No Time for Reading

By KENNETH ALLSOP WRY don't people read more? Do they hate or fear books? Do they even know that there are books? So far as I know the publishing trade has made no serious attempt to find the answers to these questions. Though there has been plenty of abstract theorising, there has not been any systematic market research. Curiosity took me out recently round the streets and houses of Camden Town, Hendon and Mill Hill, Stevenage New Town and a Bedfordshire village asking people from different income groups these five questions: 1. When did you last buy a stiff-cover book?

2. What was it?

3. Do you use a public library?

4. Do you think books are important?

5. Has television changed your reading habits? I am aware of the vulnerability of this under-

taking : it was unscientific, and no firm conclu- sions can be drawn from so sparse and unbalanced an inquiry. But I think the results are of interest. Here are some representative replies—verbatim : Wife of foreman baker; St. Pancras Borough Council flats; two sons, fifteen and .sixteen: As a matter of fact, we did buy some books last week —encyclopaedias they are, but I'm not sure what they're called. A feller came round the door with them. I thought they'd be educational for the boys. 'Oh yes, they like to read, they read about the Japanese war. We don't read much, really, but I think books are important like. We don't go to a library. We watch the telly quite a lot but I don't think that's made any difference.

Sixteen-year-old girl; factory worker; Camden Town:, I buy quite a lot of, books, you know, romances and things. Oh, you mean big books. No, never. Well, I did buy one about three years ago, but I can't remember what it was called. Important? Not to me, they aren't—had enough of them at school. Anyway, we all watch the television a lot—there isn't much time for reading.

Road sweeper; Kentish Town: Last time I bought a book must be seven or eight years ago. What was it?, Oh, God, something to do with electrical appliances. I mostly read cowboy fic- tion, but not so much of that since we got the telly. It makes a lot of difference. You don't have to strain your brain. It's all created for you, isn't it, saves you creating.

Wife of motor-salesman; Hendon suburban road; expensively furnished house: .When did I last buy a book? I just don't, that's all. I'm a headliner—you know, I just read the headlines. I like talking. I suppose I have read, gardening books mostly. My son likes reading; I think the last thing he was reading was Churchill's Memoirs.

Housekeeper; large Mill Hill villa: Never buy books. Why should I? I hate clogging myself up with knick-knacks. I go to the library now and then—I quite enjoy books that tell you how the gentry behaved in olden times. I think books are sort of relaxing, if you like them, but I haven't the time.

Wife of business executive; big detached house, Hendon; double garage; maid: I've given up reading for quite a time. The prices put you off, don't they? Actually I like thick, heavy books with lots of print—I used to belong to a book club—but now if I buy anything I buy paper- backs. I don't think TV has made much difference to how much we read in this house. Anyway, my husband hasn't time to read anything except his business papers.

Man, thirtyish; lathe-operator; Stevenage New Town: No, I've never bought or borrowed books, either for learning things or entertainment. I reckon you grow out of that. I watch the telly for my entertainment. I suppose they keep the kids out of mischief. Wouldn't mind reading one on sport, something like that. Are they important? Don't ask me, mate!

Plumber's wife; Stevenage: Goodness, me, it must be years since we spent money on a book. Of course my husband reads Westerns. Mind you, I do think they're important. I think we're prob- ably missing something, not getting them. I used to like books before I was married, but I mostly knit now. I'd think I was neglecting the house if I sat reading. And prices are so high, aren't they?

Irishwoman; wife of railway worker; Stevenage New Town: I did used to read before I was married—not romance things, either, and I'm looking forward to the time when I can do some reading again. But with three children, there's not much time left over. I honestly think it's essential to have books, I think everyone should read, and I do want my children to build up a library. I buy a lot of books for them.

Wife of bricklayer; Stevenage New Town: We got a set of encyclopedias some time ago and we haven't got through them yet. Nothing I like better than reading, but 1 don't get much time. You get a bit into the habit of switching on tele- vision when you've a snatch of free time.

Farmer's wife; big comfortable house; new car; Hertfordshire: Books? No, I wouldn't have them in the house. Too much to do, without sitting around reading. I suppose they might be im- portant, for educational reasons, but I don't feel the need for them.

Lorry-driver; Bedfordshire village: Never read a book in my life. 1 was fifteen years in the Army. Lot of the chaps read but I never did myself. I can't see they're important to anyone. Why? My son sometimes reads a detective book or a Western, and I don't mind him doing that if he hasn't anything better to do.

Wife of a television aerial-rigger; Stevenage New Town: Oh, Lord, it's so long since I bought a book! I did buy one in 1950, or was it 1951, and rye read that over and over again. No, I can't remember its title or who it was by. We used to go to the library two or three times a week before we got the TV set, but I do like to encourage the children to read and in summer we make sure the box of tricks is shut off so they're out in the air. My husband reads paper- backs a bit, war books.

Wife of welder in car works; near Luton: Can't remember when we last read books. TV has made a big change to us. We used to get library books, but nearest library is Luton and it was a bit of a nuisance, kind of. The trouble is that I don't like these tuppenny books—I used to like a book by a good author, Maugham and The Saint— and prices are so high. Now I don't get much further than magazines.

Out of the thirty people I spoke to I met one, a solicitor's wife with four children, whose family could be described as habitual readers. She said they 'bought books all the time'; inside the house were shelves stuffed with the usual interesting miscellany collected by addicts. They had de- liberately not bought a television set as they feared it would be 'too much of a distraction.'

One in thirty. At the end of the day I was left with the feeling that had I gone on to inter- view another hundred, the percentage would not have risen.