Paris Book Fair.

17-22 March 2006. The Paris Salon du Livre, now in its 26th edition, is a Frances most important festival dedicated to books and booklovers. This year the guest of honour is not a country, but a language spoken on five continents French. The Salon kicks off the FRANCOFFFONIES! Festival which is to run until October 2006, celebrating the cultural diversity of the 63 states in the French-speaking world. 40 French-speaking writers from all over the world are to be guests at the book fair taking part in readings, debates and meetings. The central pavillion is to house a sculptural homage to poet Lopold Sdar Senghor, one of the founders of la Francophonie (the organisation of French-speaking countries and governments). 165,000 visitors, 1,200 French and foreign publishers and a total of 2,000 writers will take part in the fair, which also has a childrens section, the Club 8/12. Itinerary guides are available allowing the visitor to follow a theme that interests him or her most: art, music, science, travel, fiction or simply the art of living. The Salon du Livre catalogue costs 23. Admission 5 students 3 Publishers, booksellers and librarians and under-12s free. Daily 9.30-19.00 Tues 9.30-22.00.