Even if you are not a map collector, you may want a copy of the latest 8 yuan (1.17 US dollars) 2010 Shanghai Transportation Map designed for the Expo. It shows all 11 subway lines and bus routes to the Expo sites, and comes with a magnifier.

The map is just one among a rash of new publications that have come out to coincide with the grand event.

According to the General Administration of Press and Publications, more than 700 books and 100 different kinds of audio-visual materials have been released. Another 400 are in the pipeline.

At the 20th National Book Expo that ended on Wednesday in Chengdu, Sichuan province, 14 presses affiliated with the Shanghai Century Publishing Group brought out some 300 works on the Expo, says Gao Ji, vice-manager of the group's distribution center.

They range from cartoons and English-learning handbooks to introductions of participating countries and the Expo's history, in various languages.

For example, a photographic album titled Sue les Traces des Expositions Universelles -1855 Paris 1937, that has won much acclaim, puts together exhibition halls and buildings that were once the spotlight of six French Expos.

Two other popular books are EXPO 2010 Shanghai China Official Guidebook and Highlights EXPO 2010, printed in simplified and traditional Chinese characters, besides 10 other languages. Issued in early April, more than 1.5 million copies have been printed.

Written by Wu Zhiqiang, chief planner of the Expo park, the guidebook is available in English, French, Korean and Japanese. It details 100 recommended spots to visit in Shanghai and explains their stories. It also zeroes in on seven sightseeing routes in the Expo sites.

The Shanghai Bookstore Publishing House, in cooperation with Consulate Generals in the city, has brought out books on some 20 participating nations.

The highlight of the one for Denmark is the Mermaid. It tells of how Hans Christian Andersen created this classic character, and traces the Mermaid's transformation as a national symbol.

Architecture lovers would not want to miss the Research on Planning and Architectural Design For EXPO 2010 put out by the Tongji University Expo research group, while those interested in science should take a look at the Album of EXPO Science.

The Going into China series, with introductions to major scenic spots across the nation as well as extracts from ancient Chinese classics, is also available in French and Korean.

The Expo has also drawn presses from other parts of China. Beautiful Shanghai, an offering of the Straits Publishing and Distributing Group from Fujian province, is a novel that tracks the life of Wang Huatang, a farmer from the eastern mountainous area of the province, who ventures into Shanghai in the early 1980s and makes a fortune.

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