Frankfurt Book Fair: Friday - Good Guys, Bad Guys, and that Turkish Guy

News of the sale of Mondadori having settled in, and speculation exhausted for now, it is back to business for the balance of the week.

A round of meetings with publishers Collins Design, Harry Abrams, National Geographic, Hudson Hills Press, Abbeville, STC, Taunton Books, David Godine, and others confirms that everyone is anxious about the economy - and everyone is still interested in publishing some pretty expensive books. High on the list of favorites is, in fact, the MOST expensive title that Electa has to offer, a two volume deluxe set on the Italian designer Fornasetti. (It's worth checking out this cool website). And I am pleased to say I did also interest two publishers in the big block collaboration of photographer Michel Comte and Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher.

In between meetings I have a chance to dash out and have lunch with old friend Ken Chung, CEO of Everbest. Later I stop by the Qualibre booth where my friend Charlie Lobello is dispensing Belgian wine and chocolates, while packager David Birdsall holds forth on pop-up books (right).

Back at the Mondadori booth, there is a commotion at the end of the day.  A group gathers at one end of the stand and out of nowhere body guards - with guns! - appear and position themselves "casually" in conspicuous corners of the room. Mondadori is hosting a party for the author of the best-selling mob expose "Gomorra". When someone whispers to me that the author has a price on his head, which is why he is surrounded by twitchy bodyguards, I decide that it might be just about time for me to head back to the hotel.

To add to the excitement, as I am collecting my bags another group enters the booth, from the opposite entrance, and these guys all have clerical collars. They are actually from the Vatican  and they, too,  have their own body guards -- a matching pair of big guys with the bulge under the jacket, leaning against opposite walls and looking like "don't even think of pulling out that camera to take pictures."  

And just to make things really interesting, still circulating is the same Turkish Media Mogul from two days ago, with his dedicated posse of reporters, photographers, and his own pistol-packing body guard.  

In the evening the Mondadori and Electa groups gather together one more time for dinner and a competitive round of napkin folding, apparently the favorite sport of a small town just outside of Glasgow....