Irish bookshops have run out of copies of romantic classic The Hunchback of Notre Dame following the devastating fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral last week.
The book, written by Victor Hugo, is set in 1482 and follows the story of Quasimodo who is the bell-ringer of the cathedral locked away in a tower by himself until he encounters with the bewitching Esmeralda and falls in love with her.
The novel has hit the top of the bestseller list in France over the weekend and booksellers in Ireland have reported running out of stock.
Brian Mulvihill of Hodges Figgis in Dublin told the Irish Independent: “We have run out of copies this week, so we are reordering it in again.
Notre Dame fire: Richest man in Europe promises £170m to rebuild Cathedral“I guess people are picking it up again because it's iconic and is so focused on the cathedral itself. They want to get a sense of the building again and to read about its place in the city.”
Similarly Louisa Earls of Books Upstairs on D’Olier Street said that the fire has “moved” people to read it again to “get a sense of what has been destroyed”.
She added: “It's been a strange rush of blood to the head for some. It's on reorder and we will have it in stock very soon."
Other shops that have run out of stock include Eason on O’Connell Street and Kennys bookshop in Galway.
Janet Street Porter doesn't want Notre Dame to be rebuilt for emotional reason
Huge parts of the 850-year-old building in Paris have been destroyed in the blaze, including the iconic spire and roof.
But president Emmanuel Macron said: "I am solemnly telling you tonight: this cathedral will be rebuilt by all of us together" as he described Notre Dame as "our history".
A whopping €845m has been raised through donations from individuals and institutions to rebuild the historic cathedral.
