Gabe Levinson and his book bike, © 2008 David Miller

Rugby fans know that any fall ensemble is best completed with a sharp blazer and, in the long-standing tradition of campus style, a dog-eared novel. That's why our new hero is Gabe Levinson, who's been pedaling around Chicago parks on his custom-made bike, offering brand-new books to anyone who wants one, or two, or, in one case, eight. To what end, you wonder? He swears he’s got no motive other than spreading the love. “I love reading and talking about books, and I wanted to share that by getting books directly to readers. I wanted to find a way to start a conversation.” Levinson told us. “If a book is free there’s no excuse not to read it.” The bike’s selection is hardly from the remainder pile either, featuring titles donated by indie cult publishers like Dark Horse Comics and beloved McSweeney’s, as well as from eminent houses like Farrar, Straus & Giroux. It’s no wonder Levinson’s given away over 400 books since July 5th — as McSweeney’s fiction editor Jordan Bass says, “Every town deserves a man who will come right up to you and hand you something you actually want.”

As the fall sets in, Levinson hopes to keep visiting parks, weather permitting, and dreams of getting a storefront going — a sort of alternative library. “People could come by, take one book at a time, no charge, and then come back with some sort of reaction to it, in writing, in art, however. Then they could take another. That’s it.” Until then, the 25 year old is keeping his day job(s), working at a record shop, at the Steppenwolf Theater and as reviews editor of Make magazine. Not in Chicago, but looking for a lit fix? Levinson recommends writers Roberto Bolano, Terry Southern and Henry Green. What book is on your nightstand?