Gavin Francis – The Bridge Between Worlds
A Brief History of Connection
WithGavin Francis
In conversation withFrancis Bickmore
On:10th September 2024, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
It's a pleasure to be hosting a launch with Dr Gavin Francis for his new book, The Bridge Between Worlds: A Brief History of Connection. From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a fascinating meditation on bridges around the world, exploring how these structures can improve human connection. He will be in conversation with his editor, Francis Bickmore.
This event will take place in the bookshop with an in-person audience. There will be a signing after the event.
Vouchers can be redeemed on the night of the event against a single copy of The Bridge Between Worlds – we will have a list of attendees with vouchers to be redeemed. Please note that only one voucher can be redeemed per book.
About The Bridge Between Worlds:
In a world increasingly preoccupied by borders, bridges celebrate the possibility of connection, allowing the flow of goods, people and ideas. Bridges are among our grandest physical structures with the power of transforming lives and economies, but we also stand (or fall) upon the simple arch of bones in our feet. Text is a bridge between writer and reader, and conversation builds bridges of understanding between minds.
Dr Gavin Francis has spent his life fascinated by the power of bridges to improve human connection. In The Bridge Between Worlds he examines bridges both actual and metaphorical, on a journey through more than twenty countries, across four decades of travel.
From Rome’s Ponte Sant’Angelo to Brooklyn, Victoria Falls to London, Singapore to Siberia, this thought-provoking book reflects on connections between nations and between individuals. Francis demonstrates what the building of bridges has meant to our civilisation, how crossings can enrich our lives, and the price we pay when we tear them down.
Please note: Tickets for our events are non-refundable. Professional photography and videography may take place during this event. Thank you for your understanding.
Participants:
Gavin Francis Author
Gavin Francis is an award-winning writer and GP. He is the author of ten non-fiction books, including Island Dreams, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2020; Adventures in Human Being, which was a Sunday Times bestseller and won the Saltire Scottish Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award; Empire Antarctica, which won Scottish Book of the Year in the SMIT Awards and was shortlisted for both the Ondaatje and Costa Prizes; and Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence, which was a Sunday Times bestseller. He has written for the Guardian, The Times, the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books. His work has been translated into eighteen languages. He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Francis Bickmore Chair
Francis Bickmore is Publisher at Large at Canongate Books, where he has worked for more than twenty years. He is the editor of Tan Twan Eng, amongst other writers including Matt Haig, Chitra Ramaswamy, Nick Cave, Tracey Thorn, Josie Long, Ambrose Parry, Amy Liptrot and Kevin Barry. He lives in Portobello and his whippet Misha has completed an internship at The Portobello Bookshop.
The venue
The Portobello Bookshop
46 Portobello High Street
Edinburgh
EH15 1DA
Telephone: 0131 629 6756
Website: www.theportobellobookshop.com
Wheelchair Access
We have a ramp at the front of the shop which has a ratio of 1:10 and loading capacity of 300kg, and so should be able to be used by most wheelchair users or those with mobility vehicles. The front doors are fully automated. Our shop interior is designed to allow access throughout for wheelchair users and prams, though please note there is only 700mm wide clearance to access the staff toilet.
Sound
We use a PA system to enhance the audio at our live events. We also have a hearing loop system installed, if you’d like to use our loop system during an event please let us know and we’ll make sure we have it set up and connected to the live audio feed during the event. If you wish to attend an event and require BSL interpretation, please give us a few weeks notice and we’ll do our best to arrange an interpreter.