Have you ever imagined being part of a library in motion? London makes it possible
Commuting, the regular travel between where you live and where you work. That tedious, long and tiring part of the day when you are sitting on the tube going to work or university in morning rush hour. Thousands of people, limited space and boiling temperatures. Weary faces reading Metro or listening to the music coming out through their earphones while struggling not to fall asleep and miss their station. And I am right there, in the middle of that hustle when I spot a book at the end of my carriage.
Books on the Underground, as stated in its name, is just that. Books that travel all along London’s tube line awaiting to be found by thirsty readers, who proceed to read them and when finished, return them back to the tube. This library in motion was created in 2012 by Hollie Fraser and currently distributes over seven thousand books each year using this creative method.
“Take this book, read it, and leave it back on the tube for someone else to enjoy”.
Hollie Fraser used to have a long commute through London every day and read a lot during those monotonous journeys. It drove her crazy the idea that she couldn’t leave her books without them being treated as litter and most probably being thrown away, so she decided to set up this literary project. First step of the adventure, she designed a sticker saying “take this book, read it, and leave it back on the tube for someone else to enjoy”.
Since early in its history, Books on the Underground counted on the collaboration of Cordelia Oxley, who became its director and Chief Book Fairy when Fraser moved to New York to build up Books on the Subway. Hereafter, she and her team of Book Fairies, which includes the special presence of the British actress and feminist Emma Watson, hide over 100 new books each week around London’s underground. The books are concealed inside the tube on seats, benches and about the ticket areas.
To make this possible, the project works with small and larger publishers, film producers and authors who help them increase the variety of new and used books dropped along the tube line of Britain’s capital. JH Lewis, author of Alluvia and Lost Woman Within, the latter being hidden by the Book Fairies, explains: “There was no question I wanted to be part of this fun and educational project. London is such a cool fast moving, vibrant city, and this initiative epitomised this. The cool nerd. Giving joy to commuters, a break in what could be the mundane, or adding an extra splash of excitement to an adventure.”
Even though they do not get a financial reward from participating with Books on the Underground, authors and publishers do find it beneficial as they get publicity in all the social media platforms that the literary initiative uses. Therefore, it grows all on its own. “When we do a book drop, we accompany our activity with photos and videos where we’ve left the books; always mentioning the publishers and authors. When someone finds a book, they sometimes share it online – and again, this is great organic publicity for the authors and publishers involved.” Cordelia Oxley adds.
Thanks to this social media content, the Books on the Underground community of followers is gradually increasing. High praise from the public has encouraged ordinary citizens to join this book craze by delivering their own books. Elizabeth Pringle, digital marketer from London, shares her experience: “I have left some books too, and while I found it quite bittersweet to send my books out into the world, I was happy that someone else would get to enjoy them.” Also, Nora Selmani, English and Creative Writing graduate from the University of Birmingham, recommends others to follow her steps: “I would definitely recommend people sharing their books – I’ve actually ordered some stickers from their site so I can leave my own books on the underground for people to find it! It is very novel (pardon the pun) and interesting to people I suppose.”
With its aim of getting people to read more, to encourage sharing and brighten someone’s day when finding a book, Books on the Underground has not only fascinated Londoners but other international communities. Indeed, Books on the Underground and Books on the Subway have broadened their influences upon other main cities of the globe like Sydney with Books on the Rail (2016) and Books on the L in Chicago (2014).
But, is it making a real change in our society? Cordelia Oxley and her team of Book Fairies are realistic. She admits that with over 4 million people travelling the tube each day and them dropping around 100 books “it’s unlikely to change the behaviour of commuters. That said, it’s those individuals that respond positively that make it all worthwhile.”
However, this cultural experiment provides greater access to a wider variety of books that London travellers may not have initially chosen to buy. So why, shouldn’t we, lucky travellers believe in the chancer? Someone may just grab a copy and be unwittingly dragged back into the magical world of imagination, where anything is possible. How wonderful.
Commuting has never been more exciting. Like finding an Easter egg on an Easter egg hunt, thousands of people follow the clues given by the Book Fairies to find their treasure, as simple as a book. And there I am, in the middle of that hunt, with huge bags under my eyes, when I spot a copy of How Blue is my Valley by Jean Gill on my Northern line tube.
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