128,000 Free eBooks!

Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, and to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books. The project tries to make these as free as possible, in open formats that can be used on almost any computer.

As of March 2009, Project Gutenberg claimed over 28,000 items in its collection. Project Gutenberg is affiliated with many projects that are independent organizations which share the same ideals, and have been given permission to use the Project Gutenberg trademark. This adds another 100,000 eBooks freely available to the public!

Top 100 eBooks
Project Gutenberg keeps track of the top downloaded eBooks. Here are some of most popular downloads this week (click the title to view the HTML format version of the eBook):

	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
	Dracula by Bram Stoker
	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
	The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
	The Iliad by Homer
	Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
	The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
	The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
	Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
	Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Wherever possible, the releases are available in plain text, but other formats are included, such as HTML, PDF, EPUB, MOBI and Plucker. These formats cover a wide variety of PC, PDAs, cell phones, and other devices. Most releases are in the English language, but many non-English works are also available.

Other Blog Postings on Free Books
Here’s a list of other Redmond Library blog postings on free books for viewing:

International Children's Digital Library

Turning the Pages: Masterpieces of the British Library

Books24x7: a KCLS online technical resource