Read on

I was nervous as I approached the man in Paddington station on Saturday night. We Brits tend to assume that being addressed by a total stranger means one of two things: either they want our money, or they’re mad (and the 48 copies of Ben Macintyre’s Agent Zigzag in my bag might have suggested the latter).

I was nervous as I approached the man in Paddington station on Saturday night. We Brits tend to assume that being addressed by a total stranger means one of two things: either they want our money, or they’re mad (and the 48 copies of Ben Macintyre’s Agent Zigzag in my bag might have suggested the latter).

But I was here as one of 20,000 ‘givers’ on the inaugural World Book Night, whose initiative is simple but original: have people who love reading distribute a million free copies of their favourite books, in order to spread enthusiasm for reading. I thought Paddington would be a good idea because anyone with a long journey ahead of them would be bound to open the book, and I knew that once they gave Agent Zigzag a try, like me, they’d be hooked.

I didn’t last long at the station — two Network Rail officials told me I wasn’t allowed to give books away there (not, I noted, before taking their own free copies). So I went instead to the off-licence and fast-food workers of Paddington.

There were some refusals: ‘I need a simpler book’ raises questions about the best way of promoting literacy among beginners in the language, while ‘I don’t have time to read’ shows the importance of ventures like World Book Night.

But most people accepted their books eagerly, some to such an extent that they had started reading before I left the shop. I’m sure they, like me, hope this becomes an annual event.