Since the Kindle is currently Amazon’s bestselling, most gifted, most wished for item this Christmas, I thought I’d write a post of free educational books you can download onto the new Kindle, whether you’re the one receiving one or giving one.
I’ve had my Kindle (pictured above) for a year and a half now. I justified the expense (at the time, $349; now it sells for just $259) because of all the free books I could put on the Kindle and would no longer have to buy. There are a few other reasons* I think the purchase price was worth it, but first, here are some links to free Kindle content:
from Jane Austen to Mark Twain to Greek books, FreeKindleBooks.org has links to thousands of free Kindle-format-ready books…
Project Gutenberg, a frequently used site for any literature lover, has over 30,000 books ready to use on the Kindle…
There are over 25,000 free books at ManyBooks.net…
There are also free books available straight from Amazon, new and old. Often, free books are offered as special limited time offers. Here is a Listmania list to get you started:
There are many, many other sites to list. If enough of you are interested, I may start a Kindle category. I think the Kindle – and devices based on it – may be in the near future for most students. Imagine not carrying those heavy textbooks across campus!
* A few of those other reasons I justified buying my Kindle, even at the higher price it was then:
- It can hold thousands of books and magazines (even more with a memory card added to it) so I only have to carry one thing
- Amazon saves every single thing – even the notes I write in the books – so I don’t have to worry about losing my Kindle content
- The web browser. It is in black & white and the browsing is not the fastest thing, but I use the web browser often to check the news or my email and I like having it for emergencies. One time we were lost in the shady side of a new-to-us city and I used my Kindle to view an online map to find out way out. Whew.
- There are no monthly fees at all. I mostly download free content. So, since my Kindle is a year-and-a-half old, it is a real bargain at $349* divided by 18 months of usage (and counting!). It’s much cheaper than my cell phone is! (*the Kindle is now $259)
Do you have Kindle? If you do, chime in!
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You can also download Kindle for your PC for free. If you do that, and then download free books, well, you can’t get any freer than that!
Thanks, Karen! I'm going to write that up as a separate post in the near future. Great idea, thanks for sharing.
Lori Seaborg
Interesting. Never could see the point of Kindle, but your post has answered some questions for me. I may have to put this on next year’s wishlist.
I have (and love) the Kindle for PC and Kindle for iPhone. Since we homeschool, we use it often. I only wish it had a “read aloud” option where we could listen to it read to us while traveling, etc.
Does the actual Kindle offer this function?
Thanks for the links, by the way! Very helpful in adding to my book list!
There is a new read-aloud feature on the newer generation of Kindles (Kindle 2).
I have been drooling over that Kindle for 18 months now. I just didn’t think I could justify the expense. You’ve made me think twice. Might just have to save up my book money. I love the read aloud option. Perfect for when Mom needs to rest her eyes a minute when reading aloud after lunch :).
I have a question for you though. How does the Kindle relate to actually holding a book in your hands? My eyes tend to get strained reading on the computer for too long. Is it different with the Kindle?
I haven't heard the read-aloud feature, but know it's a computer-generated voice, so see if you can listen to a sample online (maybe YouTube?) if that's a feature you'd want to use often— just to make sure it's not an annoying voice!
About the eye strain: The Kindle is created with electronic ink and the screen is created to look like paper. It doesn't glare like a computer screen, doesn't flash (even invisibly) like a computer screen, and really does look rather like a book's page would. You can change the font size from tiny to huge – a feature I use often, depending on the room's lighting.
Neck or hand strain: I have a bad neck, so notice that the Kindle is easier on it since it is so lightweight and easy to hold….meaning, I don't have to prop my head up while reading in bed like I would with a book. Arthritic sufferers say it is wonderful for them because there is no hand strain. Page turning is as simple as clicking a button.
Still, as much as I love my Kindle, I'm a book lover, so it hasn't replaced books completely for me. You can still find me perusing the library book sales and even bringing a library book home now and then. I love the weight of a book in my hands and the feel of the paper between my fingers. For me, the Kindle is my traveling companion. I don't use it often at home, but the children do for their studies.
Thanks, Karen!
Thanks for this! I’m hoping to get a Kindle for my birthday in November, I can see the children using it more than me at this rate!
We love our Kindle, both my husband andI have one. We are seriously thinking of getting my daughter a kindle as we goes thru books so fast and I am out of room on her bookshelf. She refuses to throw (or give) any books away as she rereads all the time.
Feedbooks.com is another great site for free books. Lots of public domain stuff (i.e., Classics) but also indie authors.
Check out kindleboards.com too. It’s a forum, not a source for books, but it’s a wealth of information for all things Kindle. There is a permanent thread devoted exclusively to free book finds.
I love my Kindle so very much and my husband loves his too. My kids are a little too young for one, but once my son turns maybe 8 or 9, I will probably upgrade to the latest Kindle and give my old one to him.
Do the Kindle books only work on Kindle, and Kindle readers or do they work on all e-book readers?
Here is my list, you have the best of them aleady, these are mostly in epub or pdf.
EBOOKs
Site for Free Ebooks
http://manybooks.net/categories/CHI/77
this is my favorite, it has a huge listing of public domain books in a very friendly format
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.free-ebooks.net/
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/freebooks.htm
http://www.baen.com/library/
http://www.suvudu.com/freelibrary/
http://www.homeofheroes.com/books/index.html
Thanks for all your heard work Lori, you are such a blessing!!
Thanks so much for sharing, Lizzie! You'll have me busily downloading books all week!
I think the books highlighted will work on any e-reader. The sites should say. If not, let me know and I'll dig more for you — I'm on mobile connection right now.
A wonderful excuse to upgrade, Cindy! I should do the same!
I love that more childrens titles are coming available!
You'll enjoy it, Rita!
Awesome!! Thank you everyone so much for sharing!! My kindle is on its way home now!! 😉 I am buying the Kindle just to get G.A. Henty books for FREE!!
http://manybooks.net/authors/hentyga.html
Wow, I didn't know about the free Gentry books. It kind of makes the Kindle price a wash, huh?
Henty :). I'm mobile. Can drive me nuts sometimes to type this one- fingered!
>
My Kindle is on order and I am drooling with the youth books available. Thanks to you and others on the Crew who convinced me it would be a good purchase.
Excited to hear it, Kimberly!
I have the Kindle app for my iPhone. We have tons of school books on it. What I really like about it is that we can be at the doctor’s office, and I can actually do school without packing up a whole milk crate full of stuff. We can do history, geography, and read aloud all from my phone, if need be. 🙂
Great ideas. Thanks for sharing!
One place you have missed is OBOOKO, which is a legal free ebook distribution site and has hundreds of free ebooks for kindle:
http://www.obooko.com