Anthropic · Claude · Canada · U.S. · The Guardian Technology
Secondhand booksellers in UK and Ireland suspect AI firms behind ‘strange’ bulk orders
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◎ Multiple-sources
Secondhand booksellers in the UK and Ireland are reporting a flurry of bulk orders from mystery buyers, amid speculation AI companies are acquiring the tomes for their data.
Key facts
- A recent order included requests for an Estonian translation of John le Carré’s The Mission Song, a copy of Anne Brontë’s Agnes Grey from a specific imprint and the October 1983 edition of Warship
- David Gower-Spence, the owner of BookLovers of Bath, said he had received a rush of orders between May and July for about 200 books from buyers who have also been cited by other sellers contacted
- One, the Canada-based Zoom Books, which has featured in other media reports, describes itself as “North America’s leading book recycling company
- Jim Shaughnessy, the owner of MW Books in Claregalway, Ireland, said his business had been receiving large, varied orders
Summary
Bookshops contacted by the Guardian say they have been receiving orders from buyers in the US, Canada, continental Europe and the UK. Stuart Manley, the co-owner of Barter Books in Alnwick, Northumberland, said the orders, which began arriving three months ago, were unusual because they did not follow the typical pattern of being grouped into themes such as sport or motoring. “It’s definitely a strange combination of books,” said Manley. A recent order included requests for an Estonian translation of John le Carré’s The Mission Song, a copy of Anne Brontë’s Agnes Grey from a specific imprint and the October 1983 edition of Warship, a monthly magazine.