Book token
Encyclopedia
A book token is a form of gift voucher
redeemable in participating bookshops as an alternative to cash
, as a means of exchange in a transaction involving the purchase of a book
or books.
The first book token was launched in the UK
in 1932. It was invented by Harold Raymond, an English publisher who found at a Christmas in the 1920s that his friends had received a collective total of three books out of 119 total gifts. This book token has now grown into one of the largest multi-retail gift vouchers and was renamed "National Book Tokens" in 2000, the year the token was also sold online for the first time by firstbookshop.com.
National book token gift voucher schemes also run in the United States
, Australia
, New Zealand
, the Netherlands
and Norway
.
Voucher
A voucher is a bond which is worth a certain monetary value and which may be spent only for specific reasons or on specific goods. Examples include housing, travel, and food vouchers...
redeemable in participating bookshops as an alternative to cash
Cash
In common language cash refers to money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins.In bookkeeping and finance, cash refers to current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-immediately...
, as a means of exchange in a transaction involving the purchase of a book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
or books.
The first book token was launched in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1932. It was invented by Harold Raymond, an English publisher who found at a Christmas in the 1920s that his friends had received a collective total of three books out of 119 total gifts. This book token has now grown into one of the largest multi-retail gift vouchers and was renamed "National Book Tokens" in 2000, the year the token was also sold online for the first time by firstbookshop.com.
National book token gift voucher schemes also run in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.