Books on the run
Oxford has been hit by the phenomenon of 'BookCrossing', which aims to "make the whole world a library" by releasing books into the streets.
People take a book, stick an identifying label in the cover and leave it in a public place, for others to read and pass on in turn. By registering at bookcrossing.com and leaving journal entries, the books and their effects on people's lives can be followed all over the world. The website, brainchild of U.S. Internet entrepreneur Ron Hornbaker, currently has nearly 200,000 members from over 150 countries.
So far 1,485 books have been released in the UK, including Sula by Toni Morrison, left in the café of Oxford Rail Station, and Dodie Smith's I Capture The Castle, placed on the number 100 bus between Oxford and Witney.
Now Osprey Publishing, an Oxford company specialising in military history, has become the first company to release copies of their new books in a range of locations around Oxford. "Bookcrossing makes people more aware of our books" said Jo Cowper, marketing manager. "If they really like a book they've found, they'll want to buy it."
Three copies of "Samurai - The World of the Warrior" were released by Osprey in Oxford city centre at the end of October. So far one copy, left in the Ashmolean café, has been found, but the other two, last seen on a bench in Broad Street and in Merton's Bar in the High Street, remain at large.
13th Nov 2003