2 March 2006
The PM has helped mark World Book Day by launching a new scheme aimed at getting adults to read more.
At an event in London Tony Blair mingled with authors such as Ruth Rendell, Joanna Trollope and Terry Pratchett, who have each written short novels called "Quick Reads" - targeted at new and emergent readers.
The short books, retailing at £2.99, are designed to appeal to a wide audience. There are 12 titles, with a further 10 to be published in May.
During the event Mr Blair revealed that the book that got him interested in politics was a biography of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky. He also said that through his son Leo he had got to know the children’s book "Flat Stanley" very well.
The PM went on:
"The Quick Reads initiative provides a great opportunity to get people across the country excited about reading and the benefits that it can bring.
"It is also a good time to remind people about the many free courses available to help them improve their reading and writing skills."
World Book Day was started in by the publishing industry in 1998 and endorsed by the PM.
Since 1998, around 117 million book tokens have been distributed to schools to promote reading as a basis of a good education.
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