About Us (original) (raw)

“A book is not only a friend, it makes friends for you. When you have possessed a book with mind and spirit, you are enriched. But when you pass it on you are enriched threefold.”

— Henry Miller
The Books In My Life (1969)

What's our mission?

Very simply, we aim to connect people through books.

How do we do it?

Label. Share. Follow. Breath new life into books instead of letting your old favorites collect dust - pass them along to another reader. Our online archival and tracking system allows members to connect with other readers, journal and review literature and trade and follow their books as lives are changed through “reading and releasing”. Users are able to tag and track their individual books by marking them with BCIDs (BookCrossing Identity Numbers). Each BCID is unique to each book – once it’s registered on our site, the book can then be followed and journaled forever. BookCrossing is free to join and free to play. So don't be 'shelf'ish with your books - read and release!

When and how did it start?

Although there were websites tracking things such as dollar bills and pictures, business partner Ron Hornbaker noted that nothing existed for tracking books. After all, books were more than just tangible objects, rather they possessed elements of emotional attachment and strong opinion; books were not only items collected and revered, but were intrinsically shared. This was the nidus that began our journey. With the help of Ron's wife, Kaori, and cofounders Bruce & Heather Pedersen, the site was launched on April 21, 2001. The site remains a fun way to track and share books while connecting people at deeper levels using books as the architecture and glue to facilitate the Great Conversation.

Who Are We?

Located in Idaho, USA, BookCrossing 'HQ' (short for headquarters) is under the leadership of CEO Bruce Pedersen, who is backed by a small yet dedicated Team spread across various locations worldwide.

This includes the management of our BookCrossing Supply Store, which operates from The Netherlands, our Tech Team which is led by Matt in Idaho, USA, and our Support Team which consists of a handful of BookCrossing members spread globally.

We also have our Language Translation Teams who work to make the site available in languages other than English, and also our Region Clean Up Team who work on keeping zones in the Go Hunting pages as uniform and as tidy as they can be.

Our Team's united goal is to enhance our members' experience by promoting literacy, and fostering connections through the tangible medium of books.

Who are BookCrossers?

BookCrossers truly capture what BookCrossing is all about; they’re the heartbeat of this social community. They love books and they love to share them. They tend to be the most generous, innovative, earth-friendly, good-hearted, whimsical, fun and educated people on the face of the planet!

Where in the world is BookCrossing?

There are currently 1,356,175 BookCrossers throughout 132 countries. Here are the top 10 BookCrossing countries (by members registered) as at December 2024:

  1. USA 20.6%
  2. United Kingdom 5.3%
  3. Germany 4.3%
  4. Spain 2.7%
  5. Canada 2.6%
  6. Australia 2.5%
  7. Italy 1.9%
  8. France 1.5%
  9. Netherlands 1.3%
  10. Brazil 0.6%

Is there more to BookCrossing?

“So I can follow my books checked into the World’s Library. That’s cool, but is there more?”

You bet! You can...

Join the World's Library
Manage your bookshelf (both on and offline)
Create customized bookplates for all your books
Hunt for books in your neighborhood or around the world using the “Go Hunting” pages
Chat in the forums about books, authors or anything else
Start an Official BookCrossing Zone (OBCZ) in your library, classroom, office or coffee shop
Connect with Members around the world (on and offline)
Travel to BookCrossing Conventions
Review Journal Entries to determine reading preferences and find great books
Share books with other BookCrossers
Check out the Mapping Feature to see where books have been
Participate in a Random Act of BookCrossing Kindness (RABCK)
Mentor a BookCrossing Newbie
Read our Newsletter for the latest and greatest in the book world
Send virtual gifts to your BookCrossing friends and family
Enter contests and win cool prizes
Involve yourself in a themed release
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X.com, and/or Mastodon