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I’d heard of bookcrossing before but on Sunday actually found the first book I’d ever seen in a lift in the Brittania Hotel in Nottingham, left by a Dutch visitor. If you’re interested, it was by Daphne Du Maurier (no not Rebecca!) and I’ll update the Bookcrossing website later today. Not all books get journalled but I like the idea and with over 3.5 million books released by half a million readers that means sodo a lot of people.

Bookcrossing is a clever form of viral marketing. Well it’s actually about giving books away. You put a sticker on to identify the book, then leave it somewhere it can be found. Each book has an ID number (a BCID), and this is put on the front of the book on a sticker.

The idea is that you read a book then “send it on its way” by leaving it somewhere where someone can find it. As they say I’”m looking at your site here, and I can’t believe what I’m reading. Do you actually want me to give away my books? - Registering your books with BookCrossing.com, then giving them to a friend, a charity, or otherwise releasing them “into the wild” and following their progress and travels, is infinitely more fulfilling than the small satisfaction you’ll get by looking at your books in your bookcase every day.”

It’s a form of sending a message in a bottle. “Make the world one big library!”. A very laudable aim. Of course once electronic book readers (that you can safely read in the bath) emerge then maybe it will be no longer useful. But until then, maybe 20 years in the future…

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