The Madrid Book Fair Turns 90
It’s almost time for the annual Feria del Libro in Madrid, the highlight of the city’s literary calendar. Now celebrating its 90th year, this cultural feast will be returning to Retiro Park between 26 May and 11 June. With 385 huts to be explored, this year’s edition pays homage to the world of science under the theme “Somos de ciencias y de letras”. Read on to discover some little-known facts about the history of this unmissable cultural event:
#1
The story of the Madrid Book Fair can be traced back to the late 15th century, and the festivals of San Mateo and San Miguel introduced by King Juan II of Castile. At that time, displays of books jostled for space alongside a miscellany of wares, from paintings to ceramics..
#2
The first Madrid Book Fair was held between 23 and 29 April 1933, as part of the capital’s Cervantine Week celebrations. A cluster of brightly painted huts appeared in Paseo de Recoletos, then known as Avenida de Calvo Sotelo.
#3
The opening date, 23 April, was chosen for a reason. It pays tribute to two of the greatest writers that ever lived: Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare, who both died on this date.
#4
In its inaugural year, the book fair was attended by 20 publishers, all based in Madrid, with sales amounting to over 43,000 pesetas. The 2023 edition will welcome 113 book stores, 277 publishers, 13 distributors, 8 university publishers, 7 reproduction printers, 13 official agencies and 6 publishers guilds and associations from Andalusia, Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla y Leon, Murcia and the Region of Valencia.
#5
Since its very first year, the book fair has offered visitors a 10% discount on all books sold, an added bonus that has become a hallmark of the event.
#6
The fair has skipped just eight years since its debut — the first due to the Civil War (only to resume in 1944) and the most recent in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 1967, surging interest from booksellers, publishers and distributors meant a new venue was needed, and the book fair moved to Retiro Park.
#7
The first time the event was held outside of Madrid was 1946, when it travelled to Barcelona (returning in 1952), followed by a trip to Seville in 1948. However, as other Spanish cities began to launch book fairs of their own, it became less of a roving event and settled in Madrid.
#8
In 1967, surging interest from booksellers, publishers and distributors meant a new venue was needed, and the book fair moved to the Retiro Park. It has since been held in the park’s famous Paseo de Coches, with just one exception: 1979, when it moved to the Glass Pavilion in Casa de Campo Park. The experiment was deemed unsuccessful, and the next year the fair was back in its familiar setting.
#9
Now a Madrid institution, in 1982 the event became formally known as the Feria del Libro de Madrid and was officially opened by the Spanish Royal Family for the first time in its history.
#10
If there is one thing visitors can count on, it’s rain. Tradition dictates that the week of the book fair always brings some distinctly soggy weather — not that the city’s book lovers are so easily deterred. Will this year be an exception? You’ll have to come along and see.