The first book in a chain....

Welcome to the Chain Books Blog. This is an experiment in communal book lending, and I wish to encourage readers to not only share the amount of signatures inside of chain books they have found, but also start their own chain books in their area.

So, what is a "Chain Book"? Well, a chain book is a book that must not be kept, but rather continually lent and borrowed, all the while collecting the names, or pseudonyms, of all of the people who have borrowed and read them.

What to do if you've found or borrowed a "Chain Book": First of all, read it! Once you have finished reading it, sign your name in the cover (or where ever there is room without obscuring the content of the book), then let someone else borrow it, though you might want to inform them they are getting a chain book. If you don't know anyone who wants to borrow it, simply drop it off at your favorite coffee shop, or other "book swap" location.

What if I don't want to pass on this book? Contrary to the letters from which their name is borrowed, chain books won't cause you some horrible misfortune; no serial killer is going to jump out of your closet with a bunch of monkies or something, however, you will forever have to live with the knowledge that you are an insufferable wet blanket. That is UNLESS! you start a new chain book to replace it.

Well how do I start a new "Chain Book"? Well that's easy. Simply stop by your nearest literary retailer, or dig through your bookshelf for a book you don't mind parting with. Write the rules down in the front cover, followed by your name and the URL back here. Send me an E-mail with the name and author of the book, your name (or pseudonym), and the city & state you are starting in.

Here is a shortened version of the rules for you to write, or make-up your own version, so long as the gist is the same:

"Congratulations! You've found/been lent a chain book! Once you have read the book pass it on to a friend or leave it in a coffee shop after writing your name in it. Let's see how many signatures appear before this book winds up forgotten on some shelf somewhere or falls apart."

Here is the first book I've sent on it's way.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
Started in Sacramento, CA by Mandy Brown

If you've found and read this chain book and would like to have your name added to an online version of the signatures list, leave a comment and let me know! Hey, maybe you could tell me where you found it, or who loaned it to you while you're at it. Who knows?


Have fun, Book Lovers!