TORONTO — Book sales in Canada rose nearly seven per cent in the first quarter, even higher than during the holiday shopping season, proving the product is "a staple, not a luxury," according to an industry organization.

BookNet Canada, which tracks sales across the country, said Monday the volume of books sold was up 6.7 per cent in the first quarter compared to last year.

The value of books sold jumped five per cent in the January-March period.

That compared to a six per cent increase in volume and two per cent increase year-over-year in the October-December period.

"This was when the other shoe was supposed to drop, after Christmas when gift sales were no longer a factor. But in the face of declining book sales in the U.S and U.K., we are still seeing steady performance in English-language Canadian book sales in Q1," BookNet Canada CEO Michael Tamblyn.

"For the time being, Canadians continue to view books as a staple, not a luxury."

Carolyn Wood, executive director of the Association of Canadian Publishers, said the book business has a history of being "recession resistant."

"I think for one thing it's a fairly low price point item. It's not like buying a car or a new house or snowmobile or designer anything," Wood said.

"Books are manageable. There is something for every budget."

Wood also said reading is a "lifelong and deeply ingrained practice and something people are reluctant to cut."

She also said some of the increase in book sales is likely coming from more people going back to school after losing their jobs in a recession.

Barb Minett, co-owner of Guelph-Ont.-based the Bookshelf, said sales have risen close to the national figure at her independent store, which also includes a cinema and bar.

"We've had a great response in the last three months," Minett said.

She said some of the most popular books sold so far this year have been those tied to movies shown at her theatre, including The Reader and Revolutionary Road. The bookstore has also brought in a number of authors for readings and book signings, which have been well-attended, and generated strong sales.

Children's books have also been big sellers in the store, she said.

Minet believes more people are turning to books and movies during the economic downturn as a less-expensive form of entertainment.

She also believes many people are turning to her local bookshop in recognition that they need to support community businesses.

"We've had a lot of people come in lately and say 'We've glad you're here,"' said Minet.

Cathy Legate, owner of Duthie Books, an independent book store in Vancouver, said her experience has been different so far this year.

She said sales have been steady, but profits are down and have been that way since booksellers were pressured to cut the price of books when the Canadian dollar was a par with the U.S. dollar more than a year ago.

"I don't totally agree with (BookNet's) numbers," Legate said. "It's still busy and our sales are the same, but we've been charging 20 per cent less on half our books."

Tamblyn said in an interview that the BookNet data is from a fixed 665 retail locations across the country, which includes about 75 per cent of the Canadian book market.

That includes data from over 1,000 retail sources, including chains, independents, online, college/university stores, and non-traditional bookstores, such as specialty and discount stores.

Book sales in the United States were down about one per cent in the first 10 weeks of this year, according to Nielsen BookScan.