Posted: 6/7/2009 10:58:00 AM
Author: Hillel Fendel
Source: This article originally appeared on the Arutz 7 website on June 7, 2009.
Thousands of New Books in 2008
by Hillel Fendel
(IsraelNN.com) In honor of National Book Week – actually 10 days, beginning on June 10 (see below) - the Jewish National and University Library has publicized statistics about Israel’s literary output.
In the year 2008, the library registered 7,414 new titles, including 6,384 new books and 380 new CDs and cassettes. A spokesperson for the library said that though new publications are required to be sent to the National Library, in practice only some 85-90% of books are sent and less than half of the new CDs and tapes.
The Library also received 15,806 periodicals, 1,070 MA theses, and 882 doctoral theses.
Some 88% of the new books are in Hebrew, while nearly 6% are in English. About 5% are in Russian and Arabic, and 12 were written in Yiddish.
Among the Hebrew books, 83% were originally written in Hebrew, while the others were translated from other languages.
The religious-hareidi sector published 23% of the new books received in the University Library.
The new books in 2008 includes 41 cookbooks, 16 hiking guides, 68 dealing with the Israeli-Arab conflict, 132 on the Holocaust, and 111 on the history of various cities and towns. A tenth of the books are for young readers, while 228 are text books.
57% of the books were published by companies, 15% were published privately by the author, and another 6% were published by government bodies. Another 6% were published by educational institutions, and 16% by organizations, museums, etc.
National Book Week
Book fairs, including publishers’ selections and special prices as well as book-related activities for children, will be held during Book Week in Jerusalem (Liberty Bell Park), Tel Aviv (Rabin Square), Haifa (Grand Canyon), Be’er Sheva, Kfar Saba, Modiin, and other cities. National Book Week has been held every year in Israel since 1963.
