meish dot org: life, unfolding

In early January, two years ago, I wrote a blog post about reading habits and used books (and passing them on) which included an idea about how charities could set up book exchange schemes to rival the free newspapers which people end up reading on the tube because they’re bored and they haven’t got anything else handy.

It might be really interesting for a charity like Oxfam to set up a stall/shop for a limited period in few big stations – Paddington, Waterloo, Victoria, Manchester Piccadilly, Brighton, Watford, and so on – operating a sort of book exchange of commuter-friendly paperbacks only.

They’d have to offer to take old, read books off commuters. Let them browse for a new one and take it away for an (optional) donation of £1 or £2 – it would have to be low, but I think people would bear a cost like that. My guess is, you’d end up with multiple copies of The Book Everyone’s Reading On The Train This Month, which others would be happy to pick up for a small amount, and would probably return anyway. It would also be a good way of cycling through some of the back stock in the shops, too, and a way to get people involved who wouldn’t otherwise go into charity shops.

It works because people don’t really value commuter-type books, but they need to have one anyway, or be at the mercy of one of those free papers made by people who hate London. They might buy their own book, but chances are they’ll be happy to read pretty much anything. Even better if they don’t pay much more than a paper for it.

Anyway, two years on, with a longer commute, I now read more than ever on the tube (currently: Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon, for the second time) and I still think this is a good idea – especially now, when people have less money to spend on fripperies like reading matter.

Which is why I’m excited to learn this morning that a not-for-profit organisation called Choose What You Read has been set up and will be handing out free books outside various London (only, for now) stations on May 5

Co-founder Alfie Boyd [...] began the scheme with friend Claire Wilson to give commuters an alternative to the “tonnes of free newspapers dished out and thrown away every day”.

(The books) don’t generally get thrown away by people, they just go back into circulation
Co-founder Alfie Boyd

All the books were donated to the scheme by the pair’s friends.

Once they have finished each commuter is encouraged to add their name to a list of readers inside its cover before returning it.

“They don’t generally get thrown away by people, they just go back into circulation,” said Mr Boyd.

Great idea! Even better if it carries on.

* D’you see what I did there?