Book vending machines

The history and contemporary use of book vending machines is fascinating, and even though it's something I try to follow closely, I'm always learning about something new. Like the book vending machine at a Toronto used book shop which dispenses a random used book for $2 CAD. ("Collect all 112 million titles," the machine exclaims.)

(Note: we're talking about machines which are stocked with books, similar to a candy or cigarette vending machine. There are also vending machines which print a book fresh on demand when you put in your money, but that's a topic for another day.)

The first book vending machine was an attempt by English bookseller Richard Carlile to circumvent public decency laws in 1822. He used a machine on the outside of his store to dispense copies of "seditious works like Paine's Age of Reason" without risking jail time.

I suspect that the same is true of many later attempts to popularize the book vending machine. Although if the article's author suspects this, he seems to be playing it close to the chest. However, I think the subtext of a 1950s vending machine that dispenses paperback books is clear: It was probably intended to be a distribution method for the hugely popular (and often illegal) pulp fiction genre, including salacious soft-core porn novels.

In an age full of blue laws, these machines would have given retailers the hands-off approach that Carlisle was looking for. It would also have given the buying public a little bit of privacy in their selections. For those who had trouble looking their local bookseller in the eye while buying titles like Strumpet's Jungle or Forbidden.

I would argue that Amazon's Kindle service is the book vending machine of today. It dispenses books with just a few clicks, direct to the Kindle in your hands. Like a vending machine, it's available 24/7, and you don't have to look anyone in the eye when you buy that paranormal romance novel you've been craving.

Image of book vending machine in Heathrow Airport courtesy Flickr/@superamit