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National Book Tokens Whether you’re a casual reader or your bookshelves are overflowing.
First conceived in the 1920s, National Book Tokens started life in 1932 when Harold Raymond, a publisher, noted with dismay that, of the innumerable Christmas gifts received by his friends and family, only three were books.
He questioned the "capacity for giving pleasure" of many of the presents received, commenting that surely a book is more welcome a gift than a "hatpin, ornament, photo frame…or ashtray".
His conclusion was that the chief difficulty people found when giving a book was the fear of getting the wrong book, a fear he assumed did not "apply equally to cigarettes or powder puffs".
More than 90 years later, his invention is going strong, helping people across the UK and Ireland to share their love of books with friends and family, happy in the knowledge that they have chosen a gift worth giving.