Central Library to host 'Town Wide Read' Events

A reading challenge which aims to grip bookworms across Swindon will be promoted at two special events at the Central Library this month.

Swindon Borough Council’s library service has teamed up with the Wyvern Theatre to invite people to take part in the Town Wide Read of John Buchan’s book The Thirty-Nine Steps, prior to watching Patrick Barlow’s adaptation on stage at the Wyvern next month.

Libraries across the town are giving away 2,000 free copies of The Thirty-Nine Steps, with new library members being offered an exclusive ticket discount to watch the production at the Wyvern Theatre. Existing library members who encouraged a friend to join also received the discount.

The Thirty-Nine Steps is set just before the outbreak of the First World War and is a thriller featuring the dashing hero Richard Hannay, as he stumbles into a dangerous cat and mouse chase from London to Scotland pursued by German Spies.

The stage production, which runs at the Wyvern from 4th to 9th February, is based on the film adaptation of the book and features four actors playing 139 roles in 100 minutes of fast-paced fun and thrilling action.

Swindon Libraries’ Local Studies team have also put together a trail of 39 things to see around Swindon Town Centre which will run in conjunction with the Town Wide Read. Details will be available in Swindon’s libraries over the coming weeks.

As part of the reading initiative, the Central Library will be hosting a talk entitled ‘Who was John Buchan?’ on Thursday 10th January from Dr Michael Redley, editor of the John Buchan Journal.

Dr Redley, who is an authority on the life of John Buchan, will describe how the author also wrote more than 30 novels as well as more than 50 non-fiction books. Buchan also found time to be a government administrator in South Africa, wrote propaganda for the British war effort in the First World War, was appointed Governor General of Canada, as well as making important political links with President Roosevelt of the United States.

The talk starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £1.50 for library members and £2.50 for non-members. Tickets are available from the Visitor Information Centre at the Central Library. Call 01793 466454 for further information.

The Central Library is also hosting a prequel event to the Wyvern Theatre’s production of The Thirty-Nine Steps, with the Swindon Film Society putting on a special showing of the original classic film on Thursday 31st January.

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll, The Thirty-Nine Steps is an early suspense film made in Britain in 1935, with a number of Hitchcock’s trademark themes that he would perfect in his later American movies such as North-by-Northwest.

The film screening starts at 7.30pm and all tickets are £4. For further information please contact the Visitor Information Centre on: 01793 466454.

Anyone who wants to take part in the Town Wide Read of The Thirty-Nine Steps, can pick up a free copy of the book at any Swindon library.