The London Book Fair in pictures: LBF 2006

pictures

Where were you ten years ago when literary greats flooded to The London Book Fair for what may have been the most star-studded edition of the show? Ahead of London International Book Fair, Toby Hopkins went into the Getty Images archives to remember a vintage year…

Margaret Atwood demonstrated “the Long Pen”. A stalwart of book-signing tours, she wanted to bring relief to footsore authors.   The Long Pen would allow authors to sign books from anywhere in the world, with the pen moving as if by magic, commanded by a hand from afar.   But it was an idea ahead of its time: while the London signing went off successfully, in New York books were left unsigned.

 

At the other end of the literary spectrum from Margaret Atwood (ie autobiography as opposed to fiction) Pete Burns had no need of any pens to promote Freak Unique.

 

Even publishers did not prove immune to the wave of Hoffing that was sweeping the televisual world.

Uri Geller did not want to add book-bending to his list of accomplishments, but he did want to help anyone who may be interested in taking up dowsing.

 

George Galloway brought some passion to promotion of his biography of Castro.

 

More passion was on offer in a new edition of the Kama Sutra.

 

And Stephen Fry looked rather overwhelmed by it all.

Related Articles