Books vs. Cigarettes: Robin Ince, Stuart Evers & Others

Dalston Boys Club | 7pm

Book habits. Costly business. Or are they? In his 1946 essay, George Orwell compared the cost of reading with more proletariat pursuits and calculated his book consumption at 9s 9d a week. Equivalent to 83 Players Special, or four ounces of tobacco at the time. Which pursuit gives more pleasure?

Orwell defended reading as an inclusive and affordable recreation. In this battle of the fags vs. fiction, invited comedians, writers and performers will consider whether reading really is ‘a less exciting past time than going to the dogs, the pictures or the pub’. A night devoted to the little things that make life worth living.

Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2011