But interest in daytime sessions was also high, with Irma Kurtz and Maureen Lipman reading excerpts from their books on the ageing process to a sizeable lunchtime crowd on Monday.
Children’s events on Sunday also attracted a high turnout, with US author Joe Friedman performing comedy to entranced four to eight-year-olds.
Book Week director Geraldine D’Amico said the record-breaking turn-outs had been pleasantly surprising.
“Last year’s numbers were down a little, for the first time. But this year has been bigger than 2007,” she said.
“We were worried because of the credit crunch but we haven’t raised the prices for the last three or four years and maybe people feel this is one essential event of the year.
“I thought last year we had fantastic speakers but not necessarily ‘celebrities’. Many were well-known in Israel but not the UK; we live in a world led by celebrity culture and that extends even to Jewish Book Week.
“It buoys us for the future, but it will also be a difficult act to follow.”
Miriam Robinson, promotions executive for Foyles, the festival’s bookseller, said sales supported Ms D’Amico’s positive view.
“We are very pleased with how things have gone. Sales have been better than we expected.
“There have been a number of really strong events and, with ticket sales up, more people seem to be buying books as well.
“Amos Oz was clearly a big attraction and lured people in. Both his events were very successful for us.”
