Cheering to hear of sales on the rise

CAROL Hawkins’ letter, headlined ‘Great to pick up a book in lockdown’ ( The Sentinel, October 10), on the joys of reading was a flicker of light in the general gloom.

However she is by no means alone.

Last week I asked a staff member of Waterstones, Hanley, how the coronavirus and the restrictions and changes in the restrictions had been affecting its business. It was cheering to hear sales had been recovering and were now approaching normal levels.

There had been a sharp fall in sales of travel books and a rise in maps and guides for walks. Study books were also selling well. So was fiction, particularly crime fiction. Customers were fewer but expenditure per person was higher.

The picture is one of more people unwilling to travel abroad in the immediate future. They seem to be opting for simpler holidays nearer home. Friends in St Davids in Wales, known for its campsites, scenery and the coastal path, confirm this. Apparently the place is overflowing.

It would be interesting to know whether study books were bought for pleasure or to acquire qualifications for a new job, made necessary by sudden loss of employment.

It seems few new readers are appearing but those already inclined to reading are doing more of it. They are increasing their consumption of the printed word. Does this apply to the world of the screen? Or do a lot of people like books because you don’t have to plug them in or hunt for batteries?

If lockdowns become frequent, perhaps a new type of reading group would come into being. Readers would accommodate themselves to ever-changing restrictions and hope for better times. They should remember the Russian proverb ‘In winter the bear sucks his paw and thinks of summer’.

MARGARET BROWN BURSLEM