Bookmobile-Hillsboro News Co.
Hillsboro News Co Bookmobile. Date unknown. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection
Before e-books, smartphones, and the Internet, people got their information the old-fashioned way—by reading newspapers, magazines, comic books, and books. If you wanted to read the latest novels, news, celebrity gossip, sports scores, or the adventures of Superman, it arrived on paper.
To help spread the joy of reading, the Tampa Public Library launched a traveling “book car” in the 1930s, bringing books directly to residents, especially those living in rural areas. Over time, these rolling libraries became known as bookmobiles.
But the term “bookmobile” can be confusing because most people associate it with public library services. The vehicle pictured here, found in the Gandy Collection, was something different. This was the Hillsboro News Co. Bookmobile, a rolling advertisement operated by the wholesale distributor that supplied newspapers, magazines, comic books, and other publications to stores throughout the Tampa Bay area. It was a bookstore/newsstand on wheels—a promotional and sales vehicle that took books and other reading material to customers rather than lending books like a library.
From the 1940s through the 1960s, companies often transformed buses and trucks into mobile billboards. The Hillsboro News Co. Bookmobile carried colorful magazines, comic books, and paperbacks while promoting the company's distribution business. It could be spotted at parades, civic celebrations, school events, and community gatherings, drawing curious crowds eager to see the latest publications.
Like many independent news distributors, Hillsboro News Co. was a victim of changing times. As newspaper and magazine distribution became increasingly centralized and Americans turned to television and, later, digital media for news and entertainment, the need for local wholesale distributors gradually disappeared, along with most of the printed items they handled.
In an era when reading was one of America's favorite pastimes, the bookmobile was a four-wheeled reminder that information arrived one page at a time. No, really. Google it!
© Chip Weiner. All rights reserved
Tampa Public Library Bookmobiles 1954. Thomas & Herrig Photography. Bookmobile library history collection. Courtesy of the Hillsborough County Library
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