World Book Night: Stephen Fry joins million giveaway
Writer among 20,000 volunteers handing out a million free copies of chosen books as part of annual reading event
Stephen Fry will be handing out copies of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities as part of World Book Night. Photograph: Rex Features
Fear not, if approached by a fervent-eyed reader brandishing a bundle of books in your general direction. It's World Book Night, and 1 million books are set to be given away in the UK by 20,000 book lovers to mark the occasion on Monday 23 April.
Volunteers range from Stephen Fry, who will be handing out Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities on the set of an adaptation of an Ian Rankin novel in Edinburgh, to Alexander McCall Smith, giving away Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day to his local community, and culture secretary Ed Vaizey, who plumped for David Peace's novel about Brian Clough, The Damned Utd. Forty thousand copies of the 25 books chosen for the occasion will be given away around the UK in an attempt to inspire a love of books in reluctant readers.
April 26: Poem in your pocket day. http://librarypathwaysandfootprints.blogspot.ca/2011/04/april-poetry-month-bulletin-board-we.html
