Books about Town launched in July with benches shaped like open books popping up all over London. The BookBenches feature stories linked to London and are based on a range of iconic books from treasured children’s stories such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Peter Pan to classic adult titles including 1984 and The Day of the Triffids.

Books about Town is a collaboration between The National Literacy Trust and Wild in Art. Established in 1993, the National Literacy Trust is an independent charity dedicated to raising literacy levels in the UK.  The Patron is HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. To mark the launch of Books about Town, the National Literacy Trust unveiled new research revealing that children’s enjoyment of reading has increased for the first time in eight years.

The 50 BookBench sculptures will be sold at public auction on 7 October 2014 at an exclusive event at the Southbank Centre.  All proceeds will go to the National Literacy Trust, a charity dedicated to raising the literacy levels of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

The Mrs Dalloway BookBench by Fiona and Neil Osborne (One Red Shoe). Photo: ©Tina Engström.

Detail of the Sherlock Holmes BookBench by Valerie Osment. Photo: ©Tina Engström.

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