Hi there, new here?
Welcome to BookCrossing, are you wondering how to request a book?
by MoemMarch 8, 2008
This article is for new members, who have just joined the site and are wondering how to 'request' or 'reserve' a BookCrossing book. If that's you, then hello, and welcome again!
You may have seen books listed as 'Available' on other members' bookshelves and maybe one of them makes you curious, or is even precisely the book you've been looking for. What to do next? Please read on...
The first thing you need to know is that this site isn't really about getting books. You see, it's mainly a tracking site. It's about sharing your books with the world, often by leaving them in public places for others to find, and following their journeys.
Even though some books are marked as 'Available', Available doesn't always mean that you can have it; it may well mean 'available for the member who registered it for release in any way they see fit'.
Or it may mean 'Available, but I'm not going to send it anywhere; I might hand it over to you in person at a meeting, though'.
That said, some of our members do swap amongst each other and set up trades. They usually do that through the Wish List forum. And if you like the idea of reading a book and sending it on to the next reader, try the Bookrings, -Rays and -Boxes forum. (The FAQs will explain all these terms, you'll find the link at the bottom of every page.)
And yes, it's quite possible to find a book out in the wild, although you'll need some luck. You can go through the Go Hunting link on the Books&People tab (see top of page), browse for your location and see if there are any books out there that other members near you have released. Of course, many of them get picked up quickly, so there's no guarantee that the book will still be there. But it's fun, and you might get lucky.
Another option to get a book is to go to an Official BookCrossing Zone. You'll find a list of them here.
It's like hunting in a game reserve ;-)
Here's an article that might be helpful to you. It explains that you can send a message to other members and inquire about a book that's on their bookshelf, but you shouldn't just ask anyone without making sure about a thing or two in advance. And you'll find a forum posting about the Wish List forum etiquette by clicking here.
And finally: Welcome to BookCrossing, once more! This is not a 'get all the books you can eat for free' site, but in other ways it has a lot to offer, and I hope you'll join in and enjoy it. We're glad you're here!
You may have seen books listed as 'Available' on other members' bookshelves and maybe one of them makes you curious, or is even precisely the book you've been looking for. What to do next? Please read on...
The first thing you need to know is that this site isn't really about getting books. You see, it's mainly a tracking site. It's about sharing your books with the world, often by leaving them in public places for others to find, and following their journeys.
Even though some books are marked as 'Available', Available doesn't always mean that you can have it; it may well mean 'available for the member who registered it for release in any way they see fit'.
Or it may mean 'Available, but I'm not going to send it anywhere; I might hand it over to you in person at a meeting, though'.
That said, some of our members do swap amongst each other and set up trades. They usually do that through the Wish List forum. And if you like the idea of reading a book and sending it on to the next reader, try the Bookrings, -Rays and -Boxes forum. (The FAQs will explain all these terms, you'll find the link at the bottom of every page.)
And yes, it's quite possible to find a book out in the wild, although you'll need some luck. You can go through the Go Hunting link on the Books&People tab (see top of page), browse for your location and see if there are any books out there that other members near you have released. Of course, many of them get picked up quickly, so there's no guarantee that the book will still be there. But it's fun, and you might get lucky.
Another option to get a book is to go to an Official BookCrossing Zone. You'll find a list of them here.
It's like hunting in a game reserve ;-)
Here's an article that might be helpful to you. It explains that you can send a message to other members and inquire about a book that's on their bookshelf, but you shouldn't just ask anyone without making sure about a thing or two in advance. And you'll find a forum posting about the Wish List forum etiquette by clicking here.
And finally: Welcome to BookCrossing, once more! This is not a 'get all the books you can eat for free' site, but in other ways it has a lot to offer, and I hope you'll join in and enjoy it. We're glad you're here!
