8 The books

British people read a lot. They read books, newspapers and magazines.

Sixty-five per cent of British people list 'reading for pleasure' as a major hobby. A quarter part of the populationa reads more than 20 books each year.

Many libraries have also got special rooms with books and photographs about the history of the area.

Libraries are very important in schools and universities both for study and for reading for pleasure.

People predicted that radio, then television, then the Internet would kill reading, but it is still a very popular activity.