A wholesome variety of books can be seen at different booths at Doha International Book Fair (DIBF) organised at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre. The available content includes both contemporary and old books. 
Despite the increase in e-book sales and other online reading options, or contemporary books, an increase in the popularity of antique and vintage books is also right there, gaining popularity like anything these days. A booth, offering only such distinct collection of rare books, is the centre of attention at DIBF.
Antiquariaat Forum, a company from The Netherlands that deals in rare books, is part of DIBF this year yet again. The collector has regularly been attending the book fair for the last eight years and has brought some unique and ancient books and manuscripts to the fair again.
One such book is Viaggio Dell Dell’indie Orientale, a historic travel paper book that according to the collector mentions name of Qatar for the first time in history.
Laurens R Hesselink, the owner of Antiquariaat Forum, spoke to Community about his range of collection and the feedback he has been receiving in Qatar.
Talking about his business and range of collection, the Dutch collector said, “The company was founded in Utrecht in 1970 by my father, Sebastiaan Hesselink. It is now an internationally recognised expert company in the world of rare and antiquarian books, manuscripts and prints. In 2000, I joined my father and took over the family business. In 2010, we acquired Asher Rare Books, originally founded in 1830 in Berlin by Adolph Asher.” 
He added, “We carry rare books, with special emphasis on the subjects, including travel and exploration, natural history, Middle East and Islamic world, art, architecture, medicine, pharmacy, science, technology, coloured plate books, emblem books, incurables, and illuminated manuscripts. We carry some 7, 000 rare books. All our books are in fine condition and are usually with original bindings. We participate at antiquarian book fairs all over the world.”
Besides taking over the family business, the collector carries special interest in having rare and unique books. He said, “I really like old books myself especially regarding travel, piracy, ship breaking and natural history. Sometimes the travel books have illustrations and you can see the customs of the people in the old times. It is always nice to read the old and adventurous stories.”
Laurens always brings the best to Qatar that features travel to Arabia, falconry and horses. He says, “For this year, we have brought a whole collection on football. There are over 100 titles and 200 autographs from footballers. From the first book ever published on football to the first manuscript about two teams playing in Italy in 17th century. Qatar is hosting 2022 FIFA World Cup and we thought it would be nice bringing the collection here.”
“Our books are mostly purchased by libraries and institutions because of the prices. We have previously sold our books to Qatar National Library and some members of the royal family as well. I sold a rare book on falconry written in Latin. It was an important text on the art of hunting with falcons. Viaggio Dell Dell’indie Orientale is a rare book in Italian mentioning Qatar. The book mentions the area of Qatar. In the book, the writer also mentions Qatar as the place from where he used to get the best pearls. I am not sure whether the book have been translated in other languages or not.”
The collector appreciated the kind of love and appreciation for the books he had witnessed in Qatar. He said, “A lot of people are amazed to see these kinds of books and that they are available for sale. They think such kind of content usually belongs to museums and libraries. We tell them that we get these books from other book dealers, private collections and from auctions.”
Sharing his experience of being in Qatar, he said, “I always love to be here. I have seen all the important landmarks of Qatar. This year, the book fair is more spacious. The facilities are very good here. I have been to many different book fairs around the world but I always find Doha very attractive.”