The Future of the Book with Mark Forsyth and IBW2014

Is it 'time up' for books and bookshops?
Photo credit: Scott Wishart

During Independent Booksellers Week (#IBW2014 from 28th June – 5th July) author and self-confessed ur-wordgeek Mark Forsyth (aka The Inky Fool and author of The Etymologicon, The Horologicon and The Elements of Eloquence) will be touring an independent bookshop every day to lead discussions about the importance of books and bookshops. Bookshops on the tour include Foyles in London, Red Lion Books in Colchester, Jaffé and Neale in Chipping Norton - and Mostly Books in Abingdon.

Mark will be in conversation with the other Mark, owner of Mostly Books, to talk fittingly enough about 'The Future of the Book'. The event takes place on Thursday July 3 at 7.30pm at Mostly Books.

As well as having exclusive early copies of the paperback of Mark's brilliantly subversive book on the rules of rhetoric 'The Elements of Eloquence', Mark has also written this year's exclusive essay for IBW entitled "The Unknown Unknown: Bookshops and the Delight of Not Getting What You Wanted".

'The Unknown Unknown' will be available as a pamphlet from independent bookshops from 28th June. It will explore important questions such as why Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy would never have met online, as well as the pleasure of leafing through a dictionary and "why only a bookshop can give you what you never knew you were looking for”.

Mark explains why 'Bond, James Bond'
is far more memorable than
'My Name Is James Bond'...

Mark Forsyth said: “I firmly believe that the bookshop is alive and well with a long life ahead of it, and I intend to explain my reasoning on the night. [And] these being talks in bookshops – places that specialise in providing you with something you didn’t know you were looking for – I may also talk about something that you never knew you were interested in."

Come and listen to the two Marks and join in the discussion about the future of the book.

Tickets £3 which includes a glass of wine. Places will be limited - so please reserve your tickets by email, or call in at the shop...

(Find out more about the whole #IBW2014 tour with Icon Books here. And Mark is no stranger to Abingdon as you'll find here).