Book Vouchers

I love being given a book voucher. I head to a bookshop and can, guilt-free, have all the joy of choosing a book. It’s always a fabulous present!

But have you ever wondered about the history of book vouchers (or book tokens as they are called in the UK)? They were first thought of in the 1920s, when publisher Harold Raymond was depressed that out of the 119 Christmas presents he received, only 3 were books. Many of the items he was given had little “capacity for giving pleasure”. The chief difficulty of purchasing a book for someone, he decided, was the worry that they might already have a copy of that same book, or simply might lack interest in whatever the giver has selected. So, in 1932, he created the first book token. It had taken him a while to persuade book stores around Britain to participate in his scheme. The initial vouchers were a ‘lick and stick’ stamp, which then evolved into a slip of paper or card which stated the amount to be spent. In 2010, bar-coded gift cards appeared, and they are still in use today. Early ones had no expiry date on them.

Such a simple idea, and so effective. Book vouchers support bookshops by ensuring the gift is a book (were money handed over instead, it could end up being spent on something of which the giver disapproves), and they give the recipient endless choice of books and lots of fun in the choosing. As Harold Raymond stated, “The present is in a measure earmarked. Fred regards the book he acquires as Uncle John’s Christmas gift, and Uncle John is further satisfied in the thought that a postal order for the same amount would probably have been converted into chocolate or cigarettes.”

But what is the future of the book token? In the past, one visited an accredited book shop and spent it. Now, with powerful retailers such as Amazon (which sells books, but also so much else), and huge shops such as K-Mart selling books more cheaply than bookshops can, perhaps book vouchers are in danger of becoming irrelevant? I hope not!