Straight after my book launch I went off to Ithaca where I have no wi-fi! The result, I'm afraid, is that three months have slipped by and, only now, I am updating the blog on my website. The launch, at the Paddington Library, was for three books: Firstly for my book Odysseus' Island, secondly for Walking in the Footsteps of Odysseus; A Practical Guide to the Homeric Paths of Ithaca and thirdly for The Excavation at Agios Athanasios / School of Homer, an account by the archaeologist Thanasis J. Papadopoulos giving archaeological evidence for the Palace of Odysseus on Ithaca. This paper was previously published as part of a larger and very well-hidden article. For clarity I had it newly typeset and, for context, I also wrote a short introduction.
At the library, as you can see in the photograph, I also hung a few of my paintings of Ithaca. The two that you can just see on the lower left hand side of the hang were those I used for the covers of Odysseus' Island and Walking in the Footsteps of Odysseus. The journalist Nigel Summerley, who helped me check the walks on Ithaca, also helped with the launch. It went off well to a full house. A big thank you to everyone who came.
In spite of my dilatory blogging the books have been selling steadily all over the world and I am thrilled by the interest they have received. Ironically the most difficult place to buy them currently is in Greece! This is partly because of Brexit but also because the Greeks have both a tax and VAT on books. I am working on this distribution hiccup but, meanwhile, I will also upload an article about the launch written in a local magazine in London by Paolo at the library. A special thanks both to Paulo and to Nigel for all their help.