National Book Tokens began 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”.
Over 75 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.
On display in our gallery are eight decades of Book Token designs including our new National Book Tokens Gift Card, each accompanied by a brief historical commentary to help provide context.
