Countdown to L Day

Less than three hours to go now until Liverpool's 800th anniversary. Eight centuries since Bad King John did a Good Thing and signed the first charter to turn Liverpool from a fishing village into a charter town, albeit with a modest seven streets. And it's at the bottom of one of those original streets, where the Mersey used to lap at the wall of the chapel, that we will be launching Mersey Minis 3 tomorrow afternoon. Huzzah thrice! Happy jollies to us!

So delicious you'd want to lick them

We've now got the whole series of Mersey Minis back from the printer, although Volumes 4 and 5 won't be launched till Sept and Nov respectively. They are scrumptious – shouldn't brag, I suppose, but they are just yummm. The spines of the set, lined up together, look like ice cream strips - blackcurrant, pistachio, strawberry, blueberry and peach. Positively lickable. And in a tin (which they will be come Christmas) we might sell more in food shops than bookshops.

And that's just the colours. The illustrations are fabulous – beautiful linocuts, for te covers and the 15 icons scattered through the text. And as for the reading matter – fascinating, enchanting, poignant, wry – all those jolly adjectives.

There's been nothing like them before – the combination of design, size, and content – little things, postcard sized but with plenty of good reading - perfect for pockets and handbags for reading en route or sneaky distraction in boring circumstances.

They're very different to our normal case-bound, colour photography look, and we're thrilled to bits with them, and (more to the point) with people's reactions to them. How lovely it is to have one's babies admired and cooed over....

Fewer gripes, less angst

Huzzah for Richard Ford, a literate American who has been plugging his book 'The Lay of the Land' at the Edinburgh Book Festival. The man – interviewed on the Today programme 10 minutes ago, knows the difference between 'less' and 'fewer'. He's a rare example of the species. It's one of the gaffes that makes me shout at the radio, when supposedly well educated pundits refer to 'less people' or 'less times', blissfully ignorant of the useful word 'fewer'.
I'm not sure Richard Ford will enjoy America in the next decade or so. He was incredulous that the voting public should have gone for an actor (Reagan): 'an actor!' in the 1980s. Ford is soon going to have to stomach the prospect of a presidential election featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and George Clooney.

Birthday drumbeat

Liverpool is 800 years old, as a charter town, on 28 August this year. That's when King John signed the town's first royal charter in 1207 (although Liverpool existed, in a small way, well before that).
We (Capsica) are giving Liverpool a gift of several thousand books – copies of the third volume of Mersey Minis (see the link at side), which is all new writing gathered and commissioned specially for the occasion.
Volume 3 will ONLY be available on the day, and it is only being given away (so if someone tries to sell you a copy they're being naughty) – although you are most welcome, indeed encouraged, to cough up for the other books in the series.

And after our book launch party in the afternoon, something splendid is happening outside St George's Hall, on the plateau, at 8pm. Have a read of this, and come and join me there.

Mutual Arising is looking for 800 drummers to perform at St Georges Plateau, Liverpool City Centre, on the night of this Historic Date. Anyone can take part as the rhythm they have created for the event is very simple to learn but is very powerful to hear! The event is open to everbody and of all ages.
They would like YOU to Play YOUR Part by coming along to the event and joining in! If you are not one of the final 800 you can be part of the groove by following their ONLINE TUTORIAL (Learn At Home) available now. If you have any type of drum at home, fancy making a simple one or just want to clap, then make sure you are part of this Historic Event by and for the people of Liverpool.
Help them create the biggest beat in history. The nights activities are also being filmed and will appear in the Mutual Arising ‘Spirit of Liverpool’ movie, due for release in 2008.
There are daily workshops (not Mondays) in St George's Hall between now and the 28th – for details go to the Drum 800 website at http://www.mutualarising.com/drum800/eventnews.htm or email Drum800Workshops@mutualarising.com