"The first time I read The Count of Monte Cristo, I was astounded by how freakin' cool it all was. Here's a story about daring prison escapes, finding hidden treasure, and elaborately executed revenge. It felt alive-no matter that it was written 180 years ago. That book, and everything else published before 1930, is currently in the United States' public domain. That means it's perfectly legal for anyone to re-create the original text and publish it online or off. And there are a number of websites dedicated to offering public domain ebooks online, which is fantastic."
"But free downloads can be kinda-well, ugly. Whether it's typos from the transcription process, inconsistent style choices, or missing details like cover art, an exceptional digital reading experience isn't always easy to find. It's almost enough to make you want pay a few bucks for an ebook that's technically free, just to get a better designed product. Before you do that, though, you should check out today's Cool Tools discovery. It'll change how you think about reading on a screen, and you'll never want to go back to the old way again."
"The great thing about free culture is that people can build on what's freely offered and better adapt it for a specific purpose. The website I want to share with you today is a perfect example of that, building on the free ebook downloads from sites like Project Gutenberg and The Internet Archive. ➜ It's called Standard Ebooks, and it's a collection of over 1,000 free ebooks with a real focus on style, design, and compatibility. The result: Every book offered on the site is absolutely beautiful-and an absolute pleasure to read."
Many classic works published before 1930 are in the United States public domain, allowing anyone to reproduce and distribute original texts freely. Public-domain ebook repositories provide vast selections but often suffer from transcription errors, inconsistent typography, and missing design elements that degrade the reading experience. Standard Ebooks curates and reworks public-domain texts into over 1,000 free titles with careful attention to style, typography, cover art, and device compatibility. The project prioritizes readability and aesthetic presentation, producing professionally formatted ebooks that are pleasant to read. Standard Ebooks is accessible through any web browser on any device and remains free to use.
Read at Fast Company
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