 Website title of bookcrossing.com | |
| Available in | Multilanguage |
|---|---|
| URL | bookcrossing |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | Yes |
| Launched | April 21, 2001 |
BookCrossing (also known as BC, BCing or BXing) is defined as the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be 'caught' by others, who may then do likewise. The term is derived from www.bookcrossing.com, a free online book community which was founded in 2001 to encourage the practice, aiming to "make the whole world a library."
The "crossing" or exchanging of books may take any of a number of forms, including the 'wild-release' of a book in public places (when the receiver of the book is unknown), controlled release (when the receiver of the book is known) with other members of the websites, or "book rings" in which books travel in a set order to participants who want to read a certain book. The community aspect of BookCrossing.com has grown and expanded in ways that were not expected at the outset, in the form of blog or forum discussions, mailing lists and annual conventions throughout the world.