6 Websites to Find Free Books

In this day of mashups and multimedia, it's nice to know where to go to get inspired, download some free material and not get sued. Here are 6 excellent sites for finding free public domain and e-books.

Happy reading (and writing?)...

• Project Gutenberg: Millions of free, public domain books, generally available in text and HTML formats. Includes just about any classic book you can think of from before 1923, and a few more recent books.
• The Internet Archive: The Internet Archive is scanning books in libraries around the world and making them available for free in a range of formats, including searchable PDFs of the original page images. They have about half-a-million texts so far, and counting.
• Baen Free Library: A pioneer in the e-book field, Baen makes selected titles from it’s line of science fiction and fantasy books available for free download. Lots of good stuff for SF fans!
• Free-eBooks.net: A huge directory of free e-books, most of which are self-published. You’ll have to do some digging to find quality stuff here, but there are plenty of good books to be found with some patience.
• Memoware: Memoware includes tens of thousands of public domain books, formatted for a wide range of portable devices. They also have a premium bookstore where more current, mainstream books can be bought.
• Fictionwise: A huge e-book bookstore, specializing in SF, with titles formatted for a range of devices. Check out their always-changing selection of free e-books drawn from their collection. Note that only books in "multiformat" will be readable with Stanza.

Oprah Endorses the Kindle E-Book Reader

I have previously posted about my belief that the Kindle has potential to be widely adopted in schools and by teachers. Here are two reasons why this may have some traction:

• Literacy rates are down and there are mandates (NCLB, for example) to raise literacy rates in schools across the country.

• The Kindle looks and feels like a toy (or video game; or really big i-pod). "Digital Natives" as young students are called are comfortable with gadgets. Make reading a game and hand them a gadget and they just might do it!

There are other reasons but these, I think, are significant enough. As to the point that a gadget "does not smell and feel like a real book" the counterargument would be that literacy precedes aesthetic preference.

One more point..the Kindle would need to be offered to Educators on a trial basis and the price point would need to drop below $100 for schools to buy significant quantities.

The best part is grants already exist to support both literacy gains AND adoption of technology. Oprah's endorsement can certainly be a step in the right direction.

The Art of Possibility (Book)

BusinessWeek, November 2000
" . . . those looking to rethink their lives may find that the Zanders have hit just the right note."

Art of Possibility

Presenting twelve breakthrough practices for bringing creativity into all human endeavors, The Art of Possibility is the dynamic product of an extraordinary partnership. The Art of Possibility combines Benjamin Zander's experience as conductor of the Boston Philharmonic and his talent as a teacher and communicator with psychotherapist Rosamund Stone Zander's genius for designing innovative paradigms for personal and professional fulfillment.

The authors' harmoniously interwoven perspectives provide a deep sense of the powerful role that the notion of possibility can play in every aspect of life. Through uplifting stories, parables, and personal anecdotes, the Zanders invite us to become passionate communicators, leaders, and performers whose lives radiate possibility into the world.

The Ten Faces of Innovation (Book)

Advance Praise for The Ten Faces of Innovation

"Essential reading for every single person in your organization--even the CEO should read it! Each page contains a nugget that's worth the price of the entire book. Wow."
—Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow

“A concensus is emerging that Innovation must become most every firm's ‘Job One.’ ‘Hurdle One,’ however, is a doozer: establishing a Culture of Innovation. IDEO thought leader Tom Kelley offers a thoroughly original and thoroughly tested approach to creating that ‘culture of innovation.’ Rigorously applying his ‘Ten Faces’ will get the innovation ball rolling ... fast. Bravo!”
— Tom Peters

Critical Acclaim for Tom Kelley’s Previous National Bestseller The Art of Innovation

“Tom Kelley has unlocked the magic box of innovation for corporate America.”
—Bruce Nussbaum, BusinessWeek

“In light of all the books on the market about creativity, it takes a certain amount of chutzpah to call your book The Art of Innovation. Yet Kelley makes a good case.... Practical, clearly written, and highly detailed.”
—USA Today

“On nearly every page, the story of some upstart invention is recounted in patter that's as good as a skilled magician's…. Almost like visiting an IDEO workshop in person.”
—Wired

Summer Reading for Music Lovers

Here are some excellent book choices for music lovers of different types:

Jazz Aficionado

Gollub, Matthew. The Jazz Fly. Tortuga Press: Santa Rosa, California. 2000.

A fly that plays jazz? Yes, it’s true. The words are written with jazz rhythms in mind and the author incorporates an improvisational style into the text. The accompanying read aloud CD is read as poetry in rhythm. It also includes two short instrumental jazz tracks. While this is a picture book, older readers could study the rhythms of the lyrics as part of a jazz lesson.

Marsalis, Wynton. Jazz ABZ An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits. Candlewick Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2005.

ABZ is an alphabet book for sophisticated readers (of all ages). Wynton Marsalis selected some of the greatest jazz performers to represent each letter of the alphabet. Then he wrote a poem to describe the life and work of those musicians. When possible, the poem is written in a similar style to the music of the performer. Included at the end of the book are biographical sketches of each of the musicians and notes on the poetic forms used in the book.

History Buff

Erbsen, Wayne. Cowboy Songs, Jokes Lingo ‘n Lore. Native Ground Music, Inc.: Asheville, North Carolina. 1995.

Cowboys Songs is an entertaining, tongue in cheek look at the life of a typical cowboy. Through the humor, a sense of the harsh life of a cowboy is conveyed. The lyrics to the songs reflect the lonely life out on the trail. When possible, the author traces the musical heritage of the songs. Interspersed throughout are pieces of trivia designed to balance the dark mood of some of the songs’ lyrics with humor.

Erbsen, Wayne. Log Cabin Pioneers Stories, Songs and Sayings. Native Ground Music, Inc.: Asheville, North Carolina. 2001.

Log Cabin Pioneers discusses how music was an integral part of life in America’s history. The lyrics of the songs discuss the hardships and joys of life on the frontier. The story vignettes tell of the barn dances, hootenannies, and other times of relaxation and fun. Also included are directions on how to build various buildings necessary to keep a farm running and recipes to feed a hungry musician.

Science Enthusiast

Huron, David. Sweet Anticipation Music and the Psychology of Expectation. The MIT Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2006.

Why do people enjoy listening to the same piece of music over and over? Why does music across time and geography have similar traits? Why are listeners surprised, awed and scared by what they hear in music? David Huron answers these questions using mathematical, physiological, and psychological principles. His math and science, data driven approach to music theory provides a new insight into the standard repertoire of Western music.

Levitin, Daniel J. This Is Your Brain on Music The Science of a Human Obsession. Dutton: New York, New York. 2006.

This best seller offers a way to understand how the brain processes musical information. In a very readable manner, Levitin explains how the brain interprets and makes sense of information regarding the basic elements of music. He draws on his expertise as a neuroscientist to explain the technical and medical parts of brain science and his experience as a musician to provide musical examples that illustrate his point.

What Are The Differences Between the Sony Reader and the Kindle?

Some readers have wondered about the differences between the Sony Reader and the Kindle. I think a HUGE difference is that you DO NOT need to connect the Kindle to a computer to get new content. You want to order a new book? No problem. Use the Whispernet wireless connection to order it. It is delivered in 30 seconds flat. Clearly, I have a bias, so here's the breakdown:


Sony Reader: Hooks to your usb and needs an internet connection. It has the new technology that reads like paper and you can buy books from the sony book store and transfer files from your computer. Holds up to 100 books and can store thousands with a memory card. Very thin and portable. Uses grayscale that means everything is black and white.

Amazon reader: Reads like paper and does not need an internet connection. You can view files from your computer but they have to be changed to a AZW file that Amazon charges you to change to. Very thin and uses grayscale that means everything is black and white. Can hold 200 books without a memory card. Free cellular type service gives you the ability to order books with no computer connection. Takes one minute to order a book. Also has access to blog feeds, The New York Times and other RSS feeds.

Kindle E-Book Reader Biggest Hit Since The i-Pod

The Kindle e-book Reader received lots of press before its release but only a little since then. The fact is that, even after the Holiday season, it remains sold out. New Kindle E-Book Readers are being manufactured as quickly as possible and orders continue to come in.

If you like to read, it may be worth taking a look at. I remember a few years ago after I packed up 25 CD's to take into my car, "They really need to figure out how to do Mp3's for cars". Of course, it's entirely possible now to listen to music without CD's in the car. Even though I enjoy reading 'real books', I am beginning to feel this way about them. Maybe because I see the benefit of technology in other areas of my life, I am willing to look at the possibility of reading 'books' on the Kindle.

Here is information about the Kindle E-Book Reader.

And here is an excerpt from a Kindle owner:

The Kindle is a terrific instrument. Of course, it does not do everything and the entire Library of Cogress is not available. But with 90,000 books that can be readily downloaded, it's not bad. I buy new releases for less than I can get them at big box discount stores. A side benefit is that I don't have to find a place for that hardback book or somebody with my tastes to give it to. By the way, how many out of print books does the normal person buy. My guess is nada. The Kindle is great for traveling. I used to dump books in my suitcase. No more! The Kindle is not a "Do all, end all' device. It is just a very convenient way to enjoy reading. As an added attraction, it provides instant gratification. Download of a new bestseller takes about 30 seconds.

I'm about to place my order. What do you think? Join me. Click on the Kindle below to learn more about it and place your order. My bet is they will be as ubiquitous as the i-pod: people holding and reading this device while waiting for the bus, riding the subway, waiting in the doctor's office. I'll read mine during commercials.