Today we'll talk about the Open Library. In fact. I will write and you may read it. ;-)
This library is an initiative of the Internet Archive. Its aim is to create a (web) page for every book which is quite ambitious. By creating such a huge database readers and book lovers are able to retrieve information about many published works.
But that's not all. It's also possible to read books as long as they are digitized. Registered users are allowed to read classics online or even download them. These are books published till 1922. They are avalaible in several formats like TXT, PDF and EPUB. At the moment of writing, over 1.000.000 titles are available for free.
Modern books are published as of 1923 and can be borrowed. Borrowed? Yes, registered users can check a book out for up to fourteen days. During that period, the lender is able to read it on- or offline. For the latter Adobe Digital Editions software is necessary. These are available for Windows and Mac; unfortunately there's still no Linux version. Users may loan up to five books a time all for free!
Are you already a member of the Open Library?
Keep on reading!