as others see it : Book markers
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.One legacy of the 19th century is the exceptional range of bookshops throughout Britain, from Cornwall to Scotland. If a study by Bertelsmann is to be believed, the British were among the biggest consumers of books in 1994, with 74 per cent of the population reading books, just lower than the Dutch (77), but higher than the Germans (70), French (66), Italians (51) and Spanish (50). In total nearly 83,000 new titles appeared in 1993, compared with 41,000 in France.
The British may publish twice as many books as their French counterparts, but the output is very different. The shop window of Dillons, on Oxford Street, is eloquent in this respect: for every Cormac McCarthy novel and collection of Gore Vidal essays, how many crime stories and thrillers (Stephen King, Jeffrey Archer, Dick Francis) are there? How many sentimental bestsellers (Catherine Cookson or Barbara Taylor-Bradford)? And how many "how to" books?
There are few essays or documentary works: the press feeds the ideas debate. There is even less foreign literature: a book from India or Kenya quenches thirst for exoticism, without translation. Cultural habits play a role: "Reading is considered mainly as a diversion," explains Kukla MacLehose, a literary scout. "And it is looked down on for an author to show off his learning."
Le Monde, French daily
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments