To readers of the Books Supplement

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With this issue the Books Supplement -- an experiment launched some five years, or sixty issues ago -- draws to a close: this will be the final issue of the Books Supplement in its present format. Reviews of books may now be found in the regular paper, pending further reformatting in the months to come.

However, despite the disappearance of the monthly Books Supplement with this issue, we remain committed to the idea of reviews of books on Arab, Egyptian and Middle Eastern affairs published in English, Arabic, French and occasionally other languages. We believe that an Anglophone audience for this material exists, and that the Weekly 's Books Supplement has been successful in its aim of publishing high-quality material to meet this audience's needs.

We shall continue updating the Weekly's electronic edition, dedicating much of our effort in the next few months to the Frankfurt files initiative, the aim of which is to provide information files on some of the Arab world's principal literary figures in anticipation of this year's Frankfurt International Book Fair where the Arab world is to be given pride of place.

Meanwhile we hope to be able to re-launch the Supplement in different format in the future. We thank our readers for their unstinting support which we hope to sustain in our future endeavour.