This World Book Day, UAE residents can celebrate the presence of more bookstores than last year.
There has been an "encouraging" increase in the popularity of books in the country and pioneers say the "industry" has come a long way.
Established in 1954, the Al Ahliya Library is said to be Dubai's first bookshop.
Co-founded by Abdullah Al Rostamani, it capitalised on the growing number of Emiratis seeking knowledge and information after living and studying abroad, said Marwan Bin Abdullah Al Rostamani.
"My late father had a passion for reading and for the world of books. He co-founded the bookshop in 1954. It was a time when Emiratis were seeking education abroad and the habit of reading was spreading in the community," said Marwan.
The store would sell Arabic books and newspapers as well as a few English books, mostly ordered from major bookshops and publishers in Egypt and Lebanon.
Keeping abreast
It was a time when Emiratis were increasingly feeling the need to keep abreast with happenings in the region and around the world, and international newspapers were in demand.
Books on politics and literature were popular, he added.
The motivation to establish Dubai's first bookshop, according to Al Rostamani, was driven by his father's view on the importance of knowledge and education, which is translated today in support for cultural and educational institutions such as the Jum'a Al Majid Foundation, which has received donations and sponsorships from Al Rostamani, including a used books festival.
Another pioneer in Dubai's world of reading is Mike McGuinley, founder of one of Dubai's first used book stores, House of Prose. In less than a decade, the American national established four used bookstores in three Gulf cities. The chain is now his primary business.
Having started with a store in Muscat in 1993, McGuinley decided to move to the UAE in 1997 where he started two more stores. McGuinley says that word about his store spread "like wildfire" when it was first established. His store in Jumeirah Plaza today carries 25,000 books.
The United Kingdom and Ireland celebrate World Book Day on March 6. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) marks it on April 23.
