Word Travels

Bibliophiles around the world will appreciate the feeling of having too many books, and no doubt many of us may have resolved in the New Year to slim our collection. Shaheryar Malik has taken this to a whole new level: he has given away his entire book collection.

If, like me, you recoiled in horror when reading that, allow me to reveal his reasons why. Met with the urge to take a selfie on the Brooklyn Bridge, he was struck by a thought: why take the same picture that everyone else does, why not try something different? Instead of taking a picture of yourself in aplace, he thought that by putting a selection of books in that location people would be transported to a different world by reading.

Therefore a year ago, Shaheryar left randomly assorted forty-book stacks in various locations of New York, leaving the most unusual title on the top of the pile. Not sticking around, he is unaware of the immediate reactions of passers-by to his offerings, however he has since received emails from people across thirty countries so far.

Original article from The Guardian.

Kelly, Publishing Assistant