From Galileo to Grendizer: Eight rare finds at the 2026 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair
Most people heading to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair will leave with something new to read. But scattered among the stands, often encased in the glass displays dotted through the halls, are books, manuscripts and photographs that have already survived for hundreds of years, and in one case for almost two millennia. Rare-book dealers have been bringing their wares to Abu Dhabi for more…
Eight historic finds await visitors at the 2026 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Among them is a fragment of Homer's Iliad, dating back 1,850 years, and the first edition of Galileo's The Starry Messenger, printed in Venice in 1610. A photograph from the Trucial Coast taken in 1903 and an Arabic book of wisdom compiled in Renaissance France are also noteworthy.
A photo album chronicling Sheikh Zayed's visits to Pakistan before UAE's formation and a miniature Quran from Qajar Persia are among the other rare items on display.
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