AROUND 450 book-lovers visited the Dartmoor Book Fair at Tavistock town hall on October 1.
Carolle Oram of Menavaur Books in Newton Abbot, one of the organisers, said it was the first large-scale book fair to be held in the town. The Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association, which has previously held its events in Tiverton, Glastonbury, Ilminster and other Westcountry venues, recently decided to add Tavistock to its circuit as it was considered the best venue for people living in the Dartmoor area.
Most of the visitors were local, though the 24 sellers came from around the country. Thousands of antiquarian and out-of-print titles were on offer, mostly to do with Westcountry topics, but also covering some specialist areas, including books with fine bindings, illustrated books and books for children. One visitor picked up a copy of a work by Jan Stewer (pseudonym for A.J. Cole) which he said he had been trying to find for some 20 years.
'Our job is to find out of print books and rescue them for other people,' said Carolle Oram.
A donation of £55 was made from the proceeds of the event to the National Literacy Trust.
The sellers rated the fair a great success and have reserved the hall for a repeat on September 9 next year. It is hoped to attract more vendors. The PBFA has about 700 members countrywide who might be interested.