BookCrossing in a nutshell

what is BookCrossing?

BookCrossing is the act of releasing books "into the wild" and then following their journeys and the lives they touch. BookCrossing.com is the website that makes it all possible.

when did it start?

The BookCrossing idea was conceived in March of 2001, and the website was launched about four weeks later, on April 17, 2001. Growth the first eleven months was slow, with only about 100 new members each month. That all changed in March of 2002 with a one-page story in Book magazine, which started an avalanche of media attention that continues today. The result of the great press and the great idea is that now around 200 new BookCrossers sign up at the website each day.

who is doing it?

The 858.518 BookCrosser who have registered 6.300.279 books (as of 07-05-2010) come from all age and demographic categories. Membership at the website is free, so all that is required is access to the internet and a love for BookCrossing.

where are they doing it?

BookCrossing is a global phenomenon, with members from over 130 countries from Antarctica to Zimbabwe. Of course, the United States leads with the biggest part of the members. But the community in Europe grows day by day. Books know no geographical boundaries, and are often released at overseas travel destinations.

how does it work?

BookCrossers register their books at the website so that each has its own BCID (BookCrossing ID number), which is used to "tag" or label the book. People who "catch" a wild book follow the instructions on the label to go to www.bookcrossing.com to see where the book has been and to make a new journal entry so that other BookCrossers know it's in good hands. After they have read it (or even not ;-), they release it again on park benches, in coffee shops, in phone booths... as long as other can find it.

why are they doing it?

BookCrossing combines serendipity, adventure, altruism and literature in an unique mix that true bibliophiles find irresistible. With its similarity to releasing messages in a bottle, or notes in helium balloons, BookCrossing harkens back fond childhood memories. Also, you can see BookCrossing as a worldwide free library.

The Site: www.bookcrossing.com

At present, the BookCrossing-Site is in english only. But you'll find some fora in specific languages.

Also, there does exist wonderful support pages in many languages - all information is collected here on this european support site.

If you've found a book with a BCID, you don't have to journal it in english, at least not, if the book is a non-english one. Just use the language you're grown up with - in this community we're helping each other with translating, if we want to know any details *g*

So, register some books and let them free! See how they travel and most of all, share you bookloving with others at www.bookcrossing.com!

Be a part of it!

This text has already been translated in many languages! Feel free to download and use them!

(This text has been found @ BookCrossing.com and modified a bit for your information)