Capital of Culture Guide breaks records - and its only January. (Garston and Halewood Liberal Democrats)

Garston and Halewood Liberal Democrats <info@garstonld.org.uk>

Capital of Culture Guide breaks records - and its only January.

January 24, 2008 12:00 AM

The official guide to Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture 2008 is proving to be a major lit-hit.

Within a month of the initial order for 6,000 copies, the 202-page publication has sold out - making it the best-selling book on Merseyside.

The full-colour guide, which retails at £5, has managed to outstrip other best sellers such as 'On Chesil Beach' and 'The Kite Runner' - without being on sale in traditional book stores like Borders or Waterstones. Instead it was available on-line, at M & S outlets in the region, the Official LFC store and Liverpool's Tourist Information Centres.

Further copies are expected to hit the shelves by Valentine's Day. In the meantime people can pre-order on-line at www.liverpool08.com

The speed of sale has shocked experts. A spokesman for Waterstones in Liverpool, which is expected to stock the next edition of the '08 guide, said: ''To sell even a thousand copies in a month is an extraordinary achievement.''

A spokesman for Borders Liverpool, which has also requested copies of the re-print, added: ''We never sell that many copies in a month - for any book.''

Liverpool's reign as the UK's European Capital of Culture has had a spectacular start with its opening weekend seen by an estimated global audience of 300 million people and has made headlines on every continent. The Culture Show '08 special attracted almost a million viewers on BBC 2 at 10.55pm on a Sunday night! And on the net 'Liverpool 08' has been searched by people from across 164 nations and territories.

Councillor Warren Bradley, Leader of Liverpool City Council and Deputy Chairman of Liverpool Culture Company, said: ''Liverpool's year as the UK's European Capital of Culture is of a scale never attempted before - and thanks to a fantastic start it's on everyone's lips. The enthusiasm and interest in the city is at an all-time high and the book perfectly captures our amazing offer. I'm not surprised it's a best-seller - we're on course for a blockbuster year.''

The official '08 guide charts more than 350 events - 70% of which are free - including many World, European and UK premieres, complete with listings information, maps and a detailed five-page calendar. The full-colour guide takes a thematic and chronological approach to '08 with sections on Music, Literature, Art, Streets, Stage, Participation, Conversation, Sport and Exploring. There is also a section on the cultural offer of Merseyside and North West in 2008.

Bryan Gray, Chairman of Liverpool Culture Company, said: ''The start to the year has gone as well as anyone could have hoped for and as the guide demonstrates - there is so much more to come. It is a great read - the creativity of the city shines out of every page and underlines the sheer hard work among thousands of people to deliver this amazing programme.''

Phil Redmond, Creative Director and Deputy Chairman of Liverpool Culture Company, said: ''This guide is the perfect way for people to navigate '08 and is a great memento of what will be a momentous year. Hopefully with Atomic Kitten's new single out this Sunday, as part of the Number One project, the city will soon be celebrating a unique double - topping both the book and music charts.''

The official guide to the European Capital of Culture 2008, which was designed by Liverpool company Finch, is part of a family of publications. The Liverpool Culture Company is also producing four, free seasonal guides - the first of which lists events until March. A 100,000 copies of these are available across the region's Tourist Information Centres and cultural attractions.