9:13am Saturday 25th March 2006
By Stephanie Tye
IF PHILEAS Fogg had been racing around the world, today would have been the day he returned back to London triumphant.
Eighty days have passed since the launch of the Great Reading Adventure, which encouraged as many people as possible from across the region to read Jules Verne's classic novel Around The World in Eighty Days.
More than 52,000 copies of the novel, which featured Bristol-based plasticine pair Wallace and Gromit on the cover, were distributed across the region, along with 50,000 copies of a specially illustrated children's adaptation.
The Adver played its part by distributing more than 1,000 copies and since January 5, Swindon libraries have issued more than 2,600 copies of the novel.
As part of the adventure, the Brunel 200 organisers released' 1,000 copies of the novel as a book-crossing initiative.
Copies were left at airports, train stations, bus depots and takeaways and taken around the world by library staff. Each copy had a numbered sticker and finders were asked to email and let them know where the book was picked up.
Emma McElwee, of the West Swindon library, was one of the librarians who took up the challenge.
"I decided to take part because I just happened to be flying off to Mexico at the appropriate time," she said.
"I did carry the book up the pyramids in Teotihuacan just outside Mexico City with the intention of leaving it at the top of one, but that was inappropriate."
Instead she left it in the aptly-named Great Western Hotel, which is at the edge of the Zoccolo, the main square in Mexico City.
"I hoped that the next person to inhabit my room might be in need of a spot of bedtime reading," she said.
Emma is not the only Swindon librarian to take the novel around the world.
Mark Jones, group library manager, left his copy at the top of Beinn a' Chlachair, a 1,087m mountain in Scotland, and Shaun Smith, group library manger, took his to Antwerp Station in Belgium and left it in the hands of a group of students from a variety of different countries.
Melanie Kelly, project researcher for Brunel 200, said the team was thrilled with how the adventure had gone.
"As we come to the end of our 80-day reading project, we are delighted with the response we've had from across the south west region," she said.
"Thousands of copies of the adult and children's versions of the book have been borrowed from local libraries and the feedback from borrowers has been very positive.
"This has been a great start to the Brunel 200 year.
"Swindon plays a crucial part in those Brunel celebrations and we are looking forward to seeing the exhibitions and other events planned to mark Brunel's 200th birthday."
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