STAFFORDSHIRE’S librarians are rushing to stock up on an award-winning book in anticipation of a surge in lending and requests for the title.
Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up The Bodies, the winner of this year’s Man Booker prize, is expected to become a bestseller and libraries in the county are being forced to order extra copies to keep up with the demand.
Staffordshire county councillor Pat Corfield, who oversees Staffordshire’s Libraries said he was delighted to see a British author win the prize and was certain the book’s popularity would grow.
“We’ll be listening carefully to our library users and watching the request lists to make sure we have it in stock for them,” he said. “While many local authorities are reducing their library services, here in Staffordshire we continue to support ours, reinvest in them and develop the range of services available to our residents.”
The title, a sequel to 2009’s Wolf Hall, a fictional account of Thomas Cromwell’s life which also won the Booker prize, has been loaned to more than 125 readers already, with 32 on waiting lists and only 32 copies currently across the county, but is not expected to eclipse Staffordshire’s current most requested title 50 Shades of Grey.
