Free book library
Free, legal books: public domain and open access. Search a title or author and we show where you can read or download it, and where it can only be borrowed.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the books come from?
From free, legal catalogues: Project Gutenberg, Open Library, the Internet Archive, DOAB and OAPEN, arXiv and similar open sources. Every copy shows its source and licence, and we only link to sources on a fixed allowlist.
Why can't I download every book?
A PDF download is offered only when the book is in the public domain or published under an open licence. A book still under copyright can only be borrowed or previewed from its library, so we link to that instead of a file.
What do the licence labels mean?
Public domain means copyright has expired. CC BY and the other Creative Commons labels mean the author allows free reading and sharing under the stated terms. Borrow only means a library lends it to you for a limited time.