A BOOK and a good imagination can provide shelter from the rest of the world, but Oxford student Richard O’Grady decided to take the saying literally.

The history undergraduate has set up a charity bookshop selling used textbooks at low prices, with 50 per cent of his profits going to city homeless shelter The Gatehouse.

Mr O’Grady said his stock is made up of books mainly from the reading lists of Oxford’s many colleges, because he noticed how expensive some of them were for students.

The 19-year-old, who studies at Merton College and lives in Holywell Street, said: “It struck me that there were no book shops run by students for students in Oxford.

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“I have a lot of friends who are studying for degrees in English and they were running up huge bills because of the large reading lists, even though they would mostly buy second-hand books.

“I thought starting this shop would be a good way to make some money but also help people out.”

The store will run out of Java and Co, in New Inn Hall Street, on Saturdays during term time, with the first opening day today from noon.

It is split into two sections, one with books which Mr O’Grady has sourced himself and another stocked with charitable donations. This section will give half its profits to The Gatehouse and be staffed by a representative from the charity. The rest of the takings will cover costs, such as transport and storage.

A Facebook page has been set up which lists all the books in stock, where potential buyers can reserve them.

Mr O’Grady added: “Textbooks can be incredibly expensive. Some economics books are £75 or more. We will be selling those for about £15, with most other books selling at £4 or less. We want to make the store feel as welcoming as possible.”

Katrina Horne, The Gatehouse’s project director, said: “It’s an amazing chance to raise awareness of homelessness issues in Oxford.

“It will be a great new partnership. We have Java to thank for putting us in touch with Richard.

“This will give us new connections, hopefully some new volunteers and extra funds.”

Visit facebook.com/theoxfordbookclub

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