Secondhand booksellers across Europe and beyond are reporting a surge in large, unexplained orders for old and obscure titles, raising suspicions that artificial intelligence companies are buying physical books for training data.

Independent booksellers have seen scores of their novels being shipped to far-off warehouses.

Gyrðir Elíasson's book 'Ótíð í víti' has once again topped the Icelandic Booksellers' Association's bestseller list for July, becoming an unexpected summer hit.

Dubliner Djamel White's debut novel, 'All Them Dogs,' is experiencing soaring demand from booksellers after being included on the longlist for the prestigious Booker Prize.

Recent court documents have revealed 'Project Panama,' a secret operation by AI company Anthropic involving the acquisition and destruction of millions of books from booksellers worldwide to train its artificial intelligence models.

Hong Kong's Secretary for Security Chris Tang stated that booksellers are responsible for ensuring their titles do not threaten national security, following recent raids and arrests, but declined to provide a list of banned books.

A Hong Kong official has issued a warning to booksellers regarding security risks, following a third round of police raids targeting independent bookstores in four months.

Despite some trends for younger readers, the willingness to buy new books is declining, prompting booksellers to explore new market segments.

Antiquarian booksellers in Germany and Austria are alarmed by unusual mass orders of old, obscure books, with suspicions that AI companies are behind the purchases to train their artificial intelligence models.

Following the 96th edition of a book event, the Portuguese Publishers and Booksellers Association (APEL) urged readers to maintain their enthusiasm for books in bookstores and libraries throughout the year.

The Ilioupoli Municipality, in co-organization with the city's Booksellers Association, is hosting its popular Book Fair, which is celebrating 23 years of successful cultural presence.

A German court has ruled against State Secretary for Culture Weimer, prohibiting him from labeling booksellers as "extremist." This decision marks a legal defeat for Weimer regarding his public statements.

Ryo Asai's novel 'In the Megachurch' has been selected as this year's Honya Taisho, an award chosen by booksellers nationwide for the book they most want to sell.

Hong Kong has introduced a new law compelling 'suspects' to hand over their passwords, with four booksellers recently arrested for selling 'seditious publications' potentially facing these stricter regulations.

Minister of State for Culture Weimer removes left-wing bookstores from the price list, allegedly due to suspicion of extremism. The Association of German Booksellers considers this "completely unacceptable".

The Management Board of the Association of Publishers and Booksellers today requested that a new composition of the Belgrade Book Fair Board be formed, as there are no publisher representatives in the current composition.

A proposed VAT exemption for books in Denmark has been postponed, with its future dependent on the formation of a new government, causing frustration among booksellers.

Booksellers are reporting a surge in secondhand book sales, with mysterious bulk orders leading to speculation that the books are being acquired to train AI models before potentially being pulped.

Used book sellers in Britain and Ireland are reporting an unusual surge in bulk orders for random titles from anonymous buyers, leading them to suspect that artificial intelligence companies are acquiring the books for data training.

A bookseller in Hong Kong was taken away in handcuffs, but police have not specified the reasons for the arrest, highlighting the uncertainty booksellers face regarding which books are permissible under Chinese Communist Party rules.

Several large publishing houses, members of the Association of Publishers and Booksellers of Serbia (UIKS), including 'Laguna,' have confirmed they will not participate in this year's Belgrade Book Fair.

Taiwanese citizens are closely observing the situation of independent booksellers in Hong Kong following a series of recent arrests. A T-shirt slogan symbolizing freedom has gone viral in Taiwan, and related book sales have surged.

Lam Wing-Kee, one of five Hong Kong booksellers kidnapped by Chinese officials in 2015, has died at 70. He became an international cause célèbre after speaking out following his release.

The German Writers' Association is protesting the Culture Minister's claimed veto right over the German Publishing Award, raising concerns about the new role of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association.

Several booksellers in Hong Kong have been arrested on suspicion of selling seditious books, raising concerns about the shrinking freedom of publication in the city amid political changes.

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) in Ghana has instructed schools, publishers, and booksellers to ensure that only approved pre-tertiary learning materials are utilized.

Secondhand booksellers across Europe are expressing concerns that AI companies are acquiring large numbers of obscure and rare books, potentially destroying them in the process of training artificial intelligence models.

Booksellers are raising alarms about the potential loss of bibliographic heritage if books are destroyed to train artificial intelligences. They are urgently calling for solutions to address this issue.

The Amazon book market is experiencing a surge of low-quality, AI-generated titles, prompting concerns among readers and leading Swiss booksellers to refuse to stock such content.

The acquisition of Grasset by billionaire Vincent Bolloré's group has prompted concerns among independent booksellers and critics about an ideological shift towards the radical right in the publishing sector.

The Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booksellers (APEL) is defending itself against accusations of excluding independent publishers from the Lisbon Book Fair, while a distributor denies claims of charging authors.

A new law in Hong Kong mandates suspects to disclose passwords, coinciding with the arrest of four booksellers for selling "seditious publications" who may face charges under the recently announced legal tightening.

Syndicat de la Librairie Française accused online retailer of trying to ‘flood the market with fake AI-generated books’ Amazon has withdrawn from the Paris book festival after a boycott by France’s booksellers’ association prompted a row over the company’s sponsorship of the event. The festival, due to take place from 17 to 19 April, will now go ahead without the backing of the US retail company, after a mutual decision by organisers and Amazon to end their partnership. Continue reading...

The Board of Directors of the Association of Publishers and Booksellers has requested the formation of a new Belgrade Book Fair Board, citing the absence of publisher representatives in the current composition.

The French Booksellers' Union has withdrawn from the Paris Book Festival in protest of the event's official partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon, citing ongoing conflicts between Amazon and the book ecosystem.

Secondhand booksellers in the UK and Ireland are reporting a boom in sales, with many suspecting that artificial intelligence firms are behind unusual bulk orders of books.

Sales of printed books saw an increase over the summer in Finland, with the CEO of the Finnish Booksellers' Association particularly pleased by the growth in non-fiction book sales.

A majority of members from the Association of Publishers and Booksellers of Serbia (UIKS) have decided not to participate in the 69th International Book Fair in Belgrade, despite the application deadline approaching.

Secondhand booksellers in Australia are expressing concern over the alleged destruction of rare and old books after they are scanned, suspecting they are part of a supply chain feeding AI training data.

Hong Kong is holding its annual book fair amid a censorship row over the organisers’ decision to ban two independent bookshops from participating.

Five independent booksellers in Hong Kong, who were arrested for alleged sedition and had their premises raided, have been released on bail. The arrests sparked concerns about freedom of expression in the city.

The German Writers' Association protests the veto power claimed by the Minister of State for Culture over the German Publishing Prize, raising concerns about the new role of the Börsenverein (German Publishers and Booksellers Association).

Hong Kong police have raided independent bookstores and arrested five individuals, with authorities stating that booksellers must ensure titles do not violate national security laws. This action highlights the ongoing crackdown on dissent in the city.

Hong Kong booksellers are cautiously optimistic about the 2026 annual book fair, with some vendors expressing little hope beyond matching last year's business levels amid a prolonged downturn in the publishing and retail sectors.

Eva Orúe has been removed from her position as director of the Madrid Book Fair by the Madrid Booksellers Association. This decision follows an edition that reportedly saw declines in both visitor numbers and sales.

Hong Kong police arrested two bookstore owners suspected of displaying and selling 'seditious' publications, according to the Hong Kong government and Reuters.

Germany's Cultural Minister has accepted a Berlin administrative court's decision prohibiting her from labeling booksellers, to whom she denied a bookstore prize, as extremists. The ruling is now legally binding.

Ten antique booksellers will gather for three days at the 1st Antique Book Fair in Porto, which includes an auction and aims to be "a celebration of bibliophilia," according to organizer Paulo Gaspar Ferreira.

Booksellers and librarians are noting increased public interest in the works of Icelandic author Halldór Laxness, with a book club manager observing that many who struggled with "Independent People" in high school are now willing to revisit his writings.

Aoi Kojima's 'Hon Nara Uru Hodo,' a story set in a used bookstore depicting various people's tales related to books, has been selected as this year's Manga Taisho award winner by booksellers and others.

On the pretext of celebrating Poetry Month, almost two dozen publishers and booksellers gather for a four-day fair. This Thursday, the program includes cinema and performing arts.

The new president of the Belgrade Book Fair board is the acting director of the Belgrade Fair, Nikola Banković, it was decided at the last session of the Assembly.

The Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booksellers issued a statement in response to a collective of 40 independent publishers who complained about being excluded from this year's event.

Booksellers, bookstagrammers, Singapore Writers Festival directors and local publishers share their SingLit recommendations as selected Singapore literature titles become eligible for the SG Culture…