Editing BookCrossing

{{Short description|Book exchange website}}
{{Infobox website
| name            = BookCrossing
| logo            = Bookcrossing.png
| logo_size       = 200px
| logocaption     = Website title of bookcrossing.com
| screenshot      =
| collapsible     =
| collapsetext    =
| caption         =
| url             = {{URL|bookcrossing.com}}
| commercial      = No
| type            =
| registration    = Yes
| language        = Multilanguage
| num_users       =
| content_license =
| owner           =
| author          =
| editor          =
| launch_date     = {{Start date and age|2001|4|21}}
| revenue         =
| current_status  =
| footnotes       = 
}}
[[File:Leipzig Bookcrossing.jpg|thumb|A Bookcrossing in [[Leipzig]] southwest of [[Berlin|Berlin, Germany]], December 2009]]
[[File:BookcrossingLyon.jpg|thumb|Bookcrossing in [[Lyon]] northeast of [[Nîmes|Nîmes, France]], May 2006]]
[[File:Bookcrossing Kozminski University in Warsaw 2019a.jpg|thumb|A Bookcrossing at [[Kozminski University]] in [[Warsaw]], May 2019]]

'''BookCrossing''' (also known as '''BC''', '''BCing''' or '''BXing''') is defined as the practice of leaving a [[book]] in a [[public place]] to be 'caught' by others, who may then do likewise. The term is derived from [https://www.bookcrossing.com bookcrossing.com], a free online book community which was founded in 2001 to encourage the practice, aiming to "make the whole world a library."

The "crossing" or exchanging of books may take any of a number of forms, including the 'wild-release' of a book in public places (when the receiver of the book is unknown), controlled release (when the receiver of the book is known) with other members of the websites, or "book rings" in which books travel in a set order to participants who want to read a certain book. The community aspect of BookCrossing.com has grown and expanded in ways which were not expected at the outset, in the form of blog or forum discussions, mailing lists, and holding annual conventions throughout the world.

==History==
The idea for what is now known as BookCrossing was conceived in March 2001<ref name="sitesay">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2002-09-11-book-crossing_x.htm|title=Site Says 'If you Love a Book, Set it Free'|access-date=2008-03-27|date=2002-09-11|author=Dan Nephin|work=USA Today}}</ref> by Ron Hornbaker in the US. Business partners and co-founders Bruce and Heather Pedersen<ref name="bookcrossing-official">{{cite web|url=http://www.bookcrossing.com/management|title=BookCrossing.com Management|author=BookCrossing.com}}</ref> collaborated with Hornbaker to launch BookCrossing.com on April 21, 2001.<ref name="bookcrossing-init">{{cite web|url=http://www.bookcrossing.com/faqs|title=BookCrossing.com FAQs|author=BookCrossing.com|access-date=2016-01-18}}</ref> Both Bruce and Hornbaker have been veterinarians and Heather was a stockbroker.

After two years the website had over 113,000 members and by 2004 it was prominent enough to be referenced in an episode of the [[Australia]]n [[soap opera]] ''[[Neighbours]]''.<ref name="neighbours">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/5/1333159|title=tv show neighbours promotes bookcrossing|access-date=2008-04-04|date=2004-11-15|author=mattster27|work=bookcrossing.com}}</ref> In the same year it appeared as a new word in the ''[[Concise Oxford Dictionary]],''<ref name="coed">{{cite book | title=Concise Oxford English Dictionary| last=Soanes| first=Catherine|author2=Angus Stevenson| year=2006| publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> although as of 2017, only the [[Collins English Dictionary|Collins English dictionary]] retained it as a word.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bookcrossing|title = Bookcrossing definition and meaning &#124; Collins English Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lexico.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981206143509/http://www.lexico.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 6, 1998|title=Definitions, Meanings, & Spanish Translations &#124; Lexico.com|website=Lexico Dictionaries &#124; English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.macmillandictionary.com/spellcheck/british/?q=bookcrossing|title=bookcrossing definition from Macmillan Dictionary: Free British English English Dictionary Online with Thesaurus}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/spellcheck/english/?q=bookcrossing|title=bookcrossing - Did you spell it correctly. Alternative spellings in the British English Dictionary - Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref>

Membership surpassed one million by March 2012 and the registered book count exceeded 8.5 million. By November 2019, there were over 1.9 million members and over 13 million books travelling through 132 countries,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bookcrossing.com/about|title=About Book Crossing Popularity|access-date=2019-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108085715/https://www.bookcrossing.com/about|archive-date=2019-11-08}}</ref> of which over 25 thousand books newly "released in the wild" in the previous month across over 60 countries, with over 80% of the books being released in the 8 most active countries (Germany, United States, Spain, Italy, Australia, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Brazil), while 30 countries had seen a book release in the previous 3 days.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bookcrossing.com/hunt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108085616/https://www.bookcrossing.com/hunt|title=Hunt for books|date=2019-11-08|archive-date=2019-11-08}}</ref>

In July 2007 [[Singapore]] became the first country to give the practice official status, designating 2,000 locations in the country as 'hotspots', similar to Official BookCrossing Zones (OBCZ), in an initiative launched with the [[National Library, Singapore|National Library of Singapore]].<ref name="sing">{{Cite web|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/285965/1/.html|title=Singapore is First BookCrossing Country in the World|access-date=2008-03-28|date=2007-07-03|author=Foo Xiao Xuan|work=Singapore News|archive-date=2008-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510130010/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/285965/1/.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The world's first official International BookCrossing Day took place on 21 April 2014. BookCrossing is actively developing in the countries of Eastern Europe, in particular Ukraine since 2021 in small and large cities.<ref>{{Cite web|title=У Чернівцях організували буккросинг, проте вандали вже встигли понищити одну зі скриньок - chernivtsi-future.com.ua|url=https://chernivtsi-future.com.ua/uk/news-u-chernivczyah-organizuvaly-bukkrosyng-prote-vandaly-vzhe-vstygly-ponyshhyty-odnu-zi-skrynok|access-date=2021-12-14|language=uk}}</ref>

===Awards===
In May 2005 BookCrossing.com won two People's Voice awards in the [[Webby Awards]] for best community website and best social/networking website.<ref name="webbc">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bookcrossing.com/newscontent/137 |title=9th Annual Webby Awards: BookCrossing.com Named Best Community Website and Best Social/Networking Website in the People's Voice Awards |access-date=2008-03-28 |date=2005-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080324082714/http://www.bookcrossing.com/newscontent/137 |archive-date=2008-03-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> BookCrossing was also featured in a [[BBC Radio]] project broadcast as 84 Book Crossing Road, which involved releasing 84 copies of [[Helene Hanff]]'s book ''[[84 Charing Cross Road]]'' around the world. The program was nominated for a [[Sony Radio Academy Awards|Sony Radio Academy Award]] in 2006.<ref name="sraa">{{Cite web|url=http://www.radioawards.org/winners/?category=The_Feature_Award&year=2006|title=Sony Radio Academy Awards|access-date=2008-03-28|year=2006}}</ref>

==Process==
[[File:Bookcrossing Flatiron Building.JPG|thumb|An example of Bookcrossing, where a book is left on a public table for someone to take. A [[Jane Austen]] book is placed outside the [[Flatiron Building]]. October 2008]]

Anyone who wishes to officially participate in "releasing" books, whether leaving in a public place or passing it on to a friend, may register on the BookCrossing.com website,<ref name="freec">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/03/16/sv_freeculture.xml|title=Free Culture| access-date=2008-03-28| date=2008-03-16| work=The Telegraph | location=London | first1=Horatia | last1=Harrod | first2=Marianna | last2=Walker}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> although there is the option to remain anonymous when "catching" or recording the find of a book. BookCrossing.com users can 'go hunting', where a member will go to the website to view a list of books that have recently been "released", then go to the location it was left to "catch" it.

Books may also be left at "Official BookCrossing Zones" (OBCZs), which are in certain coffee shops, cafes, and restaurants, or other public places. The purpose of the zones is to motivate current members in the area to leave books to share with the public. It advertises BookCrossing and adds more members.<ref name="spi">{{Cite web|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/books/138088_bookcrossing05.html|title=Readers are Leaving a Trail of Free Books All Over the Place|access-date=2008-03-27|date=2003-09-05|author=Rebekah Denn|work=The Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref>

==Conventions==
There is a BookCrossing anniversary convention every April,<ref name="con">{{cite web|url=http://www.bookcrossing.com/convention|title=BookCrossing - Conventions|access-date=2010-12-02}}</ref> where BookCrossers go to enjoy organized literary-related events and release books together. 

The location of the convention changes each year; here is a list of past and forthcoming conventions:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!|Location
!|Year
|-
|[[Wageningen]], [[the Netherlands]]
|2025
|-
|[[Tampere, Finland]]
|2024
|-
|[[Falkirk, Scotland]]
|2023
|-
|[[Tampere, Finland]]
|2021—cancelled
|-
|[[Gold Coast, Australia]]
|2020—cancelled
|-
|[[Mainz, Germany]]
|2019
|-
|[[Bordeaux, France]]
|2018
|-
|[[Oslo, Norway]]
|2017
|-
|[[Athens, Greece]]
|2016
|-
|[[Oxford, UK]]
|2015
|-
|[[Melbourne, Australia]]
|2014 
|-
|[[Gothenburg, Sweden]]
|2013
|-
|[[Dublin, Ireland]]
|2012
|-
|[[Washington, D.C.]], United States
|2011
|-
|[[Amsterdam]], [[Netherlands]]
|2010
|-
|[[Christchurch, New Zealand]]
|2009
|-
|[[London]], United Kingdom
|2008
|-
|[[Charleston, SC]], United States
|2007
|-
|[[Toronto, Canada]]
|2006
|-
|[[Fort Worth, TX]], USA
|2005
|-
|[[St. Louis, MO]], USA
|2004
|-
|}

Many unofficial conventions or "un-conventions" take place at other locations and times throughout the year,<ref name="uncon">{{cite web|url=http://uncon2010boston.com/about/|title=About BookCrossing Unconventions|access-date=2010-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628055541/http://www.uncon2010boston.com/about/|archive-date=2010-06-28|url-status=dead}}</ref> making it easier for BookCrossers who cannot travel internationally for the convention, to gather and share their love of books.

==Controversy and criticism==
In 2003, BookCrossing was criticized by the astrologer and novelist Jessica Adams, who claimed that books were being "[[devalued]]" by the website as BookCrossing could lead to lower sales of books and, therefore, the reduction in [[royalties]] being paid to authors.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/books/if-authors-love-books-then-they-should-set-them-free-1-1293703|title=If Authors Love Books, then they Should Set Them Free|last=Crummey| first=Andrey| date=2003-09-13|work=Scotland On Sunday |access-date=2008-12-30}}</ref> Most BookCrossers dispute this argument, however. They claim that the website introduces readers to authors and genres that they have not read before, that the website encourages more people to take up or reclaim reading as a [[hobby]], and that some members, having read a book that they have enjoyed, will buy extra copies to distribute through BookCrossing.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.bookcrossing.com/faqs| title=BookCrossing - Frequently Asked Questions| access-date=2010-11-18}}</ref>{{not in source|date=May 2024}}

In March 2005, Caroline Martin, [[managing director]] of the [[publishers|publisher]] Harper Press, said in a speech that "book publishing as a whole has its very own potential [[Music piracy#Arguments over legality|Napster crisis]] in the growing practice of bookcrossing".<ref name="anov">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/10/16/cclife16.xml|title=A Novel Idea Has Led to Best-Sellers Turning up in the Strangest of Places|access-date=2008-03-27|date=2006-10-15|author=Andrew Cave|work=The Telegraph | location=London}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>  BookCrossers rebutted the link to Napster, saying that while music file sharing involves duplicating audio files countless times, BookCrossing doesn't involve duplicating books (and also does not involve violating copyright, as books can be sold or given away freely without permission of the publisher being needed; copyright, the intellectual property, still remains with the creator or publisher). 

When BookCrossing was first launched, the founder of BookCrossing, Ron Hornbaker, originally wondered if people would make this comparison.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2003/feb/20/books.shopping|title=Finders Keepers|access-date=2008-03-27|date=2003-02-20|author=Clint Witchalls|work=The Guardian | location=London}}</ref>

==List of prominent book crossers==
* [[Richard Bach]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.texaswren.com/authors.html |title=BookCrossing Authors |author= TexasWren |website=TexasWren's BookCrossing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203080851/http://www.texaswren.com/authors.html |archive-date=3 February 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[R. J. Ellory]]<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/tI39NoEzNJo Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20110520175144/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI39NoEzNJo Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI39NoEzNJo |title=What is BookCrossing? |author=IAmBirmingham |date=11 February 2010 |website= YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[Jim Hawkins (radio presenter)|Jim Hawkins]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/JimOnTheRadio |title=JimOnTheRadio's Bookshelf |last=Hawkins |first=Jim |website=BookCrossing }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Div col}}
* [[Book sales club]]
* [[Book swapping]]: contains a list of other book-swapping websites
* [[Gift economy]]
* [[Give-away shop]]
* [[Library]]
* [[Little Free Library]]
* [[Postcrossing]]
* [[Public bookcase]]
* [[Reuse]]
* [[Sharing]]
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|BookCrossing}}
* {{Official|url=http://www.bookcrossing.com/}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bookcrossing}}
[[Category:American social networking websites]]
[[Category:Book swapping]]
[[Category:Book websites]]
[[Category:Internet object tracking]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2001]]