Turkey: Harvest of books catches bibliophiles' eyes

20,000 books ripe for picking from trees publicize book fair in northwestern city of Kocaeli

By Ibrahim Aktas

KOCAELI, Turkey (AA) – Some 20,000 books hung on trees, including international classics, quickly caught the eye of book lovers in northwestern Turkey.

The municipality of the city of Kocaeli organized the book bonanza in order to drum up interest in the 10th Kocaeli Book Fair set for Saturday.

Dozens of people, particularly students, flocked to Hurriyet and Cumhuriyet streets in the city’s Izmit district to harvest the unexpected bounty of books.

“I’m very happy to see the huge interest in books in our city. Young peole, mothers, and grandfathers, we’re all together here,” Ibrahim Karaosmanoglu, the city’s mayor, told Anadolu Agency.

Describing books as “civilization,” Karaosmanoglu said: “I'm sure the interest in the books will rise with each passing day.”

The 20,000 books, free for the taking, were collected by locals in short order.

Kaynak:

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