{"id":97983,"date":"2018-03-13T22:54:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-13T22:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=97983"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:36:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:36:37","slug":"the-5-best-places-to-find-free-legal-ebooks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/the-5-best-places-to-find-free-legal-ebooks\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 best places to find free ebooks &#8211; legally"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Whatever you want to do, books will help you do it. Whether it\u2019s<br \/>\nchanging careers, learning a new skill, or simply escaping to another<br \/>\nworld for a few hours \u2013 the right books will get you there.<\/p>\n<p>Now that ebooks are growing in popularity, it\u2019s never been easier to find<br \/>\nwhat you\u2019re looking for. There are millions to choose from, many of<br \/>\nwhich are free. You no longer have to lug around a weighty tome, but can<br \/>\ncarry thousands of ebooks on any e-reading device, laptop, or tablet \u2013<br \/>\neven a mobile phone.<\/p>\n<p>The world\u2019s greatest literature, reference, and business books are just<br \/>\na few clicks away. To help you find them, we\u2019ve put together a list of<br \/>\nour 5 favorite free ebook sites.<\/p>\n<p>Enjoy&#8230;<\/p>\n<h2>The 5 best places to find free (legal) ebooks<\/h2>\n<h3>1. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/\">Project Gutenberg<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-97985\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image2-1024x504.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"295\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image2-1024x504.png 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image2-300x148.png 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image2-768x378.png 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image2-1200x590.png 1200w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image2.png 1326w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Project Gutenberg is the oldest digital library in the world. Founded in<br \/>\n1971, it has mostly specialized in digitizing classics whose copyright<br \/>\nexpired and that are now in the public domain. Now it has over 54,000<br \/>\ne-books, which you can search for by title, author, or keyword.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not looking for a specific book, you can browse the collection<br \/>\nby &#8220;bookshelf,&#8221; which is Project Gutenberg\u2019s name for categories such as<br \/>\nScience, Classics, and Law. The categories don\u2019t drill down very deeply,<br \/>\nso I recommend having some idea of what you\u2019d like to read first \u2013 a<br \/>\ntitle, author, or subject would be ideal \u2013 and searching for it.<\/p>\n<p>You can also browse by Title, Author, Language, and Recently Posted,<br \/>\nwhich is great if you\u2019d like to brush up on your language skills by<br \/>\ntackling a familiar title in another language (<em>Don Quixote<\/em> in Spanish,<br \/>\nfor example).<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve found your book, you can download it in a variety of<br \/>\nformats, including plain text, HTML, PDF, MOBI, EPUB, and Plucker. That<br \/>\ncovers pretty much all devices, and you don\u2019t even need to register to<br \/>\nstart reading.<\/p>\n<h2>2. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Kindle-eBooks\/b?ie%3DUTF8%26node%3D154606011\">Amazon<\/a><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-97986\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image1_v2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"573\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image1_v2.png 705w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image1_v2-300x286.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Amazon has ruled the digital ebook market for some time now, with its spectacular book selection (over 5 million, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.justpublishingadvice.com\/there-are-now-over-5-million-kindle-ebooks\/&amp;sa=D&amp;ust=1520281513588000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGJ-KFRJtts33ER6GWubVSivAG_2w\">this source<\/a>) and cheap, functional e-readers. Yet despite ebooks being a lot cheaper to produce, Amazon\u2019s prices for newer titles aren\u2019t that much cheaper than the paperback versions. Still, Amazon does make it easy to find free books using their search function, and lists the top 100 bestselling free ebooks across various genres.<\/p>\n<p>Given Amazon\u2019s huge catalog, you\u2019re bound to find something you like, and their reviews section make it easy to see whether the ebook will live up to its promise. If you\u2019re an Amazon Prime member, you can also take advantage of their \u201cPrime Reading\u201d offer, which lets you select one title from six (all editors\u2019 picks) which you can download and keep for free. There\u2019s also the Kindle Owners\u2019 Lending Library, which lets you borrow books for an unlimited amount of time (only available to Prime members).<\/p>\n<p>Amazon has done a great job of making it easy to find free ebooks, but there\u2019s one catch: All their books are formatted for the Kindle and Kindle app. This won\u2019t be an issue if you already have one, but if not, you\u2019ll need to do some converting before adding them to your device (I recommend\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/calibre.en.softonic.com\/\">Calibre<\/a>). You also need an Amazon account to download books, but it\u2019s free to sign up.<\/p>\n<h3>3. <a href=\"http:\/\/manybooks.net\/\">ManyBooks<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-97987\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image5-1024x898.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"526\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image5-1024x898.png 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image5-300x263.png 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image5-768x673.png 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image5-1200x1052.png 1200w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image5.png 1304w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>ManyBooks started in 2004, mostly offering books from the Project\u00a0Gutenberg archives. Since then, its library has grown to over 33,000 free ebooks, and new titles are added regularly. Alongside stalwart classics, it showcases a lot of self-published authors, so expect the quality to vary somewhat.<\/p>\n<p>The website is easy to navigate, with a bar at the top left to switch between various categories, including Title, Genre, Language, and Popular. An individual book\u2019s page lists useful information about it, such as its length and publication date, and there are reviews from site users, too.<\/p>\n<p>Some books are downloaded directly from ManyBooks, and you get a choice of format, meaning it supports most ebook readers. Other titles link to\u00a0Amazon, Kobo, and so on \u2013 this seems to be exclusively for books that are on special offer and includes those that are discounted but not free (I suspect this is how ManyBooks makes money.)<\/p>\n<p>Although there\u2019s no need to register with ManyBooks to download, there\u2019s a heavy emphasis on its daily newsletter, which it promotes throughout the site. It\u2019s up to you whether or not to sign up, but if you\u2019re not a particularly voracious reader, a daily email might be a bit much.<\/p>\n<h3>4. <a href=\"https:\/\/openlibrary.org\/\">The Open Library<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-97988\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image4-1002x1024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"858\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image4-1002x1024.png 1002w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image4-293x300.png 293w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image4-768x785.png 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image4-1200x1227.png 1200w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image4.png 1305w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Open Library is part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/archive.org\/&amp;sa=D&amp;ust=1520281513592000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEis8r_0PDf40pDVxNBYGYUZ_a4ww\">Internet Archive<\/a>, which aims to collate all the world\u2019s digital media on one site (books, films, music, web pages, and so on). Open Library deals with books, and has an enormous catalog of over 3 million free versions, and provides links to Amazon and WorldCat for anything it doesn\u2019t have. It has all Project Gutenberg\u2019s titles and, according to the site, \u201chundreds of thousands of others\u201d. But not all titles are free, nor even available, as it includes records of out-of-print, rare, and antique books, too.<\/p>\n<p>Open Library uses \u201cspecial subjects\u201d to divide its catalog. \u201cAccessible\u201d books are those that are free and you can download today. These are mostly classics in the public domain, and you can read these, without registering, either online or by downloading the ebook and reading it on your device. To see the full list of free ebooks, click \u201cBrowse\u201d, \u201cMore subjects\u201d, and \u201cAccessible books.\u201d More recently released ebooks are available to borrow by registering for an Open Library card (check that your local library participates in the Open Library program, first).<\/p>\n<h3>5. <a href=\"https:\/\/librivox.org\/\">Librivox<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-97989\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image3-1024x553.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image3-1024x553.png 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image3-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image3-768x414.png 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image3-1200x648.png 1200w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/ebooks_image3.png 1323w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Started in 2005, Librivox is a library of free audiobooks read by volunteers. Although audio books aren\u2019t technically ebooks, this is a great way of enjoying books on the move, keeping you entertained and informed on your morning commute.<\/p>\n<p>The Librivox library uses Project Gutenberg\u2019s titles, with the Internet Archive hosting the audio. That means you\u2019ll mostly have access to classics. For some, this might be an easy way of familiarizing yourself with literature if you don\u2019t have the time to read the books themselves, or if your sight is impaired.<\/p>\n<p>As well as being able to listen online, you can download the titles in MP3 for use at home or on your mobile phone. There are links to the ebook versions on each title\u2019s page, and they run a thrice weekly podcast (if you\u2019d prefer to listen that way). All books are recorded in 128 kbit\/s which makes for pleasant, artifact-free listening.<\/p>\n<p>So there you have it \u2013 five great websites with millions of ebook titles to choose from. All the classics are here, and many others, too. So if it\u2019s time to brush up on your interview skills, familiarize yourself with Dickens, or just while away the hours with a bit of romance, hit the free books first and save yourself some cash.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whatever you want to do, books will help you do it. Whether it\u2019s changing careers, learning a new skill, or simply escaping to another world for a few hours \u2013 the right books will get you there. Now that ebooks are growing in popularity, it\u2019s never been easier to find what you\u2019re looking for. There &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/the-5-best-places-to-find-free-legal-ebooks\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;The 5 best places to find free ebooks &#8211; legally&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9103,"featured_media":97987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-97983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97983"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":328177,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97983\/revisions\/328177"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97983"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=97983"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=97983"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=97983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}