A little story about books, sharing and the Little Free Libraries…
If you love books, there is a pure joy to be found in stumbling across a box of books being offered to a good home for free. Having a rummage, picking up the books, ruffling the pages, reading the back cover, you can often come across a gem or two. Books are so wonderfully designed to have and almost endless lifespan. Unless you drop one in the bath and it disintegrates, one single book can be passed and enjoyed by generations of readers and to be able to share our books and make way for new adventures is a lovely thing.
In the spirit of sharing and bringing communities together through a love of books, some people have taken this concept to a whole new level. Have you ever spotted a village library housed in an old phone box? Or a little wooden bus shelter with built-in shelves full of books? These increasingly popular free libraries are popping up all over the place where community spirited, organized and kindly folk have taken it upon themselves to bring together a collection of books which you can help yourself to, more often than not on the basis that you will add a book you no longer need to the collection. Take a book. Share a book.
This simple, mutually beneficial concept of sharing books has been on the increase for some time, popularized by the non-profit organization ‘The Little Free Library’, which grew from a humble community book sharing collection in a small town in Wisconsin, to a worldwide phenomenon. They estimate that in 2022 there were 150,000 registered Little Free Libraries in 120 countries. This rapid spread is no doubt partly due to budget cuts affecting the mainstream libraries in our communities and the inevitable closure of many public libraries. The adoption of the concept of Little Free Libraries has proven to be a wonderful way to spread the love of books and reading at a very local level. Rural areas particularly benefit as these areas don’t always have any practical access to book borrowing.
In its most basic form, there is definitely a certain magic in unexpectedly coming across a box of freely donated books. I came across one such box on a low, stone wall whilst walking down a very quiet and beautiful lane in Devon. I couldn’t resist a look and even though my family had walked on, I had a few moments to pick up a fantastic book all about walking the length of the South West Coastal Path. It jumped out at me as we have always walked sections of this beautiful path on our holidays and I knew I’d love to learn more.
In my experience, some books seem to come to us for a reason or we find their themes particularly resonate or stay with us. On this occasion, being in the South West with my family, this book has stayed with me and become a special memento of time well spent, particularly resonating with my love of the sea, the Devon coastline and the simple pleasure of walking. And I’m grateful to the person who thoughtfully left it there for me to find.
So, the next time you come across a shabby little cardboard box of books ‘free to a good home’ or you find a local community library, a little rummage might be in order. The discovery of a new book and ability to share something you’ve enjoyed with someone else is simplicity in itself, and a real joy.
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