On the eve of the London Book Fair, a group of authors has written a letter to the Times Literary Supplement protesting one of the fair organizer’s other revenue streams. “Reed Exhibitions, owned by the publisher Reed Elsevier, has since 2003 accumulated a portfolio of arms fairs which grease the wheels of the global weapons trade,” reads the letter, which is signed by Ian McEwan, A.S. Byatt, J.M. Coetzee, Canada’s own Yann Martel, and several other equally well-known authors.

In a BBC story on the letter, a Reed spokesperson says the firm “utterly respects” the writers’ views. “The company, who organised Europe’s biggest arms fair in London last year, added that every country has the right to defend itself and the event had ‘complied with all legislation.'” (Reed, of course, also runs BookExpo Canada and BookExpo America here in North America.)

Thanks to Bookninja.com for the link.

Related links:
Click here for the Times Literary Supplement letter
Click here for the BBC story