Belgian book fair breaks world record

The largest book fair in the low countries, Boekenbeurs in Antwerp, was the location for the setting of the world record yesterday for the largest number of books ever toppled in a domino chain. Organisers stood the books on end in elaborate patterns, winding the chain around the stands of the fair, which is currently running at Antwerp Expo.

Boek.be, a Belgian promotion agency for books, organised the event and pulverised the previous Guinness World Record held by the Seattle Public Library in the United States. That record was 2,131; boek.be clocked in at 4,845 books. The first book in the line was Belgian photographer Lieve Blancquaert’s Birth Day, based on her travels across the world to be present at births in different cultures. That was symbolic, according to boek.be, to give birth to the domino chain.

The entire event was a symbol, in fact, of the chain of production of books, from author, to printer, to distributor, to retailer. We believe in the importance of the book and in the future of the book,” said Boek.be director André Vandorpe, “and we wanted to say that in a way that would be creative and noticeable.”

The event made news around the world, and a video can be seen on the boek.be website.

www.boek.be