Readers worldwide brought to book

Book-lovers gather at Gallery Oldham for the celebration

ALMOST 100 book-lovers descended on Gallery Oldham at weekend to celebrate World Book Night.

A crowded Cafe Culture saw enthusiasts put their knowledge to the test with a literary quiz and take part in a thought-provoking debate on Saturday evening.

After week’s of local readers voting in libraries, Oldham’s favourite read was unveiled on the night, a tie between Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling.

The unveiling was greeted with a round of applause from the crowd who had flocked to be a part of the first national book night, an expansion of World Book Day last week.

Hosted by local author Mark Llewellin, free books were also given away with each person taking home a literary goody bag.

He said: “Book reading is seeing something of a resurgence and the night and the turn-out was brilliant.

“People want to be seen to support their local libraries and there were people there from reading clubs from every library in the borough.

“That split in the winners just shows the appeal of books, Du Maurier was born in 1907 and was the oldest whereas Rowling was the youngest in the short-list.

“A survey as part of the night nationally showed that over half of children and adults said reading a book meant more to them over other types of literature.

“It’s that escapism you get from reading.”