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So anyway. A few months ago the good people at Friday Books asked me to curate an anthology of some of the best of this year’s British blogging – much like Tim Worstall’s excellent 2005:Blogged.

Well, it’s nearly here – The Blog Digest 2007. It goes on sale on this Friday, December 1. You can get it online at Amazon, Politico’s, Waterstones, and in all good books shops. It features a hundred(ish) posts from some of the UK’s best bloggers (and me) and a cover and cartoons by the estimable Matt Buck (The cartoon that heralds the chapter on sex is truly something to behold.) I’ve had my copies back from the printers and it’s looking really rather ace, if I do say so myself.

The book is in themed chapters this year (unlike Tim’s which was ordered chronologically) – Culture & Media, Sex, War, Politics, Activism, Work & Play, Death and Sport. I’ve tried to create a broad collection so, as well as some of my favourite blogs, there are quite a few excellent ones in there that I hadn’t read before researching the book. I can’t remember just how many blogs I looked through but it was loads and loads.

Hopefully, it’s a rounded collection if not a particularly balanced (politically, at least) one. Strange as it sounds for a collection of other people’s work but I hope it reflects my own personality to some extent. There’s outrage and anger and my sense of humour – many of the pieces are in they because they made me laugh out loud – in there.

I tried also to make the book as accessible as possible for people with little or no knowledge of blogs (maybe someone will buy Matthew Taylor a copy). Hopefully it showcases some of the fantastic writing that you can find out there.

Any plugging of the book would be gratefully accepted. Obviously I stand (hopefully) to make some money out its sales but it’s also a shop window for some real talent that deserves wider exposure. (Advertising the book on your blog via an Amazon Associates account might be worthwhile – an ad for Tim’s 2005:Blogged bought me a couple of DVDs this year.)

Thanks to everybody who made this possible – the Friday Books gang and, of course, all the contributors who gave permission for their work to be included.

Needless to say I’m very excited. I shall of course be hanging round all the bookshops in Brighton saying ‘Oh, this looks excellent, I think I’ll buy ten copies’ in a loud voice. If anybody spots the book in the wild or sees any reviews please let me know.

Update: As of ten days ago, David Blunkett had only shifted 1,000 copies of his memoirs. For Christ’s sake, at the very least, please help me do better than that. If/when the Blog Digest reaches 1,000 sales, I’ll let everybody know and we can have a good old laugh. So, buy the Blog Digest and help rub David Blunkett’s nose in it.

Update update: Anybody tempted to buy the book from Amazon but put off by the message ‘Availability: Usually dispatched within 4 to 6 weeks’ should ignore it – Davide received his copy from them in 24 hours.