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Hollyhock House

The Story of the Sun. New York, 1833 1918

Philosophical Transactions, Giving Some Account Of The Present Undertakings,

Job and Solomon: Or, The Wisdom of the Old Testament

The Art of Music, Volume Two (of 14)

Kardinaalin laulu

On the Border with Crook

Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series,

The Mischievous Typesetter

The Old Miracle Plays of England

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20 Classic English Books Available as Free PDFs

If you’re looking for free English books online, either in PDF or e-reader formats, start with classic literature .

People have enjoyed these books for a long time, and they still enjoy them today. They contain themes and topics that are relevant to every human being, no matter whether they were born in 1600, 1950 or 2010.

And luckily, many of these books now belong to the public domain and available for free—that’s why you’ll find them readily available to download to your computer, phone or e-reader.

I’ve scoured the internet for some great options to get you started building your digital library. Enjoy!

1. The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting

• 2. The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne
• 3. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• 4. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
• 5. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

6. Heidi by Johana Spyri

• 7. My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
• 8. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• 9. The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
• 10. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
• 11. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• 12. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
• 13. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• 14. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
• 15. Emma by Jane Austen
• 16. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
• 17. The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton
• 18. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

19. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

• 20. Dracula by Bram Stoker

And One More Thing...

Doctor Dolittle loves animals. He loves them so much that when his many pets scare away his human patients, he learns how to talk to animals and becomes a veterinarian instead.

He then travels the world to help animals with his unique ability to speak their language.

2.  The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne

Does the name Winnie the Pooh sound familiar? Author A.A. Milne is best remembered for creating the fluffy, yellow teddy bear.

But before he became a famous children’s book author Milne wrote a few adult fiction books. “The Red House Mystery” is one of these.

In this mystery novel, the guests in a man’s home become detectives as they try to find a killer—who is one of them!

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3.  The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

“The Secret Garden” is a touching story about the power of friendship.

Mary Lennox is a spoiled and rude little girl sent by her parents to live at her uncle’s huge home. One day while exploring outside the home, she discovers a secret: a locked garden.

The secret garden helps her make a friend, and thanks to the love of their friendship she learns to be a better person.

4.  Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Everything you know about pirates probably came from this one book: wooden legs, parrots on the shoulder and treasure maps.

“Treasure Island” is the story of a boy who sails on a ship searching for treasure, but instead finds himself surrounded by terrible pirates. It’s also a story about growing up, full of action and adventure.

5.  Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

“Black Beauty” is one the best-selling books of all time, and for a good reason—this story about a horse teaches kindness towards animals and people.

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The story is told by the horse. It describes his life and the many cruel people and difficult times he had to live through before finding peace.

It’s a great read even if you’re not a fan of horses.

“Heidi” is a book often described as being “for children and for people who love children.”

It does a great job of showing the world through a little girl’s eyes as she explores the mountains in Switzerland. She makes many friends along the way, but also deals with the kinds of fears that a child would have, like being alone and away from the people who love you.

It’s a long book, but one that’s easy to fall in love with.

7.  My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

These days not many of us have butlers (servants hired to care for you and your house) but whenever people talk about a butler, his name sometimes comes up as Jeeves.

That name comes from Wodehouse’s series of books featuring the perfect butler Jeeves, and the many humorous adventures he and his employer had.

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8.  Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Jealousy and revenge are the main themes of “Wuthering Heights,” which is the name of the farmhouse where the story takes place.

This book can be hard to get through, and it’s not because of the vocabulary. It’s a hard book to read because of all the cruelty in it. Still, this is a good book if you’re interested in dramas and passions.

9.  The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle

Robin Hood is a special kind of thief: he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. This book is a collection of stories about the legendary, kindhearted thief and his group of outlaw friends.

Be prepared for many fun and funny moments, and some with a more serious tone. This book is perfect for reading little by little, since the stories are only connected by their characters.

10.  The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

There are many war books that show how terrible war is physically—all the violence and death. “The Red Badge of Courage” talks instead about the psychological terrors of war.

It’s told from the point of view of a soldier in the Civil War who’s actually running away from the battlefield. It uses many symbols and metaphors to discuss the important themes.

If you can handle the advanced vocabulary, you can find much more meaning hidden in this book.

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11.  The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

What if you could stay young forever? Dorian Gray makes a deal to stay young forever—while a painted portrait of him shows all the signs of aging.

Of course, it turns out this deal he made might not have been such a good idea after all…

12.  The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

After being thrown into jail for a crime he didn’t commit, Edmond manages to escape and become rich. With his new money, he tries to get revenge on the people who put him in prison, but his plans don’t quite go like he hopes.

“The Count of Monte Cristo” is about betrayal, love and letting go.

13.  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Tom Sawyer is a troublemaking little boy who’s always causing problems, having fun and enjoying many crazy adventures. In this classic tale by Mark Twain, Tom visits his own funeral, stops a crime and tries very hard to get a girl to like him.

Tom Sawyer is a well-known name in American literature and his stories of adventure are very fun to read.

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14.  The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

Being invisible sounds like fun, but is it really?

When a man learns how to make himself invisible, all he gets in return is problems and people betraying him. Maybe he should have just stayed normal…

15.  Emma  by Jane Austen

Jane Austen is perhaps best known for her novel “Pride and Prejudice,” which is about life and love for rich, upper-class people in the early 1800s.

“Emma” takes place in the same time period, focusing on the character of Emma who is “handsome, clever and rich.”

Emma thinks that she’s great at matching people up to get married, but she soon learns that maybe she shouldn’t interfere with (get involved in) people’s lives so much.

16.  Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan is a wild man, raised by apes in the middle of the jungle. This book tells about his life among the apes and other animals, and what happens when a wild monkey man meets other humans for the first time.

17.  The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton

If you met Father Brown, you wouldn’t realize that he’s a great detective. He’s a small Catholic priest who always carries an umbrella—the kind of person who’s easy to forget.

He’s a great thinker, though, and he can see people for who they really are. “The Innocence of Father Brown” has 12 short stories where the little priest uses his knowledge of human nature to solve mysteries.

18.  Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Creating life from death is Dr. Frankenstein’s dream. When he finally brings a dead man to life, things don’t work out the way he wants.

If you know the Frankenstein monster, you might think he’s a terrible creature.

But this book tells the real story of Dr. Frankenstein’s creation, named only “the monster.” It turns out that the monster might not be such a monster after all.

If you love detective books, you’ll love “The Moonstone,” which might be the first detective novel in the English language!

It has everything that a good mystery needs—a precious jewel is stolen during a young woman’s 18th birthday party.

Who stole the jewel and where is it now? Follow the trail of the thief in this book.

20.  Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula is one of the best known vampires of all time. If you’ve watched any movies about Dracula, you might be surprised at what the actual book is like.

It’s an epistolary novel, which means it’s written completely in the form of letters, and the story of Dracula is told through other people’s points of view.

It’s an interesting look at the first “modern” vampire, and it’s really a great read.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:

If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:

FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

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George Wither (1588 - 1687) , Susan Augusta Woodbridge (1819 - 1892) et al.

Complete | Solo | English

Green Fields and Running Brooks

James Whitcomb Riley (1849 - 1916)

Complete | Poetry_weekly | English

The Mystery of Black Rock Creek

Jerome K. Jerome (1859 - 1927) , E. F. Benson (1867 - 1940) et al.

Cuentos valencianos

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1867 - 1928)

Complete | Collaborative | Spanish

Readings from Modern Mexican Authors

Frederick Starr (1858 - 1933)

Complete | Collaborative | English

Jack Sheppard: A Romance

William Harrison Ainsworth (1805 - 1882)

Multilingual Short Works Collection 036 - Poetry & Prose

Complete | Collaborative | Multilingual

The Time Dissolver

Jerry Sohl (1913 - 2002)

Lyric Poems

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Martha by-the-day

Julie M. Lippmann (1864 - 1952)

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Posted on June 1, 2024

There is something in the air that makes June a perfect month to get married. Be inspired – or reminisce – with 10 gems from our catalog. As far as inspiration goes, Edward J. Wood has done plenty of research already. Read about different ceremonies for The Wedding Day in All Ages and Countries as […]

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Posted on February 1, 2024

February – the month of carnival, Mardi Gras, Shrovetide, Shrove Tuesday… Whatever it’s called where you are from, let’s have fun with 10 hilarious gems from our catalog. Humor is best delivered in short bursts. And it can’t get any pithier than Frontier Humor in Verse, Prose and Picture, little vignettes from 19th century Canada […]

Posted on January 1, 2024

Happy New Year! A new year brings fresh starts, a chance to try something again or to go for something entirely new. Get inspired with 10 gems from our catalog. Let’s start at the beginning – of humankind. C. H. Robinson follows the development of human society from the discovery of fire and working all […]

Merry Christmas Season!

Posted on December 1, 2023

So many celebrations this month! Whether you celebrate Christmas, the winter solstice or just the end of the year, get in the mood with 10 gems from our catalog. Every year, kids anxiously await Christmas. “How many days left” can be easily deduced from an Adventskalender counting down the days with little daily gifts. This […]

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Blog – Posted on Monday, Apr 20

The 21 best places to find free books online.

If you’re anything like us, you go through books fast . Sometimes it seems like an addiction you can’t keep up with — and if there’s one thing any bookworm can tell you, it’s that this habit can quickly get expensive.

Luckily, the savvy reader knows there are plenty of places online to legally download books without spending a single penny. In this post, we’re giving you 21 of the best places to find free books online, so that you can satisfy even the most debilitating of book addictions, guilt-free.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great books out there, you can also take our 30-second quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized book recommendation  😉

Which book should you read next?

Discover the perfect book for you. Takes 30 seconds!

1. Project Gutenberg

2. The Online Books Page

If that’s not enough books for you, The Online Books Page , hosted by the University of Pennsylvania, boasts a staggering list of over three million free ebooks! Unlike Project Gutenberg, they don’t actually host any of the books themselves, instead providing links to where you can download them. And their website does look like something straight out of 1996. Still, when we’re talking about this many ebooks at our fingertips, can we really complain? This is a great source for classics and obscure titles that offer deep dives into arcane topics, though some newer books can also appear.

3. Kindle Store

4. Smashwords

Like Amazon, Smashwords has a page where you can easily see all the books authors have chosen to give away for free . With the ability to browse by categories such as “newest,” “bestseller,” and “highest-rated,” as well as filtering by the book’s length and genre, this is an easy way to instantly find free books. (Just remember to re-select the “free” category at the top if you choose to browse by genre!) The best part? Most stories are available in a wide range of file formats, and you don’t even need an account to download them.

6. Robin Reads

A book promotion service in the vein of BookBub, Robin Reads is another great way to stay in-the-know on all the hottest new titles and discounts. With everything from romance to horror to nonfiction, there’s sure to be something interesting in nearly all of their daily emails.

7. eReader News Today

8. FreeBooksy

Most of the other book promotion services focus on both free and discounted books, but FreeBooksy is the biggest site that’s dedicated solely to ebooks you don’t have to pay for. Unlike some of its competitors, it seeks out deals from all the major retailers, so even if you’re totally loyal to Kobo or Nook, you’re bound to find some great books gratis . (Can you tell we’re desperately trying not to use the word “free” too much?)

9. Manybooks

10. Goodreads Free Shelves

Sometimes the easiest way to find free books is to crowdsource for them, and Goodreads shelves make this process easy. Browsing by shelf collects all the books that users put in shelves of the same name, and you can easily find shelves marked as “ free-ebooks ,” “ free-ebook ,” “ free ” and more. Now, because this is dependent on users marking ebooks themselves, it is possible that some of the books were shelved during a period when a book was once being given away free and now comes with a heavier sticker price. They may also shelve books in the public domain that you can find through sites such as Project Gutenberg, but it’s not a guarantee that you’ll find these for free if you follow the link to them on Amazon. Still, it’s a rich resource that may easily give you titles you don’t find on other sites, so it’s definitely worth a look.

11. Reedsy Discovery

Love indie books and want to read them for free, before anyone else does? That's exactly what you get if you sign up to become a Reedsy Discovery reviewer , as indie authors provide free ebooks in exchange for an honest review. Simply take notes of your thoughts as you read, and use them to write up a coherent review when you've finished reading. You'll be helping out the author as well as would-be readers, while getting a free read! Writing book reviews can also be an excellent way to break into the publishing industry if you're at the start of your career, but most of all they're great fun to write and read alike.

12. Riveted by Simon Teen

13. Harlequin Online Reads

The leading publisher of romance novels, Harlequin’s website also offers a huge collection of serialized stories from some of their best authors — for free. New chapters are posted every week, or you can browse a massive back catalogue of completed works. With filters such as “Fall in Love,” “Walk on the Dark Side,” and “Take a Trip Down the Aisle,” plus the ability to show titles based on how much time you have to read at the moment (yes, really!), this collection is sure let you zero in on the exact romance fix you’re craving.

14. Tor.com

15. Libby / OverDrive

In the wise words of Arthur the Aardvark, “Having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card!” So it is with Libby , the new app by OverDrive. OverDrive allows libraries to purchase ebooks for lending out to their patrons. Each “copy” of the ebook can only be checked out by one patron at a time. Loan lengths and the total number of titles you can have at once varies by library. Books may be checked out and downloaded directly through Libby, or downloaded for reading via Kindle. Because only one person can check out each copy at a time, though, there are often hold lists on popular titles — sometimes significant ones — so be sure to keep an eye on that when you’re picking your next read. However, the catalogue available to each library is quite extensive, and if there’s ever a title your library hasn’t purchased yet, there’s an easy button to request it right in the app.

17. Wattpad

Lovers of fanfic have long been familiar with sites where users can upload stories one chapter at a time, but Wattpad brings that idea to life in the original fiction world — with a few additional benefits as well. Started in 2006, Wattpad is perfect if you’re looking for a wide range of diverse voices and unconventional stories that might get overlooked by big publishers. Chock-full of talented writers and enthusiastic readers, it’s a community unlike anything else in the reading landscape. Leave comments, follow your favorite authors, and upvote the stories you love. With the free app, you can even keep up with all the best stories right from your phone.

18. PaperBack Swap

19. Open Culture

In Open Culture’s own words, they scour the internet for the “audio books you need, the language lessons and educational videos you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between.” As a curator of free online learning resources , this sounds great to us! Their audiobook selection is top-notch as well, including some surprisingly high-profile narrators . ( The Wizard of Oz as read by Tituss Burgess? Where do they even find these treasures?)

20. LibriVox

21. Storynory

Lastly, in all the rush to find free books, let’s not forget about the littlest readers among us! Storynory offers free audiobooks for kids, featuring everything from classics to brand-new originals exclusive to the Storynory site. While not as extensive a collection as some of the sites on our list, the stories are charming and offer a welcome distraction when someone just won’t settle down.

Still can't get enough books? Check out our list of the 115 Best Books of All Time . Or why not get paid to read, by applying to some of the legitimate sites that pay reviewers ?

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The classics. They're the bane of many a high schooler's existence. And yet, we all have one or two (or 20) classic books that we've been meaning to read ... eventually. But when you walk into the bookstore, you're instantly distracted by all those shiny new books , and it seems like up and coming YA authors probably need your money a lot more than Charles Dickens does right now. Lucky for you, though, there's this secret, hidden realm known as the "public domain," where you can read all the classics books your literary heart desires. Right now. For free.

Websites like Project Gutenberg have collected tens of thousands of public domain books for your reading pleasure. You can download e-books for your phone or kindle, or just read them right there in your browser. So if you're looking for a free way to read more contemporary works, allow me to direct you to your friendly local library. But if you're looking to read up on the classics, right now, from the comfort of your own phone, laptop, or sci-fi ocular implant, then here are a whole slew of incredible books that can be found and legally read for free in the wilds of the web:

'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice is the rom-com to end all rom-coms. Just try not to fall for the awkward, rich, emotionally repressed Mr. Darcy as he goes about unintentionally ruining Lizzie's life (and finally, awkwardly, sweeping her off her feet).

'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexandre Dumas

The ultimate revenge tale still holds up over 170 years later. In Alexandre Dumas' classic novel, a man is imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, and decides to deal with it by becoming fabulously wealthy and then utterly destroying the men who imprisoned him.

'Dracula' by Bram Stoker

Every sexy vampire in modern media owes a huge debt to the original Count himself. Bram Stoker's Dracula is rightfully known as one of the greatest horror stories of all time, complete with bloodsucking, shape-shifting, and one very charismatic Transylvanian.

'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll

The trippiest of classic children's books is still a great read for adults. Join little Alice as she falls down a rabbit hole and deals with all kinds of weird nonsense while continually eating unidentified objects and changing size all over the place.

'Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' by Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes is everyone's favorite irritating detective, along with his long-suffering sidekick, Dr. John Watson. Read all about their adventures in this collection of mysteries, and put your own deductive powers to the test.

'Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus' by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

You probably know Frankenstein's monster as that big flat-top fellow with the neck bolts. But if you read Mary Shelley's original novel, you just might discover that the real Frankenstein's monster is a sensitive giant baby-man who speaks French and just wants to be loved.

'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself' by Harriet A. Jacobs

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is the collected memoirs of Harriet Jacobs, who survived slavery in North Carolina and seven years of hiding in a tiny, coffin-like room. She eventually escaped to reunite with her children in the North, and wrote this beautifully nuanced account of her life and her perilous road to freedom.

'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare' by William Shakespeare

Look, you don't really have to read all of Shakespeare. But you do have the option to, with this free edition of The Complete Works. Here you'll find every last Shakespeare play, from the classic tragedies to the forgotten comedies to the very, very long histories.

'Jane Eyre: An Autobiography' by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre is a great book to read if you're considering getting married to your boss, but you haven't yet checked his attic for any lurking ex-wives. It's a classic coming of age tale, a Gothic romance, and a surprisingly modern take on being a young, independent woman.

'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray teaches us all a valuable lesson: hot guys are evil and not to be trusted. Sure, there's a little more to it than that, but you'll just have to read it for yourself and find out.

'Anne of Green Gables' by L. M. Montgomery

One of the top two spunky redheaded orphans named Anne, Anne of Green Gables is that rare, delightful character who never seems dated. She's always there to cheer you up with her various scraps and fantasies and her bucolic Canadian country life.

'Ulysses' by James Joyce

Ulysses is famous for being long and confusing, but now you can test that reputation for yourself. Sure, Joyce's writing style is a little unconventional, but if you can get past the forty page run-on sentences, you might find that Ulysses is one of the strangest, funniest, most beautifully human books out there.

'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott

Four sisters grow up together in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, dealing with minor trials and devastating tragedies as they go. It's a coming-of-age story that puts sisterhood front and center, in all its joy and frustration.

'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave' by Frederick Douglass

This is the first of Frederick Douglass' three autobiographies, and by far his most widely read. Douglass recounts his harrowing childhood under slavery and his escape to the North, where he became one of America's greatest orators and a national leader of the abolitionist movement.

'Les Misérables' by Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo revolutionized the idea of writing fiction for social change with his stunning (and very long) novel, Les Misérables. Hugo tells the stories of various French citizens, all revolving around Jean Valjean, a man who was imprisoned for nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread.

'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens

One of Dickens' best loved works of fiction, Great Expectations has plenty of Dickensian orphans, reversals of fortune, poverty, crime, and one terrifying spinster in a rotting wedding dress.

'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' by Jules Verne

Let's clear this up once and for all: the twenty thousand leagues refer to distance traveled while under water, not depth. They are not twenty thousand leagues deep. Also it's one of the greatest hard sci-fi novels ever written.

'Poems by Emily Dickinson' by Emily Dickinson

Join your new best friend Emily Dickinson for a reclusive journey out into nature, where you might brush up against all manner of flowers and also probably Death itself.

'The Souls of Black Folk' by W. E. B. Du Bois

If you've heard the phrase "double consciousness" tossed around recently, that's a reference to The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois. One of the seminal works in the history of sociology, this book collects some of the foundational essays about race in America, still all too relevant today.

'The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 1 by Edgar Allan Poe' by Edgar Allan Poe

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe can be found online in several disturbing volumes, complete with all of his creepy poetry, his murderous tales, and everything in between.

'The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories' by Kate Chopin

The Awakening is often credited as one of the first modern feminist novels. Chopin's heroine gradually "awakens" to the fact that she, and most women, are systemically oppressed by society. So Edna decides to take her life into her own hands, regardless of what her husband or anybody else wants for her.

15 Of The Best Places To Find Free Books Online

Nikki VanRy

Nikki VanRy is a proud resident of Arizona, where she gets to indulge her love of tacos, desert storms, and tank tops. She also writes for the Tucson Festival of Books, loves anything sci-fi/fantasy/historical, drinks too much chai, and will spend all day in bed reading thankyouverymuch. Follow her on Instagram @nikki.vanry .

View All posts by Nikki VanRy

Want to get your eyes on MILLIONS of free books online?

If you’ve been following along, you already know that you can find free audiobooks online  (woop woop!). We talked about options like LibriVox and MindWebs that are offering readers free audio books and short stories.

Now, we’ve got 15 more sites where you can read free books online when earbuds aren’t an option. You’ll get beyond the classics (though those are cool too), with free YA books, graphic novels, fanfiction, children’s books, and more.

And all together these sites have a lot of great books. A lot. Like, in the millions. Seriously. Your TBR list may be crying, but at least your wallet is happy?

Where can I download free books Online?

We give more details about each one below, but the following sites all offer (or curate a collection with) free books online:

1. Goodreads’ Free Shelves

While many of the books on the following websites are classic books and out of copyright, you can find more contemporary online books for free at Goodreads’ free eBooks shelves (either full or excerpts) or with the “ free-online ” tag.

2. International Children’s Digital Library

If you’re looking for free children’s books online, the ICDL is a nonprofit organization with a mission to: “promote tolerance and a respect for diverse cultures by providing access to the best of children’s literature from around the world.”

You can read freely and anonymously on their site, or create an account to keep an ongoing bookshelf. And there are books from all over the world (you can even search by countries on the globe). Look for great free books online like:

Related: 25 Free Amazon Prime Audiobooks

3. Internet Sacred Text ARchive

Dedicated to religion, mythology, and folklore, the ISTA online collection provides access to hundreds of sacred texts online. It also promotes religious diversity, tolerance, and scholarship baked into its mission (which is pretty rad of course).

You’ll find versions of the  Bible,  as well as the  Talmud ,  Vedas,  and more.

4. ManyBooks

Just as the name implies, ManyBooks has loads and loads of online books for free. Over 30,000 in fact. The majority of their eBooks work for Kindles, Nooks, iPads, and other readers.

You’ll find thousands of books, both classic and contemporary here, such as:

5. Open Culture

Open Culture connected readers with a curated list of free audiobooks, and they’ve created something similar for free eBooks. You’ll find 800 free and downloadable eBooks through their site, ready to download for iPads, iPhones, Kindles, or to read in your browser directly.

Some knockouts include The Stranger  by Albert Camus and poems from Charles Bukowski.

6. Open Library

Open Library offers over 1.7 million free eBooks online to users. It’s part of the Internet Archive, which also allows users to contribute (and correct!) books. They both offer free versions of full books and links to access paid books elsewhere.

Books to read online include  Sherlock Holmes  by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or  Matilda  by Roald Dahl.

7. Overdrive

The Libby App by OverDrive connects you with your local libraries to check out eBooks on your personal devices. You only need a library card and you’ll be able to check out classic and contemporary eBooks for free, anywhere and anytime. They host a catalog of over two million eBooks, as well as audiobooks. And, they’ve recently made it easier to transfer books onto your device.

Of course, since it’s connected to your library, you’ll also see free bestselling YA eBooks and other more recent bestsellers and other classics.

8. Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg continues to be a fantastic resource for classic novels and obscure older texts alike that are already in the public domain. The organization is run entirely by volunteers who digitize and then also proofread works. In all, they’ve added over 50,000 free books online.

Whether you’re reading them online or downloading them to your device, you can dig into classic books like:

9. Read Print

Read Print is a user-friendly website that allows users to read classics online. It also has a fancy bookshelf widget where you can track books read and books (so many books) that you want to read.

You’ll find free classic books like:

10. Riveted

Riveted offers YA books for free online, either full books or excerpts on a time-limited basis.

By signing into the site from Simon & Schuster and becoming a member, you’ll be able to read some sweet free books, download them to any device, join in giveaways, and discuss your YA favorites.

If you love all things science fiction and fantasy, check out Tor’s eBook club and weekly newsletters .

The publisher releases weekly original short stories from some of the biggest sci-fi/fantasy authors. And, seriously, receiving a smashingly fantastic short story in my inbox every week has been such a joy and has helped me find great new authors.

They also release the eBook of the Month club where you can get free access to one pick each month.

12. WikiSource

Got a jonesing for some original source material? Even if you’re not in academia, Wikisource is the ultimate place to do a deep dive on a topic. The site hosts almost 400,000 texts in English, with user-generated submissions allowed.

You can find texts from 1846 to 1941, from authors like Rudyard Kipling and Marie de France, on werewolves specifically. Or, discover new worlds with texts from Jules Verne and Philip Dick.

13. World Public Library

The World Public Library’s online Millennium Collection isn’t free, but for less than $10 a year for *ahem* millions of free books in over 300 languages, it’s basically free. They also offer free memberships for physically disabled or special needs members. You’ll find eBooks from all over the world, including:

Some of their knock-outs include  1984  by George Orwell,  Siddhartha  by Hemann Hesse, and  The Mahabharata  translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli.

Seriously, even more Free Books Online

These are mostly websites that share free books online that have at one time been traditionally published and disseminated. But, um, there’s the internet which means there’s more books available out there than you’ll ever have time to read.

Check out WattPad for stories by independent authors, historical fiction, fanfiction, and more. There’s also a huge active community over there to talk about books with. Here’s your beginner’s guide .

FanFiction.net is a hub for short story and novel length spin-offs of your favorite fictional worlds.

Phew, we’re not done yet.  BookRix is also a community of independent authors who publish free eBooks in any of your favorite genres. We’re talking fantasy, romance, sci-fi, children’s and more.

The Library of Congress also has a small collection of classic children’s books.

Finally, also make sure to follow your favorite authors on social media. They’ll often share links to eBook deals, excerpts to upcoming novels, giveaways, or free shorts set in the same universe.

Want To Find Cheap Books?

Other cheaper options ($10 a month or less) include Kindle Unlimited , some of the books on the Google Play store, Unlimited Library , and Scribd .

You can also follow along with Book Riot’s Deals of the Day “ Book Deals ” emails where you’ll get alerts about absurdly cheap eBooks and audiobooks.

Read Next: 50+ Ways to Get Free Books

It makes my heart swell a little bit that there are SO MANY places to find free books online. That’s a lot of literature, all with a simple internet connection.

Bertram Cope’s Year

Henry blake fuller.

Description

Bertram Cope’s Year chronicles the experiences of Bertram Cope, a young literature instructor who arrives in the fictional town of Churchton to pursue his graduate studies. Set in early 20th-century America, the novel explores Cope’s interactions with the town’s residents, where his charisma and charm quickly captivate those around him.

As Cope navigates social engagements and forms close relationships, particularly with his friend Arthur Lemoyne, the narrative subtly examines themes of companionship, love, and societal expectations. Fuller’s writing is distinguished by its witty dialogue and astute social commentary, offering a critique of American social norms of the period.

Published in 1919, Bertram Cope’s Year is recognized for its early portrayal of same-sex relationships in literature, depicting them with nuance and sensitivity uncommon for its time. The novel invites readers to reflect on the complexities of identity and relationships in an evolving society.

This ebook is thought to be free of copyright restrictions in the United States. It may still be under copyright in other countries. If you’re not located in the United States, you must check your local laws to verify that this ebook is free of copyright restrictions in the country you’re located in before accessing, downloading, or using it.

Download for ereaders

Compatible epub — All devices and apps except Kindles and Kobos.

azw3 — Kindle devices and apps. Also download the Kindle cover thumbnail to see the cover in your Kindle’s library. Despite what you’ve been told, Kindle does not natively support epub. You may also be interested in our Kindle FAQ .

kepub — Kobo devices and apps. You may also be interested in our Kobo FAQ .

Advanced epub — An advanced format that uses the latest technology not yet fully supported by most ereaders.

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To report typos, typography errors, or other corrections, see how to report errors .

If you’re comfortable with technology and want to contribute directly, check out this ebook’s GitHub repository and our contributors section .

You can also donate to Standard Ebooks to help fund continuing improvement of this and other ebooks.

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8 Ways to Get Free E-Books and Audiobooks

Save money by downloading your next read or listen from libby, bookbub, amazon and more.

Maria Speidel,

E-reading has exploded in popularity since Amazon came out with its Kindle back in 2007, with e-book sales skyrocketing to $1 billion last year, according to the Association of American Publishers. .

The average newly released bestseller costs around $15 in e-book form. While that’s cheaper than the print version, the click-and-read habit still can get expensive — unless you take advantage of the thousands of e-books (print and audio!) that are free to borrow or download. Here’s where and how.

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Find out how much you could save in a year with a membership.  Learn more.

1. Public libraries

Libraries, as everyone knows, stack their shelves with physical books you can borrow for free, but many aren’t aware that they also fill their e-shelves with e-books (and audiobooks). Patrons can access them through digital databases, including the most popular one, Libby, which celebrated its 1 billionth publication checkout last year. (Others include CloudLibrary and Hoopla.)

How it works: To get started with Libby, you need a valid library card from a participating library. (Voracious readers feed their e-book habit by having multiple library cards.) Then download the Libby app and connect it to your library card, using the card’s PIN. Once connected, you can borrow e-books or audiobooks from your home library’s catalog. The e-books can be read within Libby or sent to a Kindle app or device. This direct-to-the-Kindle option is unique to Libby. Some newer models of Nook (Barnes and Noble’s e-reader) have Libby built in. For older models, users will have to transfer their Libby files from a desktop.

Hoopla is available through about 2,000 public library systems. Its app offers access to over 500,000 pieces of media, including e-books and movies, and works much like Libby, except files cannot be sent directly to a Kindle. Patrons love its deep bank of audiobooks.

CloudLibrary  is a database similar to Libby and Hoopla that’s used in nearly 3,000 U.S. libraries worldwide. The CloudLibrary app is available for smartphones and tablets, either Apple or Android, and on computers. You can also download e-books on a computer to Nook and Kobo e-readers using a USB connection. It is not compatible with Kindle.

The Amazon-owned book community and recommendation site Goodreads.com includes a  page  with a wonderfully curated list of free e-books from various sources. The categories include silos like “Best FREE Science Fiction Audiobooks!” and “Best Permanently Free books.”

AARP Members Edition also offers free serialized versions of  books by popular authors , including James Patterson, Mary Higgins Clark and Ann Cleeves. 

2. Project Gutenberg

Gutenberg.org , a nonprofit, longtime keeper of online books, offers direct access to more than 70,000 e-books and a smaller number of audiobooks. They are all older works in the public domain, meaning they were published largely before 1929 and are no longer copyrighted. Gutenberg is a great place to access classics like Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or Moby Dick . It’s even better for big, fat books — think Don Quixote , available in Spanish or English — for which your reading time might exceed a library’s borrowing period.

How it works: No passwords or apps are required. The files can be read on a computer screen or downloaded and transferred to a device or phone with an e-reading app, like Kindle or Apple books. Alternatively, users can search Gutenberg’s listings directly from a phone or tablet, then download and open the book on the device itself.

Gutenberg has some general directions here .

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3. Standard Ebooks

Started by software engineer Alex Cabal in 2014, Standard Ebooks has fewer titles (just over 1,000) than Gutenberg, but they are packaged in a prettier format and listed in a sleeker, more informative catalog that includes approximate reading time and difficulty level, for instance.

How it works: Standard Ebook’s downloading process is similar to Gutenberg’s and offers a format optimized for Kobo readers.

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4. BookBub and other discount e-book sellers

BookBub is a book recommendation and sales hub for discounted e-books (think the Marshalls of e-books). Along with low-cost e-books, it offers “hundreds” of free e-books on its site, according to General Manager Katie Donelan. The free reads, most published within the last five years, lean heavily toward the romance, mystery, fantasy and thriller categories.

Two other sites with similar models, discounted prices and smaller lists of free books are The Fussy Librarian and Early Bird Books .

How it works: You need to become a member of or subscribe to one of these three platforms, but it’s free and easy to do so. They are set up for users to “purchase” the free books (for $0) through Amazon or Barnes & Noble, which sends the books directly to the customer’s Kindle, Nook or corresponding app.

5. LibriVox

The motto of LibriVox is “Acoustical liberation of books in the public domain.” This Gutenberg of audiobooks contains more than 19,000 public domain books, poems and songs recorded by volunteers from all over the world. Most are in English, with some in a smattering of other languages, such as Maori, Welsh and Russian.

How it works: From librivox.org, you can download MP3s onto your desktop, where they can be played or transferred onto music apps or media players on another device. There are also LibriVox options in app stores and on podcast providers, but founder Hugh McGuire, a software entrepreneur, says those have been created by third parties. LibriVox’s selections are searchable by author, title and reader. 

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The company that popularized e-books and sells the Kindle, the most popular e-reader, also offers a rotating selection of free e-books. A recent search pulled up thousands of titles, including classics (Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables ), romances ( Finding Cinderella  by Colleen Hoover), thrillers and children’s books.

How it works: Access titles on the Free Kindle Books page. They can be read on Kindles, obviously, but also through the Kindle app on tablets, phones and computers. Amazon Prime members can tap into their Prime Reading benefit, which unlocks additional free titles. 

7. Barnes & Noble

For readers who use Barnes & Noble’s Nook device, bn.com has as many as 10,000 free books available every day. They are mostly books that have been available for at least a year, according to Jason Matos, manager of the Nook division. Popular choices include The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie and the memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup.

How it works: Bargain seekers go to bn.com and “buy” a book for $0. Nook readers will have the book synced to their device. For others, first create an account on bn.com and then download the Nook app on a smartphone or tablet. Purchased books will now populate in the app. You can also read the books within the Barnes & Noble website on the My Digital Library page of your account.

8. The Palace Project 

Partnering with the nonprofit Digital Public Library of America, The Palace Project (its name highlights the idea that libraries are “palaces for the people”) has more than 15,000 titles available for free reading, including banned books.

How it works: The first step is downloading the Palace Project app, available for Apple or Android devices. Then you can connect with your local library or get an electronic library card for the Palace Project and Banned Book Club collections. Further instructions can be found here .

Maria Speidel is a writer who lives in Los Angeles with a house full of books.

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Our Critic’s Take on the 100 List: Books That ‘Cast a Sustained Spell’

Dwight Garner writes that voters, who “seemed to want a break from contemporary social reportage,” looked for immersive reads.

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By Dwight Garner

A long friendship between two girls in a poor neighborhood in Naples, Italy. The exodus of nearly six million Black Americans from South to North. The rise of Thomas Cromwell in cutthroat Tudor England. A series of unsolved murders in a Mexican border town. The Underground Railroad reimagined as a literal one, rails and all.

These are stories from some of the 100 books that — in the opinion of more than 500 novelists, nonfiction writers, librarians, poets, booksellers, editors, critics, journalists and other readers polled by the Book Review — are the best of this still-young century.

What do we mean by “best?” We left that to the respondents. Most appeared to agree with E.M. Forster, who wrote that “the final test for a novel will be our affection for it, as it is the test of our friends, and of anything else which we cannot define.” The only criterion for eligibility was publication in English on or after Jan. 1, 2000. (Somebody — one of you pedants who celebrated the new millennium a year after everyone else — is going to point out that the year 2000 is technically part of the 20th century. Don’t let it be you.)

The best of the best, Nos. 1 through 10, are linked for sure by sensitive intelligence and achieved ambition. But other connections can be made. Most are historical novels or narrative histories, as if readers, weary of the vacuity and smash-and-grab belligerence that dominate much of American political and social discourse, desired either to escape or to gaze backward, to better understand how we arrived here.

Memory and identity are especially strong concerns in the top 10. Readers seemed to want a break from contemporary social reportage; they wanted immersive and unfractured narratives that cast a sustained spell.

The highest tier also underlines a generational cohort. Each of the 10 writers, save the comparatively young Colson Whitehead, was born close to the middle of the last century. Besides Isabel Wilkerson, all of them are represented by novels. Three — Elena Ferrante, W.G. Sebald and Roberto Bolaño — made the list with books in translation.

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