The 45th Sharjah International Book Fair opened at Expo Centre Sharjah and runs until November 15, bringing together publishers and readers from across the world. This year marks the first time Peru has taken part in any UAE book fair, while Oman holds the position of guest of honour.

Peru's stand features Arabic translations of novels by Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, alongside cookbooks and children's titles, with the country's ambassador signalling plans to broaden Peru's presence at future editions of the fair.

A standout attraction this year is a manuscript display curated by the University of Sharjah, showing 12 items drawn from a wider collection of 600 manuscripts covering medicine, law and religion. Oman's own pavilion complements this with an 18th-century medical compendium and a manuscript titled "Majmoa Alsyar wa Aljawabat," dated to the Islamic year 1137.

Among the fair's most talked-about programmes is "Blind Date with a Book," run by children's publisher Little Puffin, in which titles are wrapped so readers can choose only the language and whether they want fiction or non-fiction — the actual book stays a surprise until after purchase. The fair is also showcasing the shortlist for the International Award for Arabic Children's Literature.

One visiting book collector, whose personal library is reportedly worth $200,000, praised the strength of this year's curated selection. The Sharjah fair remains one of the region's major cultural fixtures, drawing international publishers and authors alongside local audiences each year, and this edition stands out for the breadth of participating countries on display.