Books about Town auction

Over the summer, thousands of visitors enjoyed sitting on and absorbing the stunning artwork of the 50 BookBench sculptures dotted around London. As the Books about Town exhibition chapter closes, a new one opens. Now is your opportunity to bid for your very own piece of literary history at auction on 7 October.

After 10 weeks on the streets of London, BookBenches filled with literary characters from Paddington Bear and The Gruffalo to Sherlock Holmes and Mrs Dalloway are now being prepared for auction. But there is one final BookBench still to see: Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, voted by the Guardian readers as their choice for Books about Town’s finalbench. Designed by illustrator Chris Riddell, this beautiful BookBench has just been installed at the Guardian headquarters at King’s Place and will be there until 3 October.

The Books about Town auction will take place on Tuesday 7 October 2014 at London’s Southbank Centre when bidders from around the world will have the opportunity to buy the iconic BookBench sculptures, designed by some of the biggest names in art, literature and illustration. Bidders who cannot make it in person can bid simultaneously online. The auction will raise funds for the National Literacy Trust to tackle low literacy in disadvantaged communities.

Popular auction lots include Ralph Steadman’s beautiful Through the Looking Glass design, Paul Kidby’s Discworld bench, Axel Scheffler’s amalgamation of characters from the Gruffalo to Stickman, Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon and Lauren Child’s Clarice Bean bench. Conan Doyle fans can see the Sherlock Holmes bench, sitting alongside beautiful War Horse, James Bond, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Paddington Bear benches.


Tickets to the auction on 7 October can be bought now from the Southbank Centre or you can register to bid online.