Zoe Williams says that since the King’s Cross fire it has been against fire-safety regulations to have combustible material in any part of a station (My beloved tube station book-swap has gone. Who’s to blame for its passing?, 18 March). My own tube station, Willesden Green, is an “above-ground” station with two wide exits at street level, beside one of which the bookshelf was situated, so even in the very unlikely circumstance of the books catching fire, there would be no danger to station users. And perhaps someone can explain why, if two dozen paperbacks constitute a fire hazard, large piles of free newspapers do not.
The book-share at Willesden Green was a much-loved community resource, especially for the growing number who cannot afford to buy books these days. And our local library (like too many others) was closed long ago, so free books are valuable to many. I regularly saw elderly people browsing the shelves, as well as mothers with small children (children’s books were regularly deposited). I enjoyed passing on books I’d read myself – as well as serendipitously discovering new writers. So a rethink of the ban, at all those stations where books can be deposited safely, is needed.
Gill Saunders
London
I was surprised that Zoe Williams was so accepting of the closure of the tube station book swaps. As Ray Bradbury revealed, it is very challenging to set a closed book on fire (451F heat needed). At Oval, my local tube station, there are rarely more than 10 books on the shelves, such is the popularity of the scheme. Plus they are displayed in an open area, so not much of a fire hazard. Zoe misses how democratic the scheme is. A lot of people are intimidated by bookshops or libraries and they open for far fewer hours then the tube does.
We know there is a literacy crisis in this country, and everything should be done to encourage book ownership. These books are free, often include children’s books, and there is no imagined judgment of your choice. They also lead to many quick conversations about the books, which can help to assuage loneliness. It is a wonderful scheme and I hope the fire officers’ concerns can be dealt with and the books returned.
Veronica Porter
London
