PAPERBACK RIDER

Now approaching the platform: the written word. Starting this week, vending machines in London Undergound stations will spit out short stories by classic authors such as Evelyn Waugh and P. G. Wodehouse, for just [Pound sterling]1. But will it catch on? After a trial run, one potential reading rider said: "They're a great idea, if the machine worked. It stole my pound!" It might be a good idea to bring along your own paperback until they smooth out the edges.