Cape Town Gets Bookish

The number of visitors to the Cape Town Book Fair doubled in its second year, the fair organisers said at the end of the four-day event on Tuesday.

More than 49 000 visitors attended the fair at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, up from 26 000 in 2006, its inaugural year.

Irish novelist Marian Keyes and the South African lawyer that defended Nelson Mandela at his treason trial, George Bizos, were among the authors promoting their works at the fair who drew large audiences.

The book fair, said by its organisers to be Africa's largest, attracted more than 200 authors and 354 exhibitors from countries including the United States, Ghana, Germany, India, China and France.