a temporary labyrinth of books, words and phrases capable of creating worlds and giving life to reflections, following the significant pay off chosen for this edition: You will never want to get out again.
The elegant walking street in the heart of the city, which was transformed into a large extended bookshop thanks to a structure with transparent walls, hosted most of the 80 authors who presented their texts in the dedicated Meeting Space. Some of the 60 events took place at the Auditorium in Piazza Libertà, at the Donizetti Studio and at NXT Station in Piazzale degli Alpini.
In total, 4,500 spectators chose to participate in the scheduled editorial performances.
Looking at genres, Fiction returns to the top of the sales rankings, with 29% of books sold, followed by the Children’s and Teens section with 23% and Non-Fiction with 22%. The ranking is completed by Local Publishing which reaches 15% and Manuals with 11% of sales.
The ranking of best-selling books confirms the interest in fiction, in non-fiction of the area and in the guest writers of the event, such as some of the candidate authors finalists for the 2024 Strega Prize, guests at the Fair for the Bergamo stage of the Strega Tour Prize.
In first place, in fact, is Chi dice e chi tace by Chiara Valerio (Sellerio Editore Palermo, 2024), followed by Grammamanti. Imagining futures with the words of Vera Gheno (Einaudi, 2024).
On the third step of the sales podium, the taste for discovering the territory combined with the memory of the local resistance returns with Passeggiate resistant in Malga Lunga by Roberto Cremaschi (Monti Edizioni, 2024), followed by Malga Lunga tu sei il shrine by Mario Pelliccioli (Achille Grandi Editore, 2024). In fifth place is the latest thriller from the global publishing phenomenon Joël Dicker A wild animal (La nave di Teseo, 2024), followed by Bergamasco lingua viva by Daino Vecchio (Sestante, 2023).
The top ten is completed by La Meraviglia del tutto by Piero Angela and Massimo Polidoro (Mondadori, 2024), On the same side you will find me by Valentina Mira (Sem, 2024), Le Ribelli. Stories of women who challenged the mafia for love by Nando Dalla Chiesa (Solferino, 2024) and Pimpa goes to Bergamo by Francesco Tullio-Altan (Franco Cosimo Panini, 2024).
Finally, there was no shortage of opportunities for fun even for the little ones, an audience particularly fond of the Fair, who around 415 of them animated the playful “Children’s Space”, a colorful environment where they could read, draw, play and learn in the 11 creative workshops , theatrical, dedicated to illustration or reading aloud.
Antonio Terzi, Cartolibreria Nani, President of Confesercenti Bergamo and President of Li.Ber Associazione Librai Bergamaschi: “This year too the Booksellers Fair confirms itself as an eagerly awaited and attended event. Our thanks go to all those who supported us with their purchases, with participation in the meetings but also with their simple presence. The booksellers and Confesercenti Bergamo would also like to express heartfelt thanks to the local and provincial institutions who, together with the sponsors, annually renew their trust in us. In a year like this, even more so, we invite the people of Bergamo to choose the bookshops and stationery shops of the province and the city for their purchases even after the Booksellers’ Fair. Only in this way will it be possible to keep them healthy, ready to offer events like the one just concluded to the city again.”
© All rights reserved
Subscribe to our Whatsapp channel and stay updated.
Do you want to read BergamoNews without advertising? Subscribe!
