"Brown paper packages, tied up with string - these are a few of my favourite things"

Book Boxes

Over the past few years we have noticed a need from English speaking people living abroad, to access a regular supply of English printed books. Based on our experience we now regularly supply book boxes to readers in need. It's a really exciting thing to receive a box full of books and even better when those books are a mix of long awaited titles and lucky dips, specially selected for you. If you are interested in receiving this service, have a read of the frequently asked questions below and if you are still interested drop us an e-mail for a more detailed service.

How many books are in the box?
What sort of books are they?
What if you send me a book I've already read?
How will you know what I like?
What's to stop you filling the box with titles you can't shift?
I'm concerned that my son isn't reading, can you help?
I don't want to receive a load of tatty old books?
What will this cost?
How will I pay?
How soon do I get my box?
I live in the UK but I still like this idea, can I have a book box?

How many books are in the box?
This depends on you, usually we send around 20 titles but this can be more or less depending on your need. Your first order generally only contains 10 items for your own piece of mind.

What sort of books are they?
That is totally up to you. Some of our clients ask only for specific titles, others let us know their likes and dislikes and then let us choose a range of books to fit that profile. The majority of our boxes are a mix of the two systems, some specific titles requested by you and some titles recommended by us.

What if you send me a book I've already read?
Before we send the box, we send you a list of the contents and ask for your approval. If you see something on the list that you know you won't like or have read before then we will remove it and suggest a replacement.

How will you know what I like?
Before your first order we will ask you to fill out a form that builds up your reading profile. This will be the foundation of our choices, we will then build on that by looking at what specific titles you have asked for and gradually as you use the service more we get a feel for what types of books will appeal. I have been a professional librarian for over 12 years and have a good knack for knowing what suits who, between us, Steve and I have a very large book knowledge and can always come up with something interesting.

What's to stop you filling the box with titles you can't shift?
We will only stock titles that we think you will like, we have a huge stock so we won't need to fill a book with random titles just to make up numbers. You will receive a list prior to purchase, so again you can remove anything you're not happy with and finally if you're not happy you won't use us again and that's not in our best interests!

I'm concerned that my son isn't reading, can you help?
Absolutely. For 5 years I worked in a Secondary school and have no qualms about suggesting books for reluctant readers. All I would ask is that parents accept that I will rarely recommend the "Classics" to a reluctant reader. We want to encourage a love of reading, not send them running in the opposite direction.

I don't want to receive a load of tatty old books.
I don't blame you, I wouldn't either. Our books are second hand (unless you request a new copy) but always in a very good condition. They usually have creases on the spine. When we send you the list of books we will describe their condition alongside. Check our glossary for what the descriptions mean.

What will this cost?
There are three parts to the cost, the first is the service charge which is a flat rate of £10 for up to 20 books. There is the postal charge which we will advise you of when we weigh the box. We usually send using Royal Mail Printed Paper rate. All our deliveries will be traced to ensure that if things go astray we will be able to sort things out quickly. The final part of the charge is for the books themselves. A box of paperbacks will be cheaper than a box of hardbacks. A box of titles suggested by us will cost less than a box of specific titles requested by you.

How will I pay?
We will send you a paypal invoice. It doesn't matter if you don't have a Paypal account you can pay using your credit card through the paypal invoice.

How soon do I get my box?
Depending on what you ask for you should receive your box within a month of your initial request. We do not take payment until the box is ready to be dispatched. Once payment has been made the box should take about a week to get to you.

I live in the UK but I still like this idea, can I have a book box?
Of course you can and the nice thing is that the postal rates will be better for you.

So there we are. An excellent scheme, delivered by professionals, tailored for you. Drop us an e-mail to find out more.

Hurley Books. 3, Jetty Street, Mevagissey. PL26 6UH * 01726 842200 * enquiries@hurleybooks.co.uk