The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary for years served this purpose.
Some clubs offer new members other (non-book) free gifts, such as book notes or reading lights.
In 19th-century Britain, the term book club was sometimes applied to text publication societies.
Like the modern clubs, these were membership organizations whose members would receive publications automatically in return for their subscriptions.
The oldest of these societies was the highly exclusive Roxburghe Club, founded in London in 1812.