“If you’re not familiar with the Gutenberg Project, it’s a free online digital library supported by volunteers,” Vaughn reports. “This library already includes over 30,000 free eBooks from the public domain; it is an amazing popular resource.”
Vaughn reports, “Well, when checking out Apple’s iBookstore, I noticed that Apple has decided to include these directly. I obviously haven’t had the chance to count them, but it appears that the entire catalog is available for free download.”
Full article here.
[Attribution: MacNN. Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
Now that’s the killer app.
OMG… BLOODBATH! Awesome!!!
I remember when Gutenberg started up way pre- web … Glad to see that it’s stronger than ever.
how do you access the iBook sore?
Thank you, Gutenberg Project!
Thank you, Apple!
Doesn’t Google have something like a half a million public domain books scanned in and available for the Nook ereader? Will Apple’s war with Goog prevent them from offering those titles?
goodnight kindle
@HotinPlaya
It’s an App, just like the App Store or Safari, etc.
So it’s not avaiable to the public yet?
It’s about time that one of the major players did this.
I hope Apple also writes a nice donation check to the Gutenberg Project to keep them going.
@HotinPlaya
iBook store isn’t available yet. It will be when the iPad is released. These books will then be available on the iPad, through iBooks.
All these free books are available now to almost everyone in every country around the world (Depending on your countries Copyright laws) who has access to a computer that they can install “eReader” software on.
I think what HotinPlaya is referring to is this line in the article:
“Well, when checking out Apple’s iBookstore, I noticed that Apple has decided to include these directly. “
How did the guy check out the iBookstore if it is not yet open to the public?
Now that’s a smart move. The other ebook sellers would never do this because they make their profit from selling ebooks. Apple makes most of its from profit from selling the hardware, so they can offer a free service like this without compromise.
@ken1w:
But a lot of the others do do this! I’ve got dozens of free ebooks on my “Kindle” (i.e. iPhone), and my understanding is that Barnes and Noble’s Nook has 500,000 free ebooks.
Of course the problem is most of those books are really old and not that interesting (there are classics that are worth reading).
@ Spark: Apple sent out their pre-release iPads to reviewers this week. Obvious Vaughn has a friend on that list.
“who has access to a computer that they can install “eReader” software on”
Gutenberg is available in many forms, even just .txt
@zmarc
Do they make all of the free stuff as readily available in their ebook store as the retail content?
One of Apple’s smartest moves has been to provide free bandwidth for free apps. In other words, if you offer value to the customers of our products and you don’t profit from it, then we will handle the distribution for you. It’s a win-win-win situation (Apple, developers, and customers) and it is a major reason that the App Store has grown so quickly.
Time will tell … I gave up on iTunes for music purchases and use Amazon 100% because it is easier and cheaper. Competition is good and I foresee Amazon to sell a lot of books for the iPad.
BDD:
Amazon is most certainly NOT easier; it is clunky, cumbersome, convoluted and complicated (according to vast majority of reviewers out there), compared to iTunes store. It may be easier to you, though, so I won’t argue.
It may be cheaper (although for the most part, it isn’t), because music labels are in collusion to undermine iTunes if at all possible. They are still angry for having to capitulate to Apple regarding removal of DRM, so they continue to deny it higher prices. The only way to right this wrong is for consumers to boycott/ignore Amazon and buy from iTunes. After all, iTunes tracks are noticeably better than Amazon (AAC vs. MP3), which should be enough of a reason for any possible difference in pricing.
Competition is only good when it is fair. When it isn’t, (i.e. when one side is cheating), it should be properly punished.
Project Gutenberg makes electronic books out of works that are in public domain. From Shakespeare to early 20th century, you should be able to find vast majority of classics, as well as very many not so famous, but still great books from famous and not so famous authors. Wherever copyright has expired, you’re likely to find the work there.
Gutenberg is great but FeedBooks ebooks are more nicely formatted and without pages of fine print at the start. Ebook readers like the great and free Stanza make it easy to find, download and read classics like Moby Dick on my iPhone. I hope and expect to see an iPad version of Stanza, and access to FeedBooks through it. (Can’t wait for April 3!)
Oh yeah, that old fashioned model of writer and publisher that gets bashed so often apparently still has some value in it. I’d ask all those who glibly announce that publishing is “dead” to explain why Apple would bother adding 30,000 books from a “dead” industry unless there was value remaining. Funny that Apple chose Gutenberg’s collection rather than packing 30,000 blogs onto the iPad. Hmmmmm . . . maybe those old guys knew what they were doing when the publishing model was created????
One of the best news I’ve heard about the iBookstore yet! I agree with finelineBob, I too remember the pre-web days of Gutenberg and it’s really fascinating to see how far it has come!
iPad Canada 3G
Buy iPad 3G Online
Balloon Guy,
many of those books are out of print – have been for a long time – and would be unavailable to readers except for dog-eared, musty smelling, used books on Amazon. These books are not from a dead industry, but rather they have been pronounced “dead” by an industry that churns out assembly line bestsellers.
Many of those classics, if they are available, have been modified into “children’s books” by shortening and editing. Swift, Stevenson, Twain have been mangled beyond recognition for “easier reading”. Before Gutenberg, Penguin Books was virtually the only source for authentic classics, but those were hard to find between all the latest Grishams and Clancies in the bookstores.
Gutenberg, along with Wikipedia, is one of the greatest blessings on the internet, at least IMHO. To have it integrated in the ibook store will allow for even easier access and greater popularity. A win-win for Gutenberg and Apple, but even more so for the readers.