More than 7,000 exhibitors from over 100 countries are expected to participate in this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair. The world’s largest annual book event, it’s a celebration of literature that draws attendees from around the world. But it’s also a hub of business deals for the broader literary economy.

More than 7,000 exhibitors from over 100 countries are expected to participate in this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair. The world’s largest annual book event, it’s a celebration of literature that draws attendees from around the world. But it’s also a hub of business deals for the broader literary economy.

What is the history of the Frankfurt Book Fair? Are the book industry’s traditional gatekeepers still in place? What is China’s current role in global book publishing?

Those are just a few of the questions that came up in my recent conversation with FP economics columnist Adam Tooze on the podcast we co-host, Ones and Tooze. What follows is an excerpt, edited for length and clarity. For the full conversation, look for Ones and Tooze wherever you get your podcasts. And check out Adam’s Substack newsletter.

Cameron Abadi: The Frankfurt Book Fair has its roots in 15th-century Germany. How did it evolve through that time, through the many centuries of political and social upheaval in Germany?

Adam Tooze: So it’s tied up really with the history of print capitalism and the Reformation in Europe. Folks may know that Johannes Gutenberg, who is the originator of the Western trajectory of printing, in the 1400s made his great breakthroughs in Mainz, which is just up the road from Frankfurt.