Portrait: Mainz Mini Press Fair
For three days every two years, the Gutenberg city of Mainz becomes a meeting place for mini-presses, small publishers, hand presses, book artists and authors. Over 220 exhibitors from ten countries and 5,000 visitors form the largest trading center for small publishing books and artistic press prints.
"For book lovers who have been battered by the internet and new media, the Mainz Minipressen Fair is like a sanatorium: it cures pessimistic thinking about the demise of book culture and nurtures a love for particularly beautiful books, not least through the awarding of the V.O. Stomps Prize (by the state capital of Mainz)." Riewert Quedens Tode (antiquarian bookseller and publisher, Berlin) in his eulogy for Hendrik Liersch (Corvinus Presse, Berlin) on the occasion of the awarding of the V.O. Stomps Prize.
The Mainz Minipressen-Messe has developed from modest beginnings into an international book fair for small publishers and artistic hand presses.
A sales fair with an extensive accompanying program of more than 30 cultural and specialist events. It has thus become a hub for the latest ideas and trends in printing and publishing literature and art.
History
The Mainz Minipressen Fair is held every two years—always in odd-numbered years—and will celebrate its 54th anniversary in 2025. It is the longest-running and oldest event of its kind in Europe. Further information on the development of the fair can be found here. (opens in a new tab)
Carrier
The Minipressen Fair is sponsored by the state capital of Mainz. The Gutenberg Museum's Minipressen Archive in Mainz is responsible for organizing and running the fair. It receives regular support from the Rhineland-Palatinate Cultural Summer (opens in a new tab), the German Publishers and Booksellers Association (opens in a new tab), and other sponsors.