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TORONTO - The number of books sold in Canada rose six per cent in the last quarter of 2008 compared to the same period last year, while revenues rose two per cent, according to figures released Monday.

BookNet Canada, which tracks sales across the country, said in December alone sales were up five per cent compared to the same month last year.

The average list price for the top 500 titles was down about six per cent last month compared to the same period last year, while the average hardcover was about eight per cent cheaper.

Last year, Canadian publishers were pressured to lower book prices to more closely match the U.S. sticker price when the Canadian dollar was trading at parity with the U.S. dollar.

Sales are considered to have increased as a result of those lower prices. Some in the industry also believe that books are largely recession-proof because they are often not considered luxury items.

"These are strong numbers considering both the economic climate and the winter climate this year," said BookNet Canada CEO Michael Tamblyn in a release Monday.

"Canadian book-lovers were tested by economic uncertainty and terrible weather coast-to-coast in the last two weeks of December and still fought their way into bookstores."

BookNet said its national book sales tracking system, BNC SalesData, uses year-over-year sales from a fixed panel of 665 retail locations.

It said BNC SalesData tracks approximately 75 per cent of the Canadian book market.