Free book with Great Read buy

Any customer who buys a title from The Books Alive Great Read Guide before August 31 will receive Peter FitzSimons' new book, The Ballad of Les Darcy, for free.

Peter FitzSimons is the 2007 Books Alive ambassador, and his biography of the legendary Australian boxer is the cornerstone of this year's campaign.

"Along with the shipwreck of the Batavia, Les Darcy is one of the two greatest Australian stories of all time," said Mr FitzSimons.

"It has everything; passion, patriotism, love, betrayal, sport, religion, politics, war, friendship and moral ambiguity, all wrapped in the one tale."

The book is available locally from Book Bazaar at Umina.

Book Bazaar employee Mandi McIntosh said there was a "book for everyone" in the guide.

"It makes choosing a book so much easier whether it's fiction or non-fiction, for a child or an adult," Ms McIntosh said.

"So come into the store before August 31 to get your copy of The Guide and talk to us about which great book you might like to read to get The Ballad of Les Darcy for free.

"Our store was lucky enough to receive a grant from the Australia Council to help us in raising community awareness of the Books Alive campaign.

"We were among several regional areas to receive grants and support and this has meant that every home on the Peninsula should have received a copy of the Books Alive Great Read Guide in their letterbox, a feat that would be beyond our tiny marketing budget if we were working alone."

Ms McIntosh said the guide also carried inspirational messages from "four well-known Australians".

"Margaret Pomeranz, Myf Warhust, Bert Newton and Paul Jennings all share why they love books and reading," Ms McIntosh said.

Books Alive is an Australian Government funded initiative developed through the Australia Council for the Arts.

Press release, 7 Aug 2007 Mandi McIntosh, Book Bazaar