The long bank holiday stretches before us, heralding a feast of literary walks and readings for book lovers across the nation. But where to go, what to see? Hold on to your hats, because we – in association with National Book Tokens – have launched a literary map of the UK and Ireland, showing the countries' finest bookshops, literary landmarks and bookish events. Here it is, look: zoom in to find all things literary in your area. And if you're out and about this weekend and in search of, say, the nearest bookshop, better yet: switch on location services for your mobile device and our map will display the literary treats on offer all around.
So far, we've populated the map with landmarks we know of, and the emporia we've been told about, but really, for it to come alive, we need you – whether you're a shop owner, event organiser or simply a lover of literature – to get involved. Proprietors can add a description of their bookshop to the map, book buyers can contribute reviews of shops they've visited, and anyone can add details of a forthcoming literary event or a bookish landmark.
We'll be chipping in too, with podcasts and videos from bookshops and literary locations around the UK. We begin today with a series of podcasts from authors who've selected a book to give as a gift – as well as a special person to receive it. But we hope that, in the long term, this will be YOUR map: a useful tool for booksellers to reach out to book buyers, and for book buyers – that's pretty much all of us – to speak directly to one another. Take it away.
