Something mysterious has been happening in the world of secondhand books. Independent booksellers have noticed a strange pattern of purchases, with massive orders from AI companies shipping away their novels. In one recent week, Stuart Manley of Barter Books saw a single bulk order equal the sales he’d expect over seven days.

Mr Manley and other booksellers suspect that their books are not being bought for overseas readers but for training AI software. The court battle in 2025 between Anthropic and three authors ruled that using secondhand books to train AI is legal, although the process may involve destroying them.

The diverse subject matter of the books sold suggests they are used to improve large language models. Professor Emily Hudson from Oxford University says UK copyright laws require permission for such acts, unlike in the US. Booksellers are uncomfortable but see a benefit in recycling titles that the public no longer needs.

Regardless of the ethical concerns, it seems our literary treasures may be on their way to a digital afterlife. Will we miss them or embrace this new era?