Me and some of the books from Edinbooks - August 2009, Photo courtesy of Richard Dyson @half_a_mind
I’m a great lover of books. I’m constantly giving them as gifts and filling my arms at Waterstone’sand charity shops. The thing is, my bookcases could no longer cope. So, I decided to pass my books around, to set them free into the big wide world and see how far they travel. On Saturday 28 June 2009, with the help of a friend, I dropped 100 books all over the city of Edinburgh. The result was interesting, in addition to driving visitors to the blog, people have donated over 600 books and volunteered to help distribute them all over the city on Saturday 15th August 2009, during the height of the Edinburgh festival.
So, if you happen to find a book, lonely on a bench in at Waverley Station, at the Botanical Gardens, in a pub in Leith or in the back of a taxi, pick it up, take it home, visit the site, pass it on…,
I’ll be Tweeting book drops and pictures throughout the day, so have fun and happy reading!
Remember: If you want to donate or get involved, DM me on Twitter: @cityferret Tag: #Edinbooks
or email at: cityferret@yahoo.co.uk
10 Comments
June 28, 2009 at 7:45 am
Hi there – found one of your books yesterday on top of a bus ticket machine near Ocean Terminal. It’s David Ambrose – Superstition. Looks good so will have a read and set it free once again!
Currently it’s in captivity in Glasgow.
Will let you know when it gets set free!
June 28, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Hi Alex – Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I hope you enjoy the book and look forward to hearing where it lands next. – Eliza
June 28, 2009 at 12:19 pm
I found one of your books in the early hours of this morning – Gerald Hammond’s Into the Blue. I found it outside the Malmaison on the bench in the hand of “Bob” as we call him. It is currently being read in the Shore – will pass it on once finished. Great idea and hope to find more books.
June 28, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Natalie – I’ll be releasing more books into the wold next month on a much larger scale. Come back and visit the site for details on the date and hints on location – suspect “Bob” will lend an hand again. Happy Reading! – Eliza
August 1, 2009 at 5:48 am
Left the book in George Square to (hopefully) be picked up!
Wasn’t too bad a read either…..
August 1, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Thanks Alex! I hope you’ll be in Edinburgh on the 15th to potentially find a new one!
-Eliza
August 15, 2009 at 11:58 am
Have you had a book at Bookcrossing? Very similar idea to what you’re doing: http://www.bookcrossing.com
August 15, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Hi, myself and my son found Ratcatcher by James McGee outside the Oxfam record shop in Stockbridge, what a lovely surprise! Thank you. Will read and pass on.
August 16, 2009 at 9:38 am
I have found The Beach by Alex Garland in the international book festival, near the children book store. I am reading it, Thank you.
Fantastic project.
August 17, 2009 at 8:46 am
Dear Ms. Ferret – I found one of your books next to a rubbish bin on Sandport St. As a book lover myself, I was shocked that someone had disposed of a book this way, rather than passing it on to a charity shop, so I picked it up, then saw the label. I am not a Catherine Cookson fan but may give it a try – and will certainly find it a better home, perhaps back across the Water with Bob on the Bench.
Amy on the Shore