[lit-ideas] Free book-downloads from Google
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 12:03:48 -0700
http://www.electricnews.net/frontpage/news-9783519.html
Google just today offered a new service. You can download books that are in
the public domain. Go to Google and click ?more? and you will now see
?books.? If you go to that site you will be able to download books from the
public domain as, I believe, pdf files. The article says that books not in
the public domain are also listed but you can only download their
bibliographies and limited extracts.
I have liked the idea of accessing books on line but I have never been
willing to read an entire book online. My eyes have never been able to
handle staring at a screen that long. Also, I like to move about when I?m
reading a book and I can?t do that if I?m reading it from a computer screen.
I notice that being able to print an entire book is described in the
article, but when one considers paper and ink and printer wear it can?t be
that much cheaper than buying a used book on half.com or amazon.com. Then
too there is the problem with what you do with the book printed out on 8 ½ x
11 sheets after you?ve read it. It won?t stack up on end very readily on
your book shelves; so you?ll probably toss it out once it starts looking
ratty -- at least I would.
I decided to reread The Nigger of the Narcissus a few years ago and printed
out just a few chapters from one of the on-line sites, but the process was
off-putting and I never finished it -- and I can recall appreciating it when
I first read it.
On the other hand, a poor student majoring in history, literature, or some
subject requiring the reading of old books could save him or herself several
trips to the library by using Google.
Lawrence
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