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Book vending machines

PARIS: Parisian book-lovers desirous of a dose of Dumas in the dead of night or some Stendhal on a Sunday can turn to a new development in automated distribution — the book vending machine. Five bright yellow Livre a toute heure machines, stocking 25 contemporary and classic titles, have been installed around the city over the past six weeks, the latest in the cavernous Chatelet metro station. ``People have cravings for literature just as they do for bars of chocolate, fizzy drinks or all the other things you can now buy from machines,'' said Xavier Chambon of the bookshop chain Maxi-Livres. ``These vendors mean it's as if our stores were open 24 hours a day.'' He said most customers knew what they wanted and were prepared to venture forth ``at all hours'' to get it. Among the titles on offer are Homer's Odyssey and Alice in Wonderland, but also practical books such as 100 Delicious Recipes.

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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