Books should weather the economic storm

Everyone is looking for a safe place to hide right now as the global economy crashes around their ears.

One area that might remain safe, according to those heading up European publishing groups, is going to be the book. Apparently it is not seen as a luxury item, people still have the money to buy books and of course it has the power to transport people away from the current misery.

That verdict came out of a session at the Frankfurt Book Fair, which has been across the wires and picked up by Reuters.

The book is a cheap gift. The book is always affordable," said Fran Dubruille, director of the European Booksellers' Federation, "Actually, maybe the crisis is a chance for booksellers to reassert their role in the community as providers of pleasure, of knowledge, for a very, very cheap price."

It might just work as long as the bookshelves are not packed full of economic tomes and guides to getting a perfect CV like some bookshops I have wandered past recently…