Bristol's treasure on World Book Day

Bristol's treasure on World Book Day

Pirates handed out the books from The Matthew

Hundreds of copies of "Treasure Island" have been given out in Bristol on World Book Day.

Civic leaders want everyone in the city to read the adventure classic as part of their bid to be City of Culture 2008.

The books were given out from a pirate ship, The Matthew, that docked in Bristol complete with cannons and armed pirates.

Organisers of the 2008 bid say thousands of people are already reading the book.

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Andrew Kelly, from Bristol 2008, said: "This has been a fantastic success and we have only just launched the project, which will run until spring."

He added that the organisers already want suggestions for what to read next year.

Treasure Island has strong associations with Bristol.

The Llandoger Trow on King Street is reputed to be the inspiration behind the pub where Jim Hawkins meets Long John Silver.

And the ship Hispaniola is supposed to have set sail from the city's port.