World Book Night 2014

World Book Night is an annual celebration of reading and books which takes place on 23 April. It sees passionate volunteers give hundreds of thousands of books away in their communities to share their love of reading with people who, for whatever reason, don’t read for pleasure or own books. It is run by The Reading Agency - the charity with a mission to give everyone an equal chance to become a reader. Because everything changes when we read.

Here is what some of the authors think about World Book Night...

"I was never a big reader when I was young. It took a friend giving me a novel and telling me to read it before I really understood what a wonderful and enriching experience reading can be. After that I started reading voraciously and it changed my life to a point I would never have imagined – I started writing books myself! As a novelist I want my work to be read by as wide an audience as possible, so to have one of my titles on the WBN list is a real thrill and a privilege. World Book Night is a great project and I’m honoured that Small Island is one of the books chosen for 2012."  Andrea Levy

Read Andrea Levy's Small Island in ITB Library


"I love this idea. There's something primeval about it: to think of my story being passed on from one person to another makes me feel a connection with the earliest storytellers in their caves, or crouching around a fire on the dark savannah. The relationship between the storyteller, the story, and the audience is an ancient one that long predates things like bestseller lists and royalty statements, or even money itself. It's really a form of enchantment. The gift idea is just as old and just as potent, and to see them combined in this brilliant and simple way is a delight. I'm very privileged to be part of it." Philip Pullman

Read Philip Pullman's Northern Lights in ITB Library


"No writer can ask more than this: that his book should be handed in thousands to people who might otherwise never get to read it, and who will in turn hand it to thousands more. That his book should also pass from one generation to another as a story to challenge and excite each reader in his time – that is beyond his most ambitious dreams."  John le Carré

Read John le Carré's Constant Gardener in ITB Library