Major book store chain Kyobo Book Centre said sales had jumped thirtyfold as of 5 p.m. yesterday (120 books) compared to the day prior (four books). (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 15 (Korea Bizwire) — In the wake of Stephen Hawking’s passing yesterday, book sellers are reporting a sharp rise in sales of published literature written by the late British physicist.
Major book store chain Kyobo Book Centre said sales had jumped thirtyfold as of 5 p.m. yesterday (120 books) compared to the day prior (four books).
Accounting for about 50 percent of the sales was Hawking’s major work “The Illustrated Brief History of Time”. Children’s books introducing Hawking to a younger audience also sold well.
Book store Yes24 likewise reported a big boost in sales, with the best-selling book also being “The Illustrated Brief History of Time”.
Book store Yes24 likewise reported a big boost in sales, with the best-selling book also being “The Illustrated Brief History of Time”. (Image: Yes24)
A Yes24 merchandiser said, “After news that Stephen Hawking had passed away spread, there appears to be many more readers who wish to revisit his scientific and personal story.”
Though a number of Hawking’s books are available in Korean, due to their difficult subject matter, a large proportion are easy-to-read material. Many are children’s books as well.
Kachi Publishing, which published “The Universe in a Nutshell” and “My Brief History” among other Hawking works domestically, said interest in books related to “A Brief History of Time” was consistently high. Around 1,000 copies of “A Briefer History of Time” were sold last year, the publisher said.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
