Reader's Freebies 12 - PROJECT GUTENBERG
Imagine a library filled with thousands upon thousands of old books, rich with the fragrance of matured leather and parchment. One corner holds a small selection of new books, bright, shiny and full of promise. And there's a sign on the door: "Take what you like; it's free and it's yours to keep."
For a booklover, it would be like dying and going to paradise, or at least stumbling on a treasure trove to rival Aladdin's. It's real, and it's yours to discover today at Project Gutenberg - well, OK, I lied about that lovely old-book smell, because these are e-books.
So what's the catch?
The good news is that there isn't one. Project Gutenberg is happy to give you as many copies as you like of beautiful old books - both fiction and non-fiction - at zero cost. And you don't have to sign up for anything; they never ask for your email so you'll never get spammed. You're free to read the books, print them or make copies for your friends. The books are absolutely yours.
So how did this come about, and what's the story behind it? Way back in 1971, student Michael Hart was given access to computer time - a valuable commodity in those days - for a project of his choice. Far-sighted Michael saw the potential of computers to store books for posterity. His mission was simple: "To encourage the creation and distribution of e-books" and "to break down the bars of ignorance and illiteracy."
Thanks to Michael's belief that computers - once so expensive that only large organisations could afford them - would become available to everyone, Project Gutenberg was born. It's named after Johannes Gutenberg, the 15th-century inventor whose printing press first made books available to the general public.
Relying on an army of volunteers and donations, Project Gutenberg now has more than fifty thousand free publications available for download in many formats, including Kindle, ePub and PDF. Or you can just read them online. They include novels, non-fiction works, periodicals and poetry. In fact, there's something for everyone.
Most of the books have passed into the public domain. This means their copyright has expired, which generally happens 50 - 70 years after the author's death, depending on the country of origin. Authors’ heirs only inherit the copyright for that fixed period; afterwards, the book belongs to everyone.
But Gutenberg also has several modern books whose authors have given permission for them to be freely distributed.
Most of the books are in English, but other languages are well-represented. I’m ashamed to admit I’ve never heard of some of them - can anyone enlighten me on where Nahuatl or Friulian would be spoken? There's a good chance of finding something in the language of your choice.
Although their website is simple, browsing Project Gutenberg is a booklover's delight. If you know what you're looking for, you can find a specific book either by author or by title. Or you can just browse.
Books are organised into a few basic categories, then further broken down into a comprehensive list of subcategories. The subcategories themselves can be fascinating. I got sidetracked by 'Precursors to Science Fiction.' As expected, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a prominent entry, but did you know that Lucian of Samosata wrote his 'Trips to the Moon' in the second century? Another to add to my list of books to download.
The website also allows you to list the authors or titles alphabetically. I love spending time just looking through the lists, exclaiming, "Oh, wow, they've got ..." and "Hey, that looks interesting!"
Modern authors are a little scarce, as most of their works are still under copyright. I did, however, find one or two works by my favourite contemporary authors. Older publications are wonderfully varied. Works go back as far as Plato. The classics are well-represented, as are the major poets. While browsing the site to write this article, I picked up the complete works of my beloved Robert Burns, including his poems, songs and correspondence. Can't wait to start reading it! Whether your great love is Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes or the non-fiction works of early scientists, it's all there.
You can also view lists of the latest books added to the site - they aim to add around fifty new titles every week. There's a Twitter feed of the newest titles here: @gutenberg_new. And if you'd like to know what everyone else is downloading, the website has a list of the most popular downloads of the day. Around two million books are downloaded from Gutenberg every month.
As well as providing plenty of reading for relaxation, Project Gutenberg is also a wonderful source for historical research. I'm currently writing a novel set in the Victorian era, and at Gutenberg I can immerse myself in the very books, magazines and poets that my characters would have read.
If you're lucky enough to have spare time on your hands and would like to get involved, Gutenberg is always looking for volunteers as proofreaders. Most of their books are scanned in, then a program converts the image to text. This process is prone to errors, as a tiny glitch in the original image can cause the program to use the wrong word. So they need proofreaders to make sure the final version matches the original. Volunteers have the satisfaction that they've done their bit towards preserving great literature for future generations. Proofreaders work via the Internet, and are presented with a page of scanned image alongside the converted text. Gutenberg is happy to include volunteers who can commit to only a page a day. They also welcome cash donations to contribute toward the cost of storing and distributing the books.
Interestingly, they've started an affiliate project, which will make academic journals available to the general public.
I propose a toast to founder Michael Hart and the amazing team who, over the years, have made this wonderful resource possible.
Please join us in two weeks' time for a continuation of the Reader's Freebies series with a look at the art of Strange Horizons magazine, followed by a one-on-one interview with art director Tory Hoke. Until then, happy reading!
