6 Places to get Books Online for Free
After over a month of quarantine is that book collection of yours beginning to look a little thin? Are you seriously considering reading the Harry Potter series all the way through again? Are you just looking for a little more variety and miss your library? Rust and Fray is here to help by pointing you to 6 places to find books for free online, enjoy!
Project Gutenberg
The oldest and easily the most important archive on this list, Project Gutenberg started all the way back in 1971 and has been continuing its mission of digitizing every public domain book possible. Like it’s namesake, this volunteer effort is working towards making knowledge as accessible as possible, and with over 60,000 books to choose from you have the world at your fingertips.
Open Library
The place to go if you miss going to the library, this project is an extension of the Internet Archive project founded in 1996. Simple, easy to use, and categorized by genre, Open Library is a fantastic way to find new books to read online, and once Covid19 is settled a great way to search physical books to borrow too. There’s even a random book feature if you truly dont know what to read and want to leave it to fate.
Google Books
Probably not surprising, but the world's largest search engine can also be a great resource for finding free eBooks. Google Books is probably most known for its paid eBook selection, which is of course great, but next time you search on Google Books and want to browse for free selections, simply hit the drop down button labeled “any book” and switch it to free Google eBooks.
Open Culture
Looking for something a little easier on the eyes, visually impaired, or just plain prefer listening to books than reading them? Open Culture is a fantastic source for free audiobooks. Download or stream thousands of audiobooks aggregated from all corners of the internet so you can listen to some of the best works of literature absolutely free.
Smashwords
Looking to discover new authors and independent publishers? Smashwords offers the largest array of independently published eBooks and makes it easy for those authors to get their books out to the public. Created by an author whose book struggled to get published despite the wide appeal and enthusiastic agent support simply because the books unusual genre, the platform is designed to get quality books published without needing to placate marketing whims. For readers, this translates to an easy to use store front of eBooks by hot new authors with a massive library of free books and plenty of deals and give-a-ways to watch out for.
Bookboon
Finally, for those looking for practical knowledge more than literature, Bookaboon offers a platform that democratizes technical knowledge and helps fight against the rising cost of the University textbook industry. Vetted books peer reviewed by the California State University, you can be sure you are getting high quality information in everything from specific IT skills and technical knowledge to soft skills and professional development. It is built on a subscription based platform but when you sign up you can opt for the free option and have access to over a thousand books at no cost.
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