FORMER Bailiff Sir Peter Crill’s controversial memoirs are going into paperback because of the overwhelming demand for them.

But the necessity has clearly irked the publishers – a specialist UK company which is used to print runs of just 30 hardback copies.

Most publishers would be grateful to have a good seller on their hands but in this case they have complained that Jersey people are not interested in the quality of their hand-bound books and instead ‘just want to read the words’.

Capella Archive were chosen to publish the bound copies of A Little Brief Authority by Sir Peter who planned to distribute them to a small circle of family, friends and former colleagues.

He died from motor neurone disease before the book was printed but such was the response when the JEP published extracts from it, including his accounts of the Vernon Tomes Affair, the Beast of Jersey investigation and the Newall murder case, Capella were inundated with orders.

Each copy is bound by hand and a long waiting list built up but impatient Jersey buyers have incurred the wrath of the publishers when they have called to inquire about the whereabouts of their copy.

Spokesman Morwena Byram-Wigfield has berated the Jersey public and the JEP for causing them difficulties.

‘People do not understand what we are about.

We provide an individual service for a writer who wants to be published.

Usually we print 30 copies for family and friends.

We do not like to print paperbacks but we have had to do it.

People in Jersey don’t care about the beauty of the book they just want to read the words.

‘There is an ecological impact as well.

Too many books are printed and pulped,’ she said.