Jane Austen was a fan of private book-lending stores.

More than two centuries later, the model is still thriving in India where circulating libraries are helping feed a voracious reading habit https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-14/how-india-s-circulating-libraries-feed-its-reading-habit?taid=6a83a534659d87000122b9fb&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter