Once again, this was another year I couldn't attend the Edinburgh Book Festival, arguably host to the strongest literary lineup of the year. But for those who did attend, as well as the organizers, this year's festival was a huge success. The Scotsman reports that than half the events sold out completely, and 80 per cent of tickets were sold across 700 sessions. EIBF staff claimed another record for the Edinburgh festivals, with 54 per cent of events sold out and more than 200,000 people visiting the Charlotte Square Gardens during the 17 days of the book festival.

Catherine Lockerbie, director of the EIBF , said: "We've had a superb response to the book festival this year, with people turning out not just for the major names, but also for little-known overseas authors. Demand for sharing ideas and talking about books seems never to have been higher."