A New Vending Machine Serves up Diverse Books, On Demand

What’s your go-to at your local vending machine? Perhaps a tasty snack, to reward you after a tough day at work. Maybe a cup of coffee, or something cool and refreshing on a hot day. Or how about your next favorite book?

For students at the Linlithgow Academy in Scotland, it’s quickly becoming the latter. Leading publishers Penguin Random House have gifted their own special vending machine to the school, close to the Scottish capital at Edinburgh. Now, students and staff members are able to pick up a great new book, immediately, with just a few touches of the machine’s keypad.

And not just any books. The 70 titles in the vending machine come from Penguin’s Lit in Colour reading lists – a collection of volumes designed to showcase diverse and sometimes marginalized voices in the world of literature.

Linlithgow’s Lit in Colour Vending Machine

It was August 27th, 2024 when Linlithgow’s Lit in Colour vending machine was opened for business for the first time. Among those present at the grand opening was Jackie Kay, Scotland’s former poet laureate, and author of Red Dust Road, among other books. This was an especially proud moment for Jackie – some of her works are among the books available for purchase.

The Lit in Colour scheme was launched after research from the Runnymede Trust found that below 1% of students aged between 14 and 16 had studied any work from a writer of color as part of their school curriculum. By placing vending machines packed with diverse books in schools, Penguin – in partnership with the Runnymede Trust – is working to change this.

An Exciting Opportunity for Students

As part of the launch of the new book vending machine, Jackie Kay sat down with education manager Lesley Nelson-Addy at the Runnymede Trust. The two spoke about the unique opportunity these vending machines represent.

“Having a vending machine for books is really exciting,” Jackie said during the discussion. “I think it’s a novel idea and a wonderful way to introduce people to books they might not have come across otherwise.”

This is particularly exciting for students at Linlithgow Academy. The school was one of 800 who applied to join the program, so there was stiff competition in the application process. Now beginning a new academic year, students at Linlithgow are already enjoying works from the likes of Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Toni Morrison, and many others.

The History of the Book Vending Machine

While this seems like an exciting new idea – and, of course, it is – book vending machines actually have a longer history than you might expect. In fact, Penguin has been among the pioneers of book vending machines for the best part of a century.

Penguin Books first emerged back in 1935, and vending machines very quickly made their way onto the agenda. Only two years later, Penguin’s co-founder Allen Lane announced the Penguincubator – a ground-breaking book vending machine that appeared on London’s Charing Cross Road in 1935.

Rumour has it that Allen had been visiting legendary mystery author Agatha Christie when he found himself in an ironic position on his return journey from Exeter St Davids station – he had nothing to read. This was in 1934, and it proved to be the spark of inspiration he needed to begin the Penguin Books imprint. Because of this moment, one of the first Penguin vending machines was placed at this very same station, several years later.

Penguin Book Vending Machines Across the United Kingdom

In 2023, 89 years after Allen Lane found himself at a loose end in Exeter, Penguin Books decided to do something special. They installed a new vending machine at Exeter’s St Davids station, commemorating both the birthplace of Penguin itself, and the location of one of its first vending machines.

But it’s not just Exeter train station and the Linlithgow where you can enjoy the super-convenient experience of picking up a book on the move. Penguin has also been installing similar vending machines at other libraries around the country. In 2023, Penguin gave the United Kingdom’s train stations a chance to apply for a vending machine of their own. The only proviso – the station must not already have a bookshop on-site.

In 2024, Penguin plans to launch four vending machines in schools across the country. As well as the machine at Linlithgow, Penguin unveiled one at Fossdene Primary School in Greenwich, London in September. Two more are scheduled for launch at schools before the end of the year.

Following on from the early successes, Penguin plans to launch more of their library vending machines in various locations across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in the new year. It’s never been easier to broaden your reading horizons and dive into a new book.