Bath Autumn Book Festival

This autumn sees the launch of a new annual book festival for readers and writers brought to you by passionate booksellers with absolute faith in the book. This festival will take place in the centre of this beautiful city from 5-16 October 2012. There is enormous independent spirit here and a thriving arts scene beneath the elegant Georgian splendor. Bath is one of the most desirable places to visit - the architecture, the spa, the nearby hills and this is a city rich in culture, which supports many arts festivals including the celebrated Literary Festival in the Spring.

The Little Bookshop with the Big Events

This festival will make a big impact without the need for huge corporate backing. We have always supported writers and, unlike other festivals, offer the full ticket price off the book. We are reaffirming the role of the independent bookshop as a vital part of creating and maintaining strong relationships within the community, bringing readers, writers and the love of reading together in a rich and stimulating forum.

A fiercely Independent Bookshop

The Bath Autumn Book Festival will be run and managed by our booksellers - people very much steeped in the book world - unpacking, shelving, making coffee, recommending, championing books and scheduling and hosting author events. It is always a pleasure for us at the end of the day to sit down with a glass of wine with our readers and listen to an author speak. Our events won't just involve a conversation taking place in front of spectators. Instead, they will offer a rich and engaging experience with the emphasis on authors speaking directly to, and taking part in a dialogue with, the audience.

The festival that never stops

Since opening in Bath five years ago, Topping & Company has hosted an impressive all-year-round events programme. We have a rich and sparkling history of author events, welcoming authors such as Stephen Fry, Nigella Lawson, Alan Bennett, Margaret Atwood, David Attenborough, Sebastian Faulks, Michael Palin, Julian Barnes and Terry Pratchett amongst many.

Festival Preview - Limited Ticket Offer

Tuesday 9th October 2012

Antony Beevor
A magisterial, single-volume history of the greatest conflict the world has ever known by our foremost military historian. It really is a huge pleasure to welcome Antony Beevor to Bath. With previous works including Stalingrad, Berlin, and D-Day, he now examines the most earth-shattering of modern European conflicts in a magisterial new work, The Second World War. With his usual sharp-eyed gaze and concise, intelligent prose, Antony considers the causes, events and ramifications of World War Two in a stunning single-volume history. This promises to be a fascinating and eye-opening evening.
Time: 7.30pm for 8.00pm
Venue: St. Swithin's Church

Thursday 11th October 2012

Robert Macfarlane
A deeply stirring and thoughtful exploration of the landscape by this masterly writer. The Old Ways - A Journey on Foot is told in Macfarlane’s distinctive and celebrated voice. Folding together natural history, cartography, geology, archaeology and literature, Macfarlane explores the chalk downs of England to the bird-islands of the Scottish northwest, and from the disputed territories of Palestine to the sacred landscapes of Spain and the Himalayas. This will be a highly memorable occasion with a tremendously engaging and riveting speaker.
Time: 7.30pm for 8.00pm
Venue: St. Swithin's Church

Tuesday 16th October 2012

Richard Ford Literary Lunch
Richard Ford writes novels the way that Edward Hopper paints pictures. We are delighted to host an evening with this masterly American writer. It was more bad instincts and bad luck that Dell's parents decided to rob the bank and get arrested. This is a visionary novel of vast landscapes, complex identities and fragile humanity. Ford questions the fine line between the normal and the extraordinary, and the moments that haunt our settled view of the world. For John Banville, Canada “captures perfectly the grinding loneliness at the heart of American life”.
Time: 12.30pm for 1.00pm
Venue: TBC

To book tickets, drop into Topping & Company Booksellers on the Paragon, or telephone +44 (0)1225 428111

If you require accommodation during the Bath Autumn Book Festival, use the 'Book Accommodation Nearby' box to the right, or use the Accommodation tab at the top of the page. This will provide you with an online booking service for accommodation in Bath and the surrounding area. Alternatively, contact our personal accommodation booking service: + 44 (0) 844 847 5256.