The Oxford Literary Festival has announced a business partnership with online bookseller Amazon, in the website’s first link-up with a literary festival.

The festival has its own store at amazon.co.uk/oxfordliteraryfestival which includes a bestseller list of the authors due to appear at the event later this month.

Top of the list is Hilary Mantel, who will appear on Sunday, March 28, at the Sheldonian Theatre. Her talk, sponsored by our sister paper The Oxford Times, will be about her book Wolf Hall, a fictional account of Henry VIII’s minister Thomas Cromwell.

Second is The End of the Party, in which journalist Andrew Rawnsley reveals bullying allegations at 10 Downing Street.

Third is Bad Science, in which Dr Ben Goldacre dissects phoney medical claims.

The festival’s director, Sally Dunsmore, said: “The essential purposes of the festival are to bring literature closer to people; to make the connection between author and reader more direct and to foster increased accessibility to, and enjoyment of, literature for the widest number of people.

“This partnership with Amazon is a vital step forward in achieving these aims.”

Gordon Willoughby, of Amazon, said “The Oxford Literary Festival is rapidly becoming one of the most influential literary festivals in the world, particularly given its unique setting at the heart of the University of Oxford, and Amazon is delighted to partner them.”

Almost 400 authors are expected at 300 events, opening next Tuesday with a talk by Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans, and ending on March 28.

For more information, call 0870 343 1001.