Sit Down on a Good Book

Fifty colourful ‘Book Benches’, inspired by famous books and authors, have raised more than £250,000 at auction for the National Literary Trust.

Held on October 7th at the Southbank Centre, the auction’s highest price of £9,500 was fetched by a bench honouring Jeeves and Wooster.

Originally positioned across London this summer, the benches celebrate such highbrow authors as Oscar Wilde, and Virginia Woolf, but no less than six children’s literary greats feature in the top ten highest prices, including Dr Seuss, The Wind in The Willows, and of course, Paddington Bear.

The Book Benches were designed by a selection of local and renowned artists, including many of the books’ original illustrators. The funds will go to raise literacy levels amongst disadvantaged children in the UK.