Romseyredhead

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Right to read

Popped in to the RNIB right to read campaign this evening. This was raising awareness of the fact that if you are blind or partially sighted you only have access to 95% of available books (an even lower percentage if you want to know about sport, gardening or cookery). Even then there may be a wait for a new and popular book to become available and with some formats the work is abridged.

The campaign is supported by a number of famous authors including Jilly Cooper and Nick Hornby and Jacqueline Wilson was doing the rounds tonight.

I asked the gentleman from talking books whether Iain Duncan Smith's novel was available. He couldn't recollect entirely accurately but said he didn't think it was. He was more sure about the works of John Major and William Hague - whose works apparently are available. It may have been appeasement but he told me that political biographies are rather popular.