Czech company Knihobot sells millions of used books onlineCEFR A2
19 Oct 2025
Adapted from Filip Noubel, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Anni Karppinen, Unsplash
The Czech Republic has high reading rates. A 2022 European Union survey found 65 percent of Czechs read five to over ten books a year, while the EU average is just above 52 percent. Old antikvariát shops were important under the Soviet Bloc because they offered banned or foreign books.
Knihobot began in 2019. The company picks up books for free, photographs and prices them, then lists the books online and finds buyers. Knihobot says it sold three million books so far this year, one million more than the same period last year. It now works in nine countries and uses automated processes to handle many books each day.
Difficult words
- book — A written work with pages to read.books
- sell — To give something in exchange for money.
- easy — Not difficult; simple to do.easily
- customer — A person who buys goods or services.customers
- successful — Having achieved a desired outcome or goal.
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think secondhand bookstores are popular?
- How can technology help businesses like Knihobot?
- What are the benefits of buying secondhand books?
