Bookshop Evacuation at the Edinburgh Festival


Standing at ‘Poetry and Plays’, I hear Velcro crepitate as loop is betrayed by cohort hook. The couple next to me, browsing ‘Classics’, begin to point at the portion of sky which, uninvited, has entered the bookshop through the roof.


Realisation sweeps across the carpeted floor - the tent is collapsing.


A few people take a minute to discuss the unfolding situation, but most go back to their books, reading blurbs and judging covers, quite unfazed by the potential disaster which heads towards us from above. Hundreds buried as book-tent collapses reads the headline of The Times, whereas The Sun, true to form runs with Bookworms Pulped!


We are rudely interrupted from our literary grazing by a bullhorn-equipped altruist. “Can you vacate the tent please?”


he asks, before retracting the question mark and escorting us to the nearest exit. Un-bought books are prised out of hands, returned to shelves by cashiers who then perform Indiana Jones rolls to escape just before canvas meets carpet.


4


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36