How to Read Books Online
Browse a collection of free books., Find rare, historical, or academic books online., Browse free books on an eBook database., Search for a specific book online.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Browse a collection of free books.
There's a lot of advertising and spam for sites that promise to provide free books, but there are a couple reliable, long-lasting sites that provide extensive free collections.
Project Gutenberg hosts a large volunteer-provided collection of books without U.S. copyright protection, usually because the author died more than 70 years ago.All of them are free, almost all of them are available in plain text for any computer, and many are available in eBook reader formats as well.Google Books has an extensive and varied collection, but not all of it is fully available or free.
Books under copyright protection usually only have a few pages displayed, but sometimes there is a link provided for purchasing the full version. -
Step 2: Find rare
If you are studying an academic subject, or are interested in historical works, books in these fields may be easier to find online than in physical form.
Take a look at the following free, specialized collections:
Use the HathiTrust website to search for books in many academic collections, including many free eBooks.
Some materials, but not all, are restricted to members of universities or other academic institutions.
A large collection of classical Greek and Roman literature is available through Tufts University's Perseus project.
The Library of Congress has an online collection of rare historical documents and a few other old books that can be difficult to find anywhere else. , Companies that sell eBook readers often have their own collection of eBooks, including free options.
If you do not have an eBook reader device, you can download a free program to access the Kindle collection on your Windows or Mac computer, or use a non-proprietary database such as FeedBooks by installing Adobe Digital Editions for free.Apps are also available for most eBook databases in the app stores of all major phone and tablet manufacturers. , If you are trying to track down a specific book, and it is not available in any of the above collections, an online search may locate it on another website.
Keep in mind that most recent books are not available for free, although some publishers offer a free or discounted eBook if you already own a paper copy.
Be cautious about any website you do not recognize as a well-known, trustworthy source of books.
Try searching for reviews of the website before you download anything, and never enter your credit card information for a "free" eBook. -
Step 3: historical
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Step 4: or academic books online.
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Step 5: Browse free books on an eBook database.
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Step 6: Search for a specific book online.
Detailed Guide
There's a lot of advertising and spam for sites that promise to provide free books, but there are a couple reliable, long-lasting sites that provide extensive free collections.
Project Gutenberg hosts a large volunteer-provided collection of books without U.S. copyright protection, usually because the author died more than 70 years ago.All of them are free, almost all of them are available in plain text for any computer, and many are available in eBook reader formats as well.Google Books has an extensive and varied collection, but not all of it is fully available or free.
Books under copyright protection usually only have a few pages displayed, but sometimes there is a link provided for purchasing the full version.
If you are studying an academic subject, or are interested in historical works, books in these fields may be easier to find online than in physical form.
Take a look at the following free, specialized collections:
Use the HathiTrust website to search for books in many academic collections, including many free eBooks.
Some materials, but not all, are restricted to members of universities or other academic institutions.
A large collection of classical Greek and Roman literature is available through Tufts University's Perseus project.
The Library of Congress has an online collection of rare historical documents and a few other old books that can be difficult to find anywhere else. , Companies that sell eBook readers often have their own collection of eBooks, including free options.
If you do not have an eBook reader device, you can download a free program to access the Kindle collection on your Windows or Mac computer, or use a non-proprietary database such as FeedBooks by installing Adobe Digital Editions for free.Apps are also available for most eBook databases in the app stores of all major phone and tablet manufacturers. , If you are trying to track down a specific book, and it is not available in any of the above collections, an online search may locate it on another website.
Keep in mind that most recent books are not available for free, although some publishers offer a free or discounted eBook if you already own a paper copy.
Be cautious about any website you do not recognize as a well-known, trustworthy source of books.
Try searching for reviews of the website before you download anything, and never enter your credit card information for a "free" eBook.
About the Author
Andrea Morales
Enthusiastic about teaching crafts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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