A total of SR20 million in sales is expected from the Riyadh International Book Fair, according to observers. The observers expect the value of book purchases to exceed SR3 million in the first few days. They estimate that at the end of the book fair this total will exceed SR20 million. They also expect more than 900,000 visitors over the 10 days of the event. The average purchase of books per individual ranged between SR200 and SR300. There was a high demand for religious, literary and history books. Science books attracted fewer people. The venue was crowded from early morning until the doors closed in the evening. Khalid Al-Ghazali, owner of Al-Ward Publishing House, said there is a great variety at this year's book fair with diverse specializations. Al-Ghazali said a feature of the purchases from Saudi readers was not limited to a certain culture. This was a positive and noticeable change, he said. Khalid Al-Yami, a visitor, said this year's fair was different because he had not noticed any problems. He said that the way it has been organized has helped to save time to search for books. The majority of visitors lauded the good organization of the book fair, but they pointed to the lack of enough parking space. A female researcher into the origins of the Arabic language at King Saud University has praised organizers for the well-organized event and also because she was able to find books she needed for her work. Areej Al-Qenai'eer said: “I was very happy to find all the references I needed on the origin of the Arabic language. I'm a lecturer at the university and at present I'm working on research for a doctorate degree in linguistics and literary criticism. My thesis is on the poems of Al-Mutanabbi.” She pointed out that she supports classical Arabic poetry and does not recognize modern poetry or Nabatean (Nabati) poetry. Al-Qenai'eer said there was a great deal of freedom at the book fair. “Frankly speaking, I've not seen any banned book. This year there are no ‘under-the-table sales', but everything is open and everyone can buy whatever books they want.” Other than books in the Arabic language, which is her specialization, she said she was attracted by children's educational books for Arab children.
