The Appledore Book Festival was founded in October 2006 by a local committee led by local children's author Nick Arnold who became Festival Director.

The picturesque fishing village of Appledore was an obvious location for a book festival but the initial motivation for the first festival came about because of the threatened closure of Appledore library and the determined campaign to keep it open.

In November 2006 the Library was saved from closure although the community became responsible for the running costs of the community-owned library building.

Today the Appledore Book Festival is a charity with a mission to spread a love of reading and learning in North Devon whilst focusing publicity on the remarkable village of Appledore.  In 2009 full local authority funding of the library building was restored, but our festival still works with the Library Service to promote libraries.  And the correspondence address of the festival remains the Appledore Library building situated on the historic Appledore Quay.