One of the UK’s leading booksellers has reported a surge in sales for political literature linked to the general election.

London, England – This year's UK general election is the gift that keeps on giving for political commentators. First came the television debate that boosted the fortunes of Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats. Then there was "bigotgate" and Gordon Brown's embarrassing gaffe about a senior citizen.

 In the age of spin, where everything is so carefully controlled by political puppet masters, such surprising events have set the UK political landscape alight and created an air of excitement around the election not seen during the past decade.

The British public is clearly engaging with the political process. Now evidence of this comes with news that election manifestos – the documents in which political parties lay out their planned policies - are selling in record numbers, according to book trade media.

"Political manifesto sales at Waterstone's have already outstripped those during the entire 2005 election period," reported UK trade paper The Bookseller.com, "up 160 percent with just eight days to go to the election."

Andrew Lake, politics buyer for Waterstone's , one of the UK's leading booksellers, said: "This is clearly the most important election in a generation. I've worked in books for nearly 20 years and have never seen such demand for manifestos."

He added that sales showed no signs of abating and were outselling some of the chain's bestselling authors, including Nick Hornby and Sarah Waters.

While the biggest sales rise has been for the Liberal Democrat party, with curious voters boosting sales by 250 percent since the last election, the Conservatives have taken 38 percent of manifesto sales so far, reported The Bookseller, followed by the Liberal Democrats on 32 percent and Labour on 30 percent.

 At the same time election authorities have also reported an increase in the numbers of voter registrations - including young voters.

 According to the UK's Electoral Commission, 500,000 registration forms were downloaded from its Web site before the deadline last Tuesday, while a further 50,000 calls were made to its registration hotline. Some 40 per cent of those interested were aged 18 to 24, according to the commission.

 At recent general elections UK voters have been accused of disinterest. The general elections of 2001 and 2005 recorded turnouts of less than 60 percent and 61 percent respectively - the second and third worst showings since 1900, according to research by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council.

Apathy in the UK? Maybe not this election.

Posted by: CNN.com producer, Stephanie Busari
Filed under: Indicators