BOOK fans across Oxfordshire will spend thousands of pounds on hundreds of new titles launched today.

Super Thursday is one of the most lucrative days of the year for the books trade as chains and independents cash in on the release of 505 new titles.

Top sellers will include Alan Hollinghurst’s new novel The Sparsholt Affair, which is partly set in Oxford, and tycoon Richard Branson’s Finding my Virginity.

Prue Leith has expanded her Relish: My Life on a Plate to include her marriage and Great British Bake Off experiences.

While Oxford author Philip Pullman’s long-awaited La Belle Sauvage is not published until Thursday, October 19 fans will be able to pre-order the story.

Zool Verjee, deputy manager of Blackwell’s in Broad Street, said: “Super Thursday is a big day for booksellers across the country and we try to promote as many new titles as possible but there are so many we can’t promote everything.

“This is a national event but it’s bookseller-led so our staff can choose which titles they want to put on display.

“With so many new titles going on sale on the same day it creates a lot of excitement and boosts sales in the run-up to Christmas.

“We have a lot of local autonomy and if our booksellers are passionate about particular new titles then we can put those in front of people.

“There is a huge amount of interest in the new Philip Pullman although that doesn’t go on sale until later this month and the new Hollinghurst is being spoken of as a truly great novel.”