New Delhi, Jan 4 (IANS): The much awaited World Book Fair, the largest event of its kind in the country, will be held between January 7-15 at Pragati Maidan here.

The 44th edition of the book fair will be inaugurated by Minister of State for Human Resource Development (Higher Education) Mahendra Nath Pandey, organiser National Book Trust said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the organisers, the nine-day event will promote the rich Indian heritage through music and dance performances and is expected to host 1,500 participants from across India, including over 50 foreign exhibitors.

"More than 2,500 stalls will showcase books and reading material in Hindi, English and other Indian languages for all age groups, on a wide range of subjects and genre," the statement added.

The highlight of the fair will be on January 10 when publishers from India, Germany and France will talk about markets, trends and collaborations in a session and will showcase their book market scenario at the event.

The leading publishers from India and abroad will also showcase the best of their titles at the fair.