The Oxford Indie Book Fair is expected to attract more than 100 authors next month.

On Sunday, December 1, the 5th Oxford Indie Book Fair will be staged at Oxford University Examination Schools in the High Street.

The event, which will be open from 11am to 4.30pm, has become the biggest independent book fair in the country.

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One of its founders, Sylvia Vetta, said: "I suspect that there are more authors per square mile in Oxford than anywhere else in the world.

"I’d love to put out a challenge to Oxford researchers to discover if my assumption is true."

Ms Vetta, from Kennington, has written several books including her fascinating autobiography Food of Love.

(Image: Oxford Mail) Her fellow Oxib organiser Ray Foulk, author of Stealing Dylan from Woodstock and other books, added: "Oxford is a world-class city of letters, writing, and publishing, and is the ideal venue in this country for staging this event which is rapidly growing into one of national stature.

(Image: Ray Foulk) "The growth over five years is due largely to the huge growth in the number of independent writers who can now publish their books on a viable independent basis – without a major publisher – thanks largely to the advances in printing technology and reducing costs.

"Writing is a wonderful expanding art form available to all regardless of financial means, and we are here to help nurture and encourage it."

Mr Foulk, from Jericho, found himself in the spotlight in 1969 when as a promoter for the Isle of Wight festival he helped to persuade Bob Dylan to perform there.

The event will be opened by the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, the actor and author Paterson Joseph.

(Image: Oxford Brookes University) With sponsorship from the Lucy Group, the fair will fill both halls at the impressive venue.

The declared aim of Oxib is to be free entry so that no one is excluded. All the talks and activities are free.

Speakers include the historian Janina Ramirez, the naturalist Hugh Warwick, and Canon Rev Dr Charlotte Bannister Parker.

A discussion will be chaired by Mr Foulk, who ran Planet Earth workshops in the 1990s in most of Oxfordshire state secondary schools.

Operation Ark is the powerful memoir of Pen Farthing, the most controversial figure of the 2021 Afghanistan Evacuation, whose story captured global headlines, and he will be appearing to reveal more.

There are also lots of events to attract children and families, including activities provided by illustrator Korky Paul.

 Other illustrators will include Mario Cuelho, Dice Comics & Yiting Li.

For more information visit oxfordindiebookfair.co.uk 

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

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