NYC Subway Commuters Can Now Access Free Books During Their Rides

NEW YORK, NY — For the next eight weeks, subway riders can enjoy free access to classic works of literature from authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Edgar Allen Poe during their commute.

On Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a special "Subway Reads" promotion to celebrate WiFi connection in more than 175 subway stations.

MTA, Transit Wireless and Penguin Random House launched the eight-week joint promotion to provide customers with access to five free e-shorts and extensive samples from full-length books to read on their phones on the subway.

"For millions of New Yorkers, having a few minutes to get lost in a great book is one of the true pleasures of riding the subway," said Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle. "This fun promotion provides commuters with a new twist on that classic – and classically New York – pastime, with great short fiction, and the chance to access extensive samples of some of the very best, and most entertaining books in the world."

Commuters who visit one of the more than 175 underground subway stations with free transit WiFi can access two different categories of content: free e-shorts and samples of full-length books.

"Subway Reads" offers customers access to five full-length e-shorts, including Edgar Allen Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," Lee Child's "High Heat," F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Diamond As Big As The Ritz," Lisa Gardner's "3 Truths and A Lie," and Alexander McCall Smith's "At the Reunion Buffet."

Subway riders will also have access to samples of full-length books from 175 Penguin Random House publications. These selections come from books from all around the world, but Penguin Random House included as many titles by New Yorkers — or about New York — as possible, such as New York poets Walt Whitman and Billy Collins.

"From Walt Whitman’s 'Crossing on the Brooklyn Ferry' – the best commuting poem ever – to short stories and selections from great writers, including New Yorkers such as Lee Child, Toni Morrison, Patti Smith and Jonathan Lethem, ‘Subway Reads’ really does connect New York travel to New York creativity," New York City Transit President Veronique Hakim said.

Penguin Random House also created a special feature called "read time" for customers to sort the short stories and samples by the amount of time it would take the average reader to complete them. If a commuter is to spend 20 minutes on the subway, he or she can click "20 minutes" on the Penguin Random House Page and be given a list of stories or samples that would take 20 minutes to read.

Cuomo plans to bring WiFi service to all 278 underground stations by the end of 2016.

Photo courtesy of Mo Riza via Flickr.