A celebration of bookshops around the world by an awardwinning cast of writers including Ali Smith, Pankaj Mishra, Elif Shafak and Daniel Kehlmann. Hitchings has asked these and 11 others to consider the bookshops that have shaped them; each conjures a specific time and place. These enchanting pieces are a collective celebration of bookshops, for anyone who has ever fallen under their spell. Hitchings will read some short extracts by the contributors during his talk. He is the London Evening Standard’s theatre critic and author of several acclaimed books on language, literature and culture.