France turns to books in face of terror attacks

A woman lights a candle at a makeshift memorial at the Place de la Republique in Paris on November 23, 2015 in tribute to the victims of the November 13 terror attacks in Paris. A coordinated wave of attacks on Parisian nightspots claimed by Islamic State group (IS) jihadists killed 130 people. AFP PHOTO

While other nations reach for their guns when they are attacked, France looked to its bookshelves.

In a repeat of a publishing phenomenon that followed the Charlie Hebdo and Jewish supermarket attacks in January when Voltaire’s 250-year-old Treatise on Tolerance became a bestseller, another classic text is flying off the shelves as France turns to literature for comfort.