How to Find and Read Free Books on Project Gutenberg

Want a classic to read without paying for an ebook or signing up for another account? Project Gutenberg lets you search its free collection and open a book right in your browser. You can also download an EPUB for a compatible reading app or e-reader.

Here’s how to find a book, pick the right reading option, and avoid the format confusion that can stop you before chapter one.

Find a book and start reading

1. Go to Project Gutenberg and enter a title or author in the search box. Try Pride and Prejudice if you want a quick example.
2. Select a result and check the author and language under About this eBook. Multiple editions of the same title can appear in the results, so look before you open one.
3. Choose Read online now. The book opens as a web page. Use its contents links, when available, to jump to a chapter.
4. Bookmark the book’s landing page if you want to find it again. The browser version needs an internet connection to load; use a downloaded ebook for offline reading.

In our desktop browser check, searching for the title returned several editions. Opening the Jane Austen result and choosing Read online now loaded the book and its chapter links. The example book page identifies that edition as public domain in the United States.

Download a book for offline reading

On the book page, look under Download for free and choose EPUB3 when it is offered. Open the downloaded file in an app or device that supports it. On iPhone or iPad, Gutenberg’s reading guide says to find the file in Files and open it with a compatible reading app such as Books. On a computer, you can use a desktop EPUB reader.

For a Kindle, Gutenberg recommends downloading EPUB3 and using Amazon’s Send to Kindle service for supported devices. Follow the on-screen instructions for your Amazon account. Older Kindles may need a different format and USB transfer; expand the Kindle or other formats options on the book page and consult Gutenberg’s reading guide. These device transfer steps are based on Gutenberg’s instructions; they weren’t tested for this article.

If you can’t find or open a book

• No useful result? Try the author’s surname or a shorter title, then check Search Options. Project Gutenberg focuses on older books, so a recent bestseller may not be there.
• Wrong edition or language? Return to the results and check the book’s author, language, and notes before downloading.
• The file won’t open? Check whether your app supports the downloaded format. For a quick way in, return to the book page and choose Read online now, or follow the device-specific steps in Gutenberg’s guide.

Project Gutenberg says its collection focuses on works whose U.S. copyright has expired, but copyright rules differ by country. Check the rights information on the individual book and your local rules before redistributing it. For another way to explore public knowledge, see how to compare changes on a Wikipedia page.