Free Beginner Books Online
Children's Books Forever is a quirky collection of free picture books written (mostly) by Hans Wilhelm that you can use on a Smartboard, PPT, or a computer monitor. The illustrations are charming and seem just right for beginning readers. If you decide to browse the collection, I particularly liked the Waldo book and the Ten Little Bunnies story. Online Books for Beginning Readers. Checkout this great collection of online books from My Online Reading. This is an uncommon website that I stumbled upon, and couldn’t wait to share with you! This site offers free access to a multitude of books in several genres for beginning readers! Check it out below! My Online Reading. Online Books: A Little Bit of Background. Books have been published in the same way for years: on paper. This is a fine and good way to publish books if you like your book to be published slowly and costly.
Welcome to the Tar Heel Reader, a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces, including touch screens, the IntelliKeys with custom overlays, and 1 to 3 switches. Click here to learn more about alternative access methods. Progressive Phonics stays with the 'American' version of these letters because they resemble the PRINTED versions of these letters, which children see every day in their books and schoolpapers. Children can learn the alternate versions of these letters when they learn their cursive or italic forms of handwriting.
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Ever thought of creating a library with thousands of free books? You'd never have to spend a dime. It sounds impossible, but it's not! Free books, on nearly any subject you can think of, are all over the internet, ready to be downloaded, read, and shared. All you need to do is speed up your reading so you have enough time to get through all of them!
A huge quantity of books previously unavailable to the public were released starting in 2019 to the public domain, thanks to the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998. Because of an amendment to that act, works published between 1923 and 1977 can enter the public domain 95 years after their creation.
Many of the sites listed in this article can get you access to the tens of thousands of books (and movies, songs, and cartoons) available under this act. Downloads should be free and without retribution under U.S. copyright law. Keep an eye on your favorite sites; they will update regularly with these now legal-to-download books.
Here are the top 20 sites where you can find and download a wide variety of completely free books online, anything from romance novels to computer technology manuals.
Read Print
What we like
Easy to search
Free account grants access to the community and a personal page with a virtual 'bookshelf'
Comprehensive quotation database
Offers lots of ways to find free books
What we don't like
Only has classic books and those with Creative Commons licenses
No way to download free books directly from the site
The site can be slow and/or unresponsive
Read Print is an online library where you can find thousands of free books to read. The books are classics or Creative Commons licensed and include nonfiction, essays, fiction, plays, and poetry.
Free registration at Read Print gives you the ability to track what you've read and what you would like to read, write reviews of books you've read, add books to your favorites, and to join online book clubs or discussion lists.
You can access the books on Read Print without joining, but you won't have access to the other features mentioned above.
Finding Free Books On Read Print's Website
There are several ways you can find what you're looking for at Read Print:
- A keyword search for book titles, authors, or quotes.
- Search by type of work published (i.e., essays, fiction, non-fiction, plays, etc.)
- View the top books to read online as per the Read Print community.
- Browse the alphabetical author index.
- Check out the top 250 most famous authors on Read Print.
For example, if you're looking for books by William Shakespeare, a simple search will turn up all his works in a single location.
Reading Books at Read Print
Once you've found a book you're interested in, click Read Online and the book will open within your web browser. You also have the option to Launch Reading Mode if you're not fond of the website interface. Reading Mode looks like an open book, however, all the free books on the Read Print site are divided by chapter, so you'll have to go back and open it every time you start a new chapter.
If you find a book you really like and you'd like to download it to your mobile e-reader, phone, or tablet, Read Print provides links to Amazon, where you can download a title for free if you're a member of Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
ManyBooks
What we like
Selection includes more than just classics and Creative Commons books
Great categorization makes finding what you love easier
The blog offers book suggestions
What we don't like
Some functionality may not be available on the new site
Some areas haven't been updated in more than a year
ManyBooks is one of the best resources on the web for free books in a variety of download formats. There are hundreds of books available here, in all sorts of interesting genres, and all of them are completely free. One of the best features of this site is that not all of the books listed here are classic or creative commons books.
Finding Free Books on Many Books
ManyBooks is in transition at the time of this writing. A beta test version of the site is available that features a serviceable search capability. Readers can also find books by browsing genres, popular selections, author, and editor's choice. Plus, ManyBooks has put together collections of books that are an interesting way to explore topics in a more organized way.
In addition to these basic search options, you can also use ManyBooks Advanced Search to pinpoint exactly what you're looking for. There's also the ManyBooks RSS feeds that can keep you up to date on a variety of new content, including: All New Titles By Language.
Reading Books at ManyBooks
All of the free books at ManyBooks are downloadable — some directly from the ManyBooks site, some from other websites (such as Amazon). When you register for the site you're asked to choose your favorite format for books, however, you're not limited to the format you choose. When you find a book you want to read, you can select the format you prefer to download from a drop down menu of dozens of different file formats.
The Literature Network
The Literature Network: This site is organized alphabetically by author. Click on any author's name, and you'll see a biography, related links and articles, quizzes, and forums. Most of the books here are free, but there are some downloads that require a small fee.
Free Computer Books
Free Computer Books: Every computer subject and programming language you can think of is represented here. Free books and textbooks, as well as extensive lecture notes, are available.
Librivox
Librivox.org is a dream come true for audiobook lovers. All the books here are absolutely free, which is good news for those of us who have had to pony up ridiculously high fees for substandard audiobooks.
Librivox has many volunteers that work to release quality recordings of classic books, all free for anyone to download. If you've been looking for a great place to find free audio books, Librivox is a good place to start.
Authorama
Authorama.com features a nice selection of free books written in HTML and XHTML, which basically means that they are in easily readable format. Most books here are featured in English, but there are quite a few German language texts as well. Books are organized alphabetically by the author’s last name. Authorama offers a good selection of free books from a variety of authors, both current and classic.
Authorama offers up a good selection of high-quality, free books that you can read right in your browser or print out for later. These are books in the public domain, which means that they are freely accessible and allowed to be distributed; in other words, you don't need to worry if you're looking at something illegal here.
How Do I find Free Books to Read Here?
Authorama is a very simple site to use. You can scroll down the list of alphabetically arranged authors on the front page, or check out the list of Latest Additions at the top.
Once you find something you're interested in, click on the book title and you'll be taken to that book's specific page. You can choose to read chapters within your browser (easiest) or print pages out for later.
Why Should I Use Authorama?
If you're looking for an easy to use source of free books online, Authorama definitely fits the bill. All of the books offered here are classic, well-written literature, easy to find and simple to read.
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is one of the largest sources for free books on the web, with over 30,000 downloadable free books available in a wide variety of formats.
Project Gutenberg is the oldest (and quite possibly the largest) library on the web, with literally hundreds of thousands free books available for download. The vast majority of books at Project Gutenberg are released in English, but there are other languages available.
If you already know what you are looking for, search the database by author name, title, language, or subjects. You can also check out the top 100 list to see what other people have been downloading.
International Digital Children's Library
International Digital Children's Library: Browse through a wide selection of high quality free books for children here. Check out Simple Search to get a big picture of how this library is organized: by age, reading level, length of book, genres, and more.
eBooks and Text Archives
Ebooks and Text Archives: From the Internet Archive; a library of fiction, popular books, children's books, historical texts and academic books. The free books on this site span every possible interest.
Questia Public Library
Questia Public Library has long been a favorite choice of librarians and scholars for research help. They also offer a world-class library of free books filled with classics, rarities, and textbooks.
More than 5,000 free books are available for download here, alphabetized both by title and by author.
Wikisource
Clip ole object autocad. Wikisource: Online library of user-submitted and maintained content. While you won't technically find free books on this site, at the time of this writing, over 200,000 pieces of content are available to read.
Wikibooks
Wikibooks is an open collection of (mostly) textbooks. Subjects range from Computing to Languages to Science; you can see all that Wikibooks has to offer in Books by Subject.
Be sure to check out the Featured Books section, which highlights free books that the Wikibooks community at large believes to be “the best of what Wikibooks has to offer, and should inspire people to improve the quality of other books.”
Bibliomania
Bibliomania: Bibliomania gives readers over 2,000 free classics, including literature book notes, author bios, book summaries, and study guides. Free books are presented in chapter format.
The Open Library
The Open Library: There are over one million free books here, all available in PDF, ePub, Daisy, DjVu and ASCII text.
You can search for ebooks specifically by checking the Show only ebooks option under the main search box. Once you've found an ebook, you will see it available in a variety of formats.
Sacred Texts
Sacred Texts contains the web’s largest collection of free books about religion, mythology, folklore and the esoteric in general.
SlideShare
Another site that isn't strictly for free books, Slideshare does offer a large amount of free content for you to read. It is an online forum where anyone can upload a digital presentation on any subject.
Millions of people utilize SlideShare for research, sharing ideas, and learning about new technologies. SlideShare supports documents and PDF files, and all these are available for free download (after free registration).
Free eBooks
Free eBooks offers a wonderfully diverse variety of free books, ranging from Advertising to Health to Web Design. Standard memberships (yes, you do have to register in order to download anything but it only takes a minute) are free and allow members to access unlimited eBooks in HTML, but only five books every month in the PDF and TXT formats.
A VIP membership here (at $39.95 for a full year or $49.95 for a lifetime membership) gives you unlimited access to any book you want, in any format.
The Online Books Page
The Online Books Page: Maintained by the University of Pennsylvania, this page lists over one million free books available for download in dozens of different formats.
Almost Free Books - World Public Library
World Public Library: Technically, the World Public Library is NOT free. But for $8.95 annually, you can gain access to hundreds of thousands of books in over one hundred different languages. They also have over one hundred different special collections ranging from American Lit to Western Philosophy. Worth a look.
They also have what they call a Give Away Page, which is over two hundred of their most popular titles, audio books, technical books, and books made into movies. Give the freebies a try, and if you really like their service, then you can choose to become a member and get the whole collection.
Not Quite Free Books - Scribd
Scribd offers a fascinating collection of all kinds of reading materials: presentations, textbooks, popular reading, and much more, all organized by topic. Scribd is one of the web’s largest sources of published content, with literally millions of documents published every month.
However, Scribd is not free. It does offer a 30-day free trial, but after the trial you'll have to pay $8.99 per month to maintain a membership that grants you access to the sites entire database of books, audiobooks, and magazines. Still not a terrible deal!
Additional Resources for Free Books
In addition to the sites referenced above, there are also the following resources for free books:
- WorldeBookFair: for a limited time, you can have access to over a million free ebooks.
- WorldLibrary:More than 330,000+ unabridged original single file PDF eBooks by the original authors.
- FreeTechBooks: just like the name of the site, you can get free technology-related books here.
- FullBooks.com: organized alphabetically; there are a TON of books here.
- Bartleby eBooks: a huge array of classic literature, all available for free download.
Heads up!
Free Spanish e-books are coming your way.
And this resource is honestly too good to ignore.
No matter your level, you can easily find free Spanish e-books to suit your needs.
Even if you think you’re not yet at the right reading level, challenging yourself with something slightly more difficult than what you’re comfortable with can have exponential benefits.
I promise, you know more Spanish than you think you do!
To get you on board smoothly and quickly, here’s a short, quick guide to show how you can take advantage of this tool—including a list of my top 10 recommendations of free e-books en español.
Why Reading in Spanish Will Improve Your Language Skills
- Reading is considered more effective than watching television. Even reading at a slower pace than what you’re used to exposes you to more sentences per minute than the average telenovela.
Definitely don’t stop watching Spanish TV, but rather start balancing it out with reading time. Plus, sentences from these books are usually more developed and complex than just casual conversation you might hear.
- Reading also teaches you new vocabulary words via context clues. Think about it…when reading in your native tongue, and a new word comes up, you can somehow guess its meaning simply by the sentence’s syntax, or structure.
For example, take the sentences, “He had an acute sense of smell! He could identify a dozen flavors with one inhale.” The word, “acute” obviously means something positive and well-developed. This trick applies to Spanish as well, so use it to learn new words without relying on a dictionary all the time.
- Conversational learning is not enough to reach an upper level of competence. This includes mastering more complex verb tenses, as well as vocabulary acquisition.
Conversation is often very casual and topics are at the whim of all parties involved. Relying on others for your language instruction not only limits you, but can be a real gamble.
- Reading books is intellectually stimulating. Developed plot lines and diverse genres will keep you interested for an extended period of time.
Think about your favorite book in your native tongue. Didn’t you fly through it because you were so engulfed in the story? That’s what reading in a second language can be like!
- Experience genius literary works in their original language. Once you reach a middle- to upper-level competency, you can enjoy the works of lauded Hispanic authors—like Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende and Pablo Neruda—which deserve to be read in their original language.
Why Read E-books in Spanish?
So we know that reading is important, but what’s so special about e-books?
- E-books are affordable (and often free). If money’s no object, then by all means, pay for books and e-books—you’ll get a greater range of selection.
But for most of us, we need to start being more creative with our learning strategies. It’s much easier to peruse free e-books on the internet rather than to look for cheap Spanish paperbacks at the local Goodwill.
Plus, many public libraries have digital lending programs, so you can even place holds and “check out” e-books online!
- E-books are mobile, compact by volume and convenient. While I will forever be a fan of print, I can’t deny the utility of e-books and the simplicity of highlighting and defining new phrases or words. I can access the same e-book on my smartphone, tablet and laptop. There really is no excuse to not read.
- They can be printed. If you’re still not sold on e-reading, note that you can even download free e-books in PDF format and print them, if you like!
While this isn’t very economical—nor ecological—(and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have access to an industrial, corporate style printer), I have done this before and find it useful, as well. Or, for some close reading, just print out a page or two and then go to town marking it up with colorful pens.
- You can use them to reinforce other learning methods. Of course, you can’t learn Spanish solely through reading! But e-books make excellent supplementary learning material, and they can help you check if the things you’re learning are actually sticking in your memory.
And since you already have your mobile device in your hand, you can just hop from your e-book to your favorite language-learning app, like FluentU. Read, listen and watch with authentic videos in combination with your e-book reading and FluentU’s authentic videos that double as interactive language lessons. It’s a power-combo!
How to Learn Spanish with Free E-books
You can definitely teach yourself Spanish with e-books if you start out slow and take the time to read syntax and context clues. Here are some tips to help you get started.
- Start small. Begin with fables and folk stories that you are already familiar with, such as Aesop’s Fables. If you already have an inkling of where the plot is going, it’s easier to follow along if the vocab becomes confusing.
- Think local. Read about your area in Spanish. For example, I’m reading “The Shadow of the Wind” right now and live in Barcelona. If you don’t live in the exotic setting of a Spanish novel, choose one from a place you would like to visit. Many authors are inspired by the Caribbean and Latin America, for example.
- Alternate between English and Spanish copies. If you find the reading a little too difficult, but don’t want to go down a level, read one chapter in English, then read the same chapter in Spanish. I like to employ this technique with fantasy novels because there is so much new vocabulary specific to that genre.
- Download a Spanish dictionary. Use a Spanish-Spanish dictionary so the definition appears in Spanish when the word is highlighted, or simply change the settings on your Kindle app to “Spanish” and restart the application. Now, when you highlight a word, the definition will appear in Spanish as well.
- Highlight, highlight, highlight. Highlight new vocabulary words you don’t know, and at the end of each chapter, write them down in your notebook for future review.
You can also highlight your favorite passages and use them for a future project, like room decor or holiday cards.
Where to Find Free Spanish E-books Online
There are lots of different websites and formats to choose from. Every time you think you understand how vast the internet is, it honestly gets bigger.
To name a few websites:
- Loyal Books: Loyal Books is a free public domain of audiobooks and e-book downloads in a wide array of genres and languages. The interface is in English so it might be good to start here for lower level speakers.
- Free Spanish E-books: This is a Spanish language site that requires free registration, but has a larger selection of Spanish language books.
They send you weekly emails reminding you of their deals as well, so that might be a good way to keep up with your reading.
- Gutenberg: The Gutenberg Project has almost 50,000 free e-books to download. The interface may seem antiquated, but I’m sure there are some great reads waiting to be found here!
- Many Books: Many Books has about 33,000 free e-books available for all formats of e-reading and a whole swathe of languages to choose from. They also request you sign up for an email list, which again could be a good reminder to keep up with your studies.
- Amazon Free Kindle Books: Everyone knows and loves Amazon. They literally have everything and are as user-friendly as social media sites.
If you didn’t know already, they have a free e-book section and if you simply switch to the Spanish version of the website, the free e-books will be in Spanish.
The easiest way is to download the Kindle Reading Application (available for desktop computers, tablets and smartphones) and then transfer the files to your devices—mobi or epub files work. Of course, the Amazon e-books will go directly to your reading application.
My recommendations below are ordered from easier to more difficult, with approximate levels for each to give you an idea. However, everyone has individual strengths and weaknesses so feel free to hop around to different levels!
1. “An Elementary Spanish Reader” by Earl Stanley Harrison
A1 123 pages
This Amazon e-book is comprised of 21 short stories, all designed for the novice Spanish speaker. There’s even a vocabulary index in the back!
This is a good place to start because the stories are short so you’re less likely to get discouraged.
2. “La Mitología para los niños” by Fernán Caballero
A1 248 pages
Remember high school mythology class with all the battles and love triangles and magical creatures? Well, this is a primer to give children an introduction to mythology.
It’s a little more advanced that the elementary reader above, but a good starting point, as it’s intended for children. Most of us are already a little familiar with Greek mythology, so some of the stories might be more understandable.
3. “Fortuna: Historia de un perro agradecido” by Enrique Pérez Escrich
A2 80 pages
Love animals? “Fortuna” is probably the most popular dog story in Spanish. It makes pleasant reading, it holds the reader’s interest throughout, and its language is clear and simple.
Pérez was a master of the serial story (or folletín) in which fictional dramas are characterized by an intense pace, implausible plot and psychological simplicity, making his works both entertaining and easy to understand.
4. “Los Extraños trabajos de Paulino y Eusebio” by Eloy Barba Dominguez
A2 80 pages
This is a story about working towards your dreams. It’s about two friends trying to become rock stars by buying the perfect drum set. They need money though and the story follows all the odd jobs they come across along the way.
This story is relatively short compared to the other suggestions, but it is very good for practicing the past tenses. Friendship, adventure, music. Who could want more?
5.“Novelas cortas” by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón
A2 251 pages
Written by acclaimed Andalusian author Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, these novelas were originally published in 1882 and offer insight into Spanish life and history.
They are short stories as well, so it’s easier to follow for a new learner. If you love historical fiction, this might be the choice for you!
6. “Spanish Tales for Beginners” by Louis Reinhardt and E.C. Hills
B1
This collection contains multiple works by acclaimed Hispanic authors, including some poetry. This is another compilation you can jump around in to find something that grabs your attention.
I know the title says “Beginners,” but the content includes subjunctive and other advanced tenses, which I believe is more suited for learned at a level B.
7. “Vida de Lazarillo de Tormes”by Anonymous
B1 85 pages
If you’ve taken any formal Spanish literature classes during your studies, you have no doubt heard about Lazarillo. This piece is the first known modern Spanish novel, and its author is considered the founder of the picaresca literary genre.
This style of prose depicts the adventures of a lower class, roguish hero who lives by his wits in a corrupt society. The story follows a little boy, Lazarillo, who is left to become the apprentice to a blind man, while also serving other masters.
8. “El Sombrero de tres picos” by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón
B2 283 pages
Written by the same author as #5’s “Novelas cortas,” this story depicts the tale of a wealthy magistrate in love with a miller’s wife and his attempts to seduce her. Different century, same problems.
The story became so popular, it was eventually turned into a ballet.
9. “El Capitán Veneno” by Alarcón
B2 219 pages
Another by Alarcón, this is the story of a famed fire-eater. Set in mid-nineteenth century Spain and based on historical fact, the story follows a captain’s “domestication” through love during a time of social change, eventually leading to the strengthening and rethinking of societal principles.
10. “Don Quijote” by Miguel de Cervantes
C1 425 pages
Considered a Spanish masterpiece, Miguel de Cervantes’ novel follows a nameless hidalgo who sets out on an adventure under the name Don Quixote, and is later joined by farmer Sancho along the way.
Anyone at a C2 level is ready to peruse a bookstore and read like a native speaker!
So there you have it. A free, easy way to continue investing in your language education. Now get cracking!
And One More Thing for Your Spanish Learning Arsenal…
If you like learning Spanish, then you’ll love FluentU. FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, commercials, news, and inspiring talks and turns them into Spanish learning experiences. In these videos, you’ll see your newly-acquired vocabulary in action.
In the real world, you may not pick up on new vocabulary straightaway. FluentU is designed for you to become familiarized with everyday Spanish, by combining all the benefits of total immersion and native level conversations with easy-to-read subtitles.
FluentU has a wide variety of videos—topics like soccer, TV shows, business, movies, and even magical realism, as you can see here:
FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. Didn’t catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.
And FluentU isn’t just videos—it’s a complete language learning program. Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s Quiz Mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on. You’ll be able to create vocab lists and track your progress as you advance through video after video.
The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and it recommends you examples and videos based on the words you’ve already learned. You have a truly personalized experience.
Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the App from iTunes or the Google Play store and bring FluentU’s innovative language-learning experience to your iOS and Android device. Become a master of Spanish faster than you ever thought possible!
Jenny is a twenty-something Master’s student, studying International Relations and Spanish. She loves traveling, reading and cooking. She hails from Detroit but is currently living in Barcelona, Spain. Keep up with her travels at: www.thespinningjenny.net
Free Books Online For Kids
If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn Spanish with real-world videos.