Robert McCrum guardian.co.uk, Monday 21 March 2011
Two summers ago, I went down to a converted fire station in Windsor for an event billed as a Book Swap, hosted by Scott Pack, one-time enfant terrible of the UK book trade, but now somewhat domesticated in Harper Collins's Friday Project. I had no idea what to expect, but the evening, which was shared with novelists Marie Phillips and Jessica Ruston, went surprisingly well, and I blogged about it at once with some enthusiasm, not least as a change from the usual book festival routine.
Since then, I've watched the Book Swap idea gain in confidence and audiences. It has branched out from Windsor and opened for business at the LRB bookshop in Bloomsbury. Readers seem to like the odd combination of Q&A, cake and books. It's also appealingly unscripted.
Anyway, I went back on Wednesday to see how it was getting on, and found Scott Pack in characteristic good humour. The Book Swap now attracts a monthly audience of, I'd guess, about 150 – and it's not just Windsor locals. People come down from London, and one or two appear to drop in from abroad, if they happen to be in the neighbourhood.
Now that the format is better established, there are more (and superior) cakes (in lieu of an entry ticket), and the level of discussion is rather more sophisticated than at first. The Book Swap remains, however, a uniquely British, and pleasantly informal way to look at the contemporary book scene. How long, I wonder, will it be before it gets franchised to the US, or one of many burgeoning international cultural festivals? I hear that the Bath Festival, the liveliest in the west country, is looking at a possible alliance.
No surprise there. I believe that an important part of the Book Swap's success comes from Mr Pack. He has tapped into literary festival fever (we know all about that) and found an original way to bring readers and writers together in an unusual forum that seems to give universal satisfaction.
A sign of the times: there was a brief discussion about the ebook, but everyone present was trading well-worn hardbacks and dog-eared paperbacks. Only two or three of those present admitted to having a Kindle or iPad.
My conclusion? Among dedicated, serious book lovers, the inevitable digital revolution still has a way to go. Publishers and authors are beginning to explore the possibilities of the new format, as they should, but readers remain stubbornly devoted to paper and ink – and word of mouth.
No comments:
Post a Comment