Call Me Ishmael is trying to raise $10,000 to fund a new literary project that was recently honored with the National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading Prize.
Inspired by the opening line of Herman Melville’s masterpiece, Moby-Dick, The Call Me Ishmael Phone aims to be a way to “bring Ishmael’s entire library to booklovers in search of their next great read,” via a vintage payphone. The creators have turned the phone into a tool for discovering new books. Here is an excerpt from the Kickstarter page with more details:
How does the Call Me Ishmael Phone work? Your local librarian or indie bookstore manager acts as a curator and assigns any of Ishmael’s stories to their Phone. Curators use a simple web application, their venue’s wifi and a printable sign to swap in a new sets of stories once per day. When visiting readers dial a button on the Phone, a beautifully bookish story plays through the Phone’s headset.