CROWDPULLER: The US Embassy book stall, one of the most popular outlets at the 26th Doha International Book Fair, which was held at the Qatar National Convention Centre.

With free books and heavy discounts, the stall set up by Public Affairs
Section at the 26th Doha International Book Fair, saw a steady stream of
visitors looking for English titles and Arabic translations. By Anand Holla
As the 26th Doha International Book Fair at the Qatar National Convention Centre came to a close over the weekend, it was the American Embassy book stall that emerged, yet again, as one of the most well-visited booths at the event.
Set up by the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy here, the stall featured Arabic versions of American books, fiction and non-fiction books, children’s books, English language teaching material, and student advising books, among others.
To engage better with the fair’s visitors, there were quite a few free books and brochures on the American constitution, history, maps, sports and such.
Praveen Menon, IRC Director, Embassy of the United States of America in Qatar, said, “As with every year, we have kept one section for Arabic books, student advising books, and test preparatory material. Then, we have an area we give away free pamphlets on different kinds of information about the US; everything from its geography and government, to its constitution and economy. Perhaps the most popular of the lot are the children’s books, also because they come with hefty discounts.”
In fact, best-sellers and children’s books were heavily discounted. “You can’t find these prices anywhere in Qatar,” Menon said, and he is right. “We are offering them at such low prices because we are here as an outreach activity for the Embassy. It’s an occasion for us to meet the people of Qatar, to explain our policies and answer their questions,” he added.
Posted strategically on a corridor corner, the elegant yet eye-catching stall was constantly buzzing with visitors browsing through the English books ordered from the US or the Arabic translations that were sourced from the Middle East.
What has been hailed as among the most popular stalls at the past many editions of the Book Fair, keeps reengineering its setup every year. “Putting together this stall takes about one year of planning. As soon as we finish one book fair, we start planning for the next. We order books, survey what people might want, buy those books, look for vendors who can design the stall, then select the design and set it up,” said Menon.
This time around, there was a new children’s storytelling section, where kids would be sat down and read out stories. So as to gather feedback, the stall had stuck a big world map on a wall, which were covered all over with sticky notes with messages by visitors from various countries. “People tell from where they are and what they feel about this stall,” said Menon, smiling, “One comment is thank you for all the free books you are giving.”
Visibly pleased with the visitors’ response, Menon pointed out that participating in the book fair is a good opportunity for the Embassy to come out to the people. “We are otherwise often behind walls. Here, they can meet us. We have officers from the Embassy manning the stall. If somebody has consular questions or about studying in the USA, we are here to answer,” he said.