每年到十月份英国和欧洲的书商们就要忙起来,准备大做一番生意了。因为十月份有两件事都和卖书有关系。第一是英国发表每年一度的“布克奖”;一年出版的小说中选出一部最佳作品。第二是在西德法兰克福举行国际书市。一九八四年英国的书籍摆在三层楼上的一间玻璃展览厅,一排一排可以移动的书架上放满了各种各样的书,琳琅满目。各出版社的经理都出现在那里,坐在小白椅子上,象 Booksellers in Britain and Europe are busy every year until October, preparing for bigger business. Because there are two things in October related to selling books. The first is the publication of the annual “Booker Award” in the United Kingdom; one of the best works of the year published in the novel. The second is the International Book Fair in Frankfurt, West Germany. In 1984, British books were placed in a glass gallery on three floors, with rows of bookshelves in a row of moving shelves full of books. The managers of the publishing houses are all there, sitting in small white chairs, like