In January publishers and book sellers from around the world came to Egypt for the annual Cairo book fair.

President Hosni Mubarak was set to cut the ribbon on the 43rd inauguration of oldest and the largest book fair in the Arab world.

But as revolution rocked the country, book-buying was far from the minds of those gathered in the city and the fair was cancelled.

At the beginning of April, booksellers once again descended on Cairo for a substitute fair, organised by the American University of Cairo Press, and held in the now iconic Tahrir square.

With the possible exception of Lebanon, Egypt is the principal centre of publishing for Arabic-speaking countries.