16 Dec 2019
Books for Christmas – from ancient Rome to Iceland’s jólabókaflóð
Christmas is coming, and gifting is at the forefront of many minds.
The latest tech changes from year to year, as do the latest fashions. But the gift that never seems to go out of style? A book.
The publishing world is at its busiest in the months leading up to Christmas.
In Iceland, there is even a name for this: jólabókaflóð (pronounced yo-la-bok-a-flot) or “Christmas book flood”.
The term has also come to refer to the Icelandic custom of exchanging books on Christmas Eve.
As a result, a substantial portion of annual hardcover sales are during this period and nearly 850 new titles were released in 2019’s Icelandic book flood alone
The UK’s annual Christmas book flood begins on Super Thursday: when publishers release a barrage of new titles just in time for the Christmas shopping rush.
Some of the heavy hitters among the 426 hardcovers released on October 3 included Philip Pullman’s The Secret Commonwealth, Jojo Moye’s The Giver of Stars, and MP Jess Phillips’ Truth to Power.
Written by Leah Henrickson.
For the full article visit The Conversation.