12:00a.m. 6th December 2008

| By Mark Furler and AAP

Prime minister Kevin Rudd says there were few books available on the Coast when he grew up.

Prime minister Kevin Rudd has told a Sydney audience how he had little chance to discover the joy of books while growing up on the Coast because there were so few available.

Mr Rudd said there was no book store in Eumundi, and the school library was nothing more than a "little room at the end of the veranda''.

"In the Queensland that I grew up in, reading was not always encouraged, books were not always encouraged, intellectual pursuits were not always encouraged,'' the PM said.

His recollections were backed by former Coast educator Fae Barber, who taught Mr Rudd ancient history in Year 12 at Nambour High, describing him as her most brilliant student.

Mrs Barber said Mr Rudd even donated his prizemoney from winning a Queensland public speaking contest in 1974 to go towards ancient history books, because Nambour High, well known for its overcrowded demountables, had none at the time.

"He was aware of the lack of books,'' she said, pointing out how he and other students often had to rely on encyclopaedias at home because there were no original history books at school.

Mrs Barber said Mr Rudd was not being negative about his education in Queensland, but pointing out the real need for people to use books as a window to the wider world.

"I think books are the way into understanding the world,'' she said.

Mr Rudd said he regarded book stores as a place to nourish the soul.

"It's good that we have today a spread of these wonderful oases of enjoyment, celebration of literature and learning spread right across the country, including my own home town,'' he added. "It's good to see."

Just spending time in bookstores had become an Australian pursuit, he said, citing his own family's ritual of heading to their local Brisbane bookstore every Sunday morning.

"Having paid our respects to the Sunday morning, we would then retreat to Bulimba to Riverbend Books and spend some time there," he said.

"(It was) a place to nourish the soul... a place where the mind can roam free and find fresh nourishment.

"It was a good ritual.''

Mr Rudd launched Century of Pictures, edited by the former chief photographer of The Sydney Morning Herald, Mike Bowers. The book showcases some of the best photos published by the newspaper over the past 100 years.

The PM praised bookshops for overcoming the assault of the digital age and finding new ways of marketing books through technology.

"Ten years ago at the height of the dot com revolution, we were told about the death of books," he said.

"It hasn't quite worked out that way. Australians are actively buying more books than they did 10 years ago."