Download Free ebooks

[kashifpk]

HOw can I get free ebooks.

 

[Matth3w]

By going to the iBooks store and clicking on the top free books. Also sometimes there are specials. Or any PDF you have can be converted to ePub using a free program called calibre.

Other than that your only options are that BS website that promises thousands of free books for 50 bucks a month or illegally pirating protected books.

 

[Bremen]

Another option is go to http://www.inkmesh.com .... type in a genre... like "fantasy" or whatever... then click the free button to the right. What will come up is a list of free books on the net in that genre.... Any that are available in ePub format will go right into iBooks (via iTunes, drag and drop) since they are all DRM free. For books that are not in ePub, just download to you PC/Mac, and as Matth3w says use Calibre (google it, it's free) to convert to an ePub, and then drag and drop that to your iPad via iTunes....

Sounds complicated (esp the way I say it...) but it's really not, once you have done it a few times....

 

[Matth3w]

Nope, it's really quite easy as Bremen says

 

[iVan]

You could also go to mobileread.com where there is a selection of public domain books with beautiful formating.

 

[Bremen]

You could also go to mobileread.com where there is a selection of public domain books with beautiful formating.

Very true.... but I want to be sure the newbes understand that they have to get the books in ePub format so they will work in iBooks... here is a link to those...

ePub Books - MobileRead Forums

 

[Dav]

You could also go to mobileread.com where there is a selection of public domain books with beautiful formating.

Very true.... but I want to be sure the newbes understand that they have to get the books in ePub format so they will work in iBooks... here is a link to those...

ePub Books - MobileRead Forums

Yes and righty so the faster the word gets out the better , maybe we need some guides? On all things iPad that could be posted by the users for the users?

 

[KevinJS]

By going to the iBooks store and clicking on the top free books. Also sometimes there are specials. Or any PDF you have can be converted to ePub using a free program called calibre.

Other than that your only options are that BS website that promises thousands of free books for 50 bucks a month or illegally pirating protected books.

Not absolutely true.

Project Gutenberg ebooks are all out of copyright. Of course, you are not going to find the New York Times best sellers list on there, but there are thousands of titles available, all free to download, legally.

 

[Heaviside]

By going to the iBooks store and clicking on the top free books. Also sometimes there are specials. Or any PDF you have can be converted to ePub using a free program called calibre.

Other than that your only options are that BS website that promises thousands of free books for 50 bucks a month or illegally pirating protected books.

Not absolutely true.

Project Gutenberg ebooks are all out of copyright. Of course, you are not going to find the New York Times best sellers list on there, but there are thousands of titles available, all free to download, legally.

One major problem: many of the Project Gutenberg books were scanned in by Google---and have handprints obliterating a lot of text, scrambled text (lousy ocr!), and other gross and careless errors!

 

[cutnstuf]

I've been able to transfer pdf's from my computer in Ibooks and open them. Why do I need to convert to epub?

Cut

 

[thewitt]

You would convert to ePub only if you want the features of an eBook rather than a PDF file... I much prefer to read ePub format books than PDF files - I generally read at a larger font than the default PDF was - but you may be quite happy with the PDF format.

It's really a personal preference. The content doesn't change.

-t

 

[KevinJS]

One major problem: many of the Project Gutenberg books were scanned in by Google---and have handprints obliterating a lot of text, scrambled text (lousy ocr!), and other gross and careless errors!

I don't know why that would happen. I have helped to prepare some of the books for PG as a member of Distributed Proofreaders. The original OCR scans are only a starting point. We start with the photograph of the original page, and correct the OCR. We even use a specially designed font to ensure that characters that are similar can be caught. For example, lower case "L", upper case "I" and numeral "1".
Then another proofreader corrects the first, followed by a third round correcting any remaining errors. This is followed by two rounds of formatting. The copy that is eventually uploaded to PG should contain very few errors.

Not saying that you are wrong. I just don't understand how the kind of thing that you have found can appear, given the painstaking method by which the books are prepared.

 

[cutnstuf]

You would convert to ePub only if you want the features of an eBook rather than a PDF file... I much prefer to read ePub format books than PDF files - I generally read at a larger font than the default PDF was - but you may be quite happy with the PDF format.

It's really a personal preference. The content doesn't change.

-t

Ah, I see. Thanks for explaining that.

 

[Bob Maxey]

I've been able to transfer pdf's from my computer in Ibooks and open them. Why do I need to convert to epub?

Cut

I am guessing but I think people want to open ebooks in iBooks. I have a number of volumes in different formats like pdf and plain text. Not sure I care if they open in iBooks or not. The ePub format likely provides features a plain text "book" does not provide.

The issue some have with Project Gutenberg volumes is their "careless" editing. Or so some are saying. I know when I purchase a scarce printed volume it is accurate and nothing has been edited or left out.

PG is a great source for books, however.

 

[Heaviside]

I don't know why that would happen. I have helped to prepare some of the books for PG as a member of Distributed Proofreaders. The original OCR scans are only a starting point. We start with the photograph of the original page, and correct the OCR. We even use a specially designed font to ensure that characters that are similar can be caught. For example, lower case "L", upper case "I" and numeral "1".
Then another proofreader corrects the first, followed by a third round correcting any remaining errors. This is followed by two rounds of formatting. The copy that is eventually uploaded to PG should contain very few errors.

Not saying that you are wrong. I just don't understand how the kind of thing that you have found can appear, given the painstaking method by which the books are prepared.

Didn't mean to offend you or anyone else, just to register a complaint. Could be that it depends on the source.

If I download from Barnes and Noble for instance, things are garbled--whether I read on my nook or not. From the Google Book Store things are better, but often figures do not appear. I haven't had such good luck downloading directly from Project Gutenberg either. From my public library, the quality seems pretty good.

Funny. I figured that only one outfit was doing the original digitizing and the others were just linking to that source.

Thanks a lot for responding!