Public interest in the progress of the war in Iraq has sparked an unexpected run on sales of maps of the country, high street book chain Ottakar's has said.
The chain, which runs 93 outlets across the UK, said the public was eager to follow the conflict with bookshops "well placed" to tap into the interest.
Ottakar's finance director Edward Knighton said: "People are buying maps of Iraq in order to follow the war on TV.
"People want to learn more about the world that we live in and booksellers are quite well placed to provide for that."
Mr Knighton added interest in authors such as anti-war campaigner and bestselling writer Michael Moore had tapped into a growing interest in political titles in general.
"Political sales generally are up about 60 per cent," he said.
Friday March 28 2003
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