The East Anglian Book Awards 2008 - 16th October, 6.30pm

Jarrolds, the region's largest retailer of local books has joined forces with the Eastern Daily Press, Britain's largest-selling regional morning paper, to launch these major new awards which aim to give authors and publishers the recognition they deserve.

The judging panel is chaired by Booker Prize-shortlisted East Anglian novelist Trezza Azzopardi, with poet and journalist Simon Proctor from the EDP and Caroline Jarrold, community affairs adviser for Jarrolds. From the dozens of entries, the judges have drawn up a shortlist of 12. All shortlisted books are now on display on the Book Department.

The finalists are:

Andrew Humphrey, Other Voices (Lastic Press)
George Plunkett, Plunkett's Pictures of Norwich and Norfolk (Grey's Publishing)
Patrick Boswell, Boswell's Norwich (Frontier Publishing)
Carol Twinch, The Little Book of Suffolk (Breedon Books)
Martin W Bowman, Ghost Fields of East Anglia (Halsgrove)
Pamela Brooks, Heroes, Villains and Victims of Norwich (Breedon Books)
Ronald Blythe, Field Work (Black Dog Books)
Mick Jennings, RAF Coltishall (Old Forge)
Mark Cocker, Crow Country (Jonathan Cape)
John Hatcher, The Black Death (Weidenfeld and Nicolson)
Carol Birch, Scapegallows (Virago)
Peter Haining, Norfolk Broads: The Golden Years (Halsgrove)

From this list an overall winner will be chosen as East Anglian Book of the Year. In addition, there will be an East Anglian Classic award, in association with Norfolk Libraries service, which will be an all-time regional classic book.

The awards ceremony will be hosted by Keith Skipper in our restaurant, The Pantry on the evening of Thursday 16th October. Tickets which includes two-course dinner, are £20 and availlable from Customer Services, floor 2  (T) 01603 660661 or click here to buy online.