History
- Home
- History
Origins – The Early Years of the International Organisation of Book Towns
In 1961, Richard Booth began filling empty buildings in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, with second-hand books, turning the town into the world’s first ‘book town’. His success inspired others, and soon book towns emerged across Europe—in Belgium (Redu), France (Bécherel, Montolieu), the Netherlands (Bredevoort), Switzerland (Saint-Pierre-de-Clages), Norway (Fjærland), and Finland (Sysmä). In 1998, Bredevoort hosted an international festival uniting booksellers from several book towns, fostering global connections in this growing movement.
Working Together
Before the 1998 festival, Marit Mauritzen from Fjærland visited several book towns to promote collaboration. This led to a joint funding application by Vestlandsforsking, the University of Strathclyde, and five book towns. The EU granted support for project UR 4001: European Book Town Network, focused on using telematics to support sustainable rural development through cultural heritage.
Launched in September 1998, the project helped booksellers adopt internet tools for communication, promotion, and sales—moving beyond letters, phones, and faxes. The final meeting, held at the 2000 International Book Town Festival in Mühlbeck–Friedersdorf, led to the formation of the International Organisation of Book Towns, officially registered in the Netherlands in April 2001. The founding board included Miep van Duin (Redu) as president, Timo Hänninen (Sysmä) as secretary, and Henk Ruessink (Bredevoort) as treasurer.
The International Festival
Since 2000, the International Book Town Festival and General Assembly have been held every two years. The 2002 festival took place in Sysmä, Finland, with Timo Hänninen as the new president. A delegation from Saint-Pierre-de-Clages (Switzerland) attended and officially joined the International Organisation of Book Towns (I.O.B.) in 2003. Membership has steadily grown, with new individuals, municipalities, and organisations joining regularly. The fourth festival was held in May 2004 in Wigtown, Scotland, where Moira McCarty chaired the General Assembly at the Bladnoch Whisky Distillery.
Our First Non–European Member Towns, and a Bear!
The fifth International Book Town Festival was held during the summer solstice of 2006 in Fjærland, Norway, with Laura Kvamme as president. Notable guests included a wild bear and Mohammed Syairos (“Sy”), who introduced Malaysia’s two book villages—Malaysia becoming the I.O.B.’s first non-European member.
In 2008, the sixth Festival took place in Montereggio, Italy, with president Franco Muzzio attending despite a broken leg. The seventh Festival was held in 2010 in Wünsdorf–Waldstadt, Germany, where president Werner Borchert gave a tour of Hitler’s nearby bunker.
The eighth Festival, held on the tropical island of Langkawi, Malaysia, saw Mohammed Syairos as president and welcomed a delegation from Paju, South Korea, which later joined the I.O.B.
In 2014, the Festival moved to Tvedestrand, Norway, under the presidency of Jan Klovstad. Attendees stayed at the scenic Bokhotellet overlooking the Skagerrak.
Where we are now
As of 2025, the I.O.B. board includes:
President: Peter Biggs
Deputy President: Mariya Doncheva
Secretary: Nick Bassett
Treasurer: Gunnel Ottersten
General Committee: John Connell and Adrian Turpin.
Future General Assemblies/International Book Towns
2026 – Chelopek, Bulgaria
2027 – Clunes, Australia
Previous General Assemblies/International Book Towns
1998 – Bredevoort, Netherlands
2000 – Mühlbeck–Friedersdorf, Germany
2002 – Sysmä, Finland
2004 – Wigtown, Scotland
2006 – Fjærland, Norway
2008 – Montereggio, Italy
2010 – Wünsdorf–Waldstadt, Germany
2012 – Lankawi, South Korea
2012 – Paju in South Korea invited all members to visit their BookTown. We had an interesting time there, just a few kilometers from the border to North Korea!
2014 – Tvedestrand, Norway
2016 – Saint–Pierre–de–Clages, Switzerland
2018 – Clunes, Australia
2020 – Moved to an online meeting in 2021 because of the COVID pandemic
2022 – Borrby, Sweden
2024 – Featherston, New Zealand
Bredevoort, Netherlands
Mühlbeck–Friedersdorf, Germany
Sysmä, Finland
Wigtown, Scotland
Fjærland, Norway
Montereggio, Italy
Wünsdorf–Waldstadt, Germany
Lankawi, South Korea
Paju, South Korea
Paju in South Korea invited all members to visit their BookTown. We had an interesting time there, just a few kilometers from the border to North Korea!
Tvedestrand, Norway
Saint–Pierre–de–Clages, Switzerland
Clunes, Australia
Online
Moved to an online meeting in 2021 because of the COVID pandemic