Sources for Online Books
This is a list of online sources for electronic books, magazines, newspaper articles and other material. The files are in a variety of formats ranging from plain text to digital audio and digital braille. Most material is public domain literature and free of charge, although some do charge a subscription fee for content and/or proprietary software. Electronic braille materials can also be embossed.
Provides high-interest, low-reading-level digital text in HTML to individuals with documented print disability. Annual subscription fee is $49.95; school district licenses are available.
A collection of free public domain material from American literature, English literature, and Western philosophy. Books are in PDF and text formats.
27,000 downloadable books, magazines, newspapers, radio shows. Items are spoken-word audio in a proprietary Audible.com format. Cost is $14.95 - $21.95 per month.
Offers the classics of literature, nonfiction and reference books free of charge. Includes the Harvard Classics, the complete works of Shakespeare and more. Some titles are offered in various proprietary e-book formats via amazon.com.
Free online literature with over 2,000 classic texts, including fiction, drama, poetry, short stories and magazines. Also offers study guides and reference materials. Most books are in HTML format.
Provides digital books in a broad range of subjects to United States residents who have visual or other print disability. Books are in HTML, DAISY, text format and digital braille. A downloadable DAISY reader is available for members. Requires completion of an online form, proof of disability and payment of a $25.00 signup fee and a $50.00 annual subscription.
Has children's books at all grade levels submitted by teachers and transcribers; the site is maintained by the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Access is password-protected and limited to individuals who have a visual or other print disability and to members of a nonprofit organization or government agency that provides specialized services to such individuals. Books are in MegaDots, Duxbury and ASCII format.
Contains free fiction, poetry, drama, short stories, non fiction and biographies in the public domain. All books are in HTML; includes a plain-text format that eliminates most graphics.
Combines a free online archive of tens of thousands of SGML- and XML-encoded electronic texts and images in the humanities with a services at the University of Virginia Library that offers hardware and software suitable for the creation and analysis of text. Most material is in SGML or XML; site includes tools for reading these file types.
Publishes and distributes fiction and short fiction in a variety of proprietary e-book formats. Costs range from $0.49 for short stories to $4.99 and up for lengthy works.
Has more than 2,000 books, stories, poems, plays and religious and historical documents in HTML format. Readers can read online at no charge or can purchase the entire collection on CD-ROM for $19.99. Users can also upload book reviews and essays.
International Electronic Braille Book Library
Contains more than one thousand titles of electronic braille books, including children's books, classic literature, and publications of the National Federation of the Blind. Files are in contracted braille ASCII text format that appears as Grade 2 braille, and may be read online or downloaded for viewing offline or embossing.
Internet Public Library (IPL) Books Collection
Includes more than twenty thousand online books, magazines, stories, essays, poems, articles, dramas, letters and speeches that are freely available online. Material is in text and HTML format.
Offers more 95,000 e-books titles in subjects such as arts, business, history, literature, religion, science and technology to academic, public and corporate libraries that purchase a collection of titles. Patrons must create an account with an affiliated library in order to access the collection. Books are in a proprietary e-book format.
Provides a searchable database of links to more than 25,000 titles available online at no charge and in non-proprietary format. Has a listing of foreign language and literature resources and an archive of serials.
Over 17,000 titles available in the public domain, including children's books. Most books are in text or HTML format. Foreign language texts, audio books, recorded music and sheet music are also available.
Questia
Has an enormous collection of scholarly books, newspaper, magazine and journal articles in the humanities and social sciences selected by professional collection development librarians. Uses dynamic HTML and JavaScript. Offers a range of subscription plans from monthly at $19.95 to quarterly at $44.95 to annual at $99.95.
Tiflolibros: E-Books for the Blind
Has more than five thousand digital books in Spanish that can be downloaded. Includes a small but growing number of books in English, German, French, Italian and Portuguese. Must register to receive password to access collection.