Edinburgh International Book Festival opening weekend

Not long now until the biggest and best book festival in the world opens its doors.....

This weekend the Edinburgh International Book Festival will open its doors to the public. Even before the gates of Charlotte Square Gardens are opened, a record 65% of all tickets have already been sold - compared to 48% at the same time last year!

That's an amazing 17% rise, making this year's Book Festival the most successful and fastest-selling ever. With over 650 events to choose from, however, there are still tickets available for many events.

Opening week highlights at this year's Book Festival include: Hari Kunzru and Ekow Eshun discussing what it's like to be a writer from a culturally diverse background in the UK today (Saturday 12 August, 5.00pm); the empress of crime, Val McDermid with her latest book The Grave Tattoo (Saturday 12 August, 8.00pm); three compelling new Scottish novels with Alice Greenway, Jane Harris and Alison Miller (Saturday 12 August, 8.30pm) and an evening of the best and brightest new writing from two talented and charismatic young writers, Michael Collins and Owen Sheers (Sunday 13 August, 6.00pm).

The RBS Children's Programme also offers hundreds of events to choose from. Sales for children and family-friendly events have also been stronger than ever - with 60% of tickets already sold - including Festival favourites Jacqueline Wilson and Darren Shan, as well as Book Festival first timers like Tony Robinson.

With an average price of £3, and many free events on offer, the RBS Children's Programme definitely offers the best value for families in Edinburgh.

Karen Mountney, Children's Programme Director for the Book Festival says: 'Over 14,000 children and families have already booked tickets to see some of the world's greatest children's authors and illustrators at the Book Festival. We are passionate about bringing books and children together and our ticket sales demonstrate that children of all ages are enthusiastic about reading, and relish the opportunity to meet authors in the flesh.'

The first Edinburgh International Book Festival was in 1983. Then a biennial event, it programmed just 30 Meet the Author events.

It became an annual event in 1997 and throughout its 23 year history, it has become the largest and most dynamic event of its kind in the world. Today, the Book Festival programmes over 650 events which are enjoyed by people of all ages.

For more information on the events listed here, please visit the Book Festival's website, or call the Box Office on 0845 373 5888.