In 2005 this lifelong Bookworm joined a world-wide, online community, and movement, still in its infancy, but growing in popularity by the day.
Bookcrossing.
In Fall 2008 I ended 3 years as an active member, for a variety of reasons, mostly due to work, and time, and my activities as a blogger.
I remained a member, with the vague notion of returning to it at some point.
Last Spring, though, it looked like I wasn't, especially after I broke my ankle.
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to return, and with a Library that had a 24/7 shelf outside it's doors, where you could find books for a dime, and toss your money in a wall slot, I had a cheap way to build up my stock of books to set free on the world to be read , most of them, for the first time in decades. :-D
In the last 2 months I've collected 69 books, only a handful as much as $1.75 in cost.
So what is Bookcrossing?
Let me update a post I last wrote in 2007, for 2011:
Bookcrossing is avery cool, very stimulating and edumicational community
As the site says: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single release."
In April 2001 Ron Hornbaker launched a website to share his love of a good book.
The idea is a simple one: Read a book, then instead of tossing it in the trash, giving it to the library, or to a friend, or relative, or to Goodwill, pass it on to a total stranger!
Do this by leaving it on a park bench, in the breakroom at work, on a bus, or train seat, in an office waiting room, a public restroom, or in any number of other public places where the little, or not so little, darling will be found.
Outfitted with a special bookplate, tracking number and a note explaining the concept so the next person will know what to do if so inclined, the book can be tracked as it randomly travels from city to city and even nation to nation, around the world.
Over 946,498 people have "released" over 8 million books "into the wild" as of this evening, and the term "bookcrossing" has its own category in the Google Directory, as well as being listed in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary.
This award winning community is one of the most respected and popular gathering places online.
When a book is "Caught" the finder follows notification instructions and can leave a journal entry and the person who released the book can get notified by e-mail about the books latest encounter.
One of the many fun aspects is that you can be a "Hunter".
There is a list of countries with books "in the wild." After registering and releasing a book, members have the option of making Release Notes, specifying where exactly (or approximately) they left a book.
There are actually people traipsing around looking for a particular book!
This is very similar to those folks leaving, finding and cataloging, hidden items in the wilderness, in the activity called Geocaching.
While membership is free there is a supply store for purchasing Official bookplates of various types and cost, if you don't want to make one of your own.
There are also Bookcrossing Conventions and Monthly Meetings in cities everywhere.
There is much more to this worldwide community of book lovers, and newspapers, and magazines, are always coming late to the phenomenon, and writing rapturous stories about it. :-D
Such as this one I found by the NY Times, in 2007.
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