best websites to download scholarly books for free

Open Access is an initiative that aims to make scientific research freely available to all. To date our community has made over 100 million downloads. It’s based on principles of collaboration, unobstructed discovery, and, most importantly, scientific progression. As PhD students, we found it difficult to access the research we needed, so we decided to create a new Open Access publisher that levels the playing field for scientists across the world. How? By making research easy to access, and puts the academic needs of the researchers before the business interests of publishers.

We are a community of more than 103,000 authors and editors from 3,291 institutions spanning 160 countries, including Nobel Prize winners and some of the world’s most-cited researchers. Publishing on IntechOpen allows authors to earn citations and find new collaborators, meaning more people see your work not only from your own field of study, but from other related fields too.

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Read, share and download more than 7,100 peer-reviewed Open Access books

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IntechOpen books aim at increasing awareness and promoting scientific research in support of the global United Nations Sustainable Development Goals programme. IntechOpen is a member of the UN SDG Publishers Compact. Submit your Work. Learn more

Most popular books

Health risks of food additives.

Edited by Muhammad Sajid Arshad

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Edited by Pierre Vereecken

Corporate Governance

Edited by Tahir Mumtaz Awan

Modern Pacemakers

Edited by Mithilesh Das

Published: 14 February 2011

Applications and Experiences of Quality Control

Edited by Ognyan Ivanov

Published: 26 April 2011

Copper Overview

Edited by Daniel Fernández González

Published: 28 August 2024

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Edited by Murat Ozyavuz

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5 Online Sites to Download Academic Books for Free Instantly!

As students and avid readers as well as research scholars, we all want free access to download academic books, journals, papers and articles on various topics and subjects – A platform where we not only download e-books instantly for free but also search for books on any subject.

In this article, we will list out online websites that lets you download academic books for free –

Whether you are preparing for any competitive exam, researching on a subject and/or looking for magazines, articles and journals, you will get book for every subject in PDFdrive . The good thing is that the database has around 90 million books which you can preview and download for free without any limitation.

Our personal favourite, PDFDrive’s library continues to keep the readers, students, research scholars and knowledge seekers always happy. Besides, you do not have to make a login id.

Library Genesis

If you are looking for a good read on scientific and academic topics, Library Genesis is a website to be as it has free access to more than 2 million books, journals, articles and papers. A world-class digital library one can download books in various formats including PDF, MOBI, EPUB and DJVU. It is one of the most popular online sites to download academic books for free.

This website is primarily focused on two major areas – students’ textbooks and e-books for Business. The textbooks are all free and there are more than 70 million of them on Bookboon . However, these textbooks can only be downloaded by students. Business professionals do have the option of reading them but not downloading them.

Unlike the upper two websites, you need to register and login to read and download those books. Some of the textbooks available for download are even written by professors from top universities across the world. Lastly, some of the business books is accessible only on a premium subscription.

Also Read: How Do I Make Money Online Consistently from a Decade Now: 7 Ways!

PDF Search Engine

As the name suggests, PDF Search Engine is a Google-like platform to search for millions of free PDF books across the Internet. Just like Google, you will have to put your search query in the box provided, hit ‘Enter’ and a list of options will come within a second. You can go through these options and download free PDF books online.

Also Know: How to Download NCERT Textbooks for Free

Internet Archive Books

An online library with a wide range of topics, you can get access to million of books on ‘ Internet Archive books ’ for free. My favourite website for historical and academic e-books, this gives you access to even out-of-print books. While, some of the books are available for reading as well as downloading, some can only be read in their online book reader.

These are some of the best online sites to download academic books for free.

Also See: State-Wise List of Websites to Download School Textbooks Online for Free in India

Also Find – Know 5 Websites from where you can Download Free Non-Fiction Books Online !

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Early Journal Content , articles published prior to the last 95 years in the United States, or prior to the last 143 years if initially published internationally, are freely available to all

Even more content is available when you register to read – millions of articles from nearly 2,000 journals

Thousands of Open Access ebooks are available from top scholarly publishers, including Brill, Cornell University Press, University College of London, and University of California Press – at no cost to libraries or users.

This includes Open Access titles in Spanish:

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Images and media

JSTOR hosts a growing number of public collections , including Artstor’s Open Access collections , from museums, archives, libraries, and scholars worldwide.

Research reports

A curated set of more than 34,000 research reports from more than 140 policy institutes selected with faculty, librarian, and expert input.

Resources for librarians

Open content title lists:

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Open Access ebook resources for librarians

Library-supported collections

Shared Collections : We have a growing corpus of digital special collections published on JSTOR by our institutional partners.

Reveal Digital : A collaboration with libraries to fund, source, digitize and publish open access primary source collections from under-represented voices.

JSTOR Daily

JSTOR Daily is an online publication that contextualizes current events with scholarship. All of our stories contain links to publicly accessible research on JSTOR. We’re proud to publish articles based in fact and grounded by careful research and to provide free access to that research for all of our readers.

Directory of Open Access Books

DOAB is a community-driven discovery service that indexes and provides access to scholarly, peer-reviewed open access books and helps users to find trusted open access book publishers. All DOAB services are free of charge and all data is freely available.

SCOSS-support

Doab and oapen jointly selected for second funding cycle scoss.

SCOSS, the Global Sustainability Coalition for Open Science Services, selected DOAB as essential infrastructure to support the transition of monographs and book chapters to open access models. SCOSS encourages the open science community to consider financially supporting DOAB and its services where possible.

PRISM: Peer Review Information Service for Monographs

The Peer Review Information Service for Monographs (PRISM) aims to provide information from open access (OA) book publishers, based on their peer review procedure. The goal of the service is to support trust in OA book publishing, by improving transparency around quality assurance of OA book publishers and their publications.

JSTOR, African Platform for Open Scholarship (APOS), Fulcrum, and Thoth Open Metadata join DOAB Trusted Platform Network

The Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) is delighted to formally announce that four new platforms have recently joined the DOAB Trusted Platform Network. JSTOR, the African Platform for Open Scholarship (APOS), Fulcrum (University of Michigan Press), and Thoth Open Metadata have each signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DOAB to facilitate cross-platform collaboration for open access books.

Addressing the recent issues with DOAB

The Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) is an independent, not-for-profit index of  peer-reviewed open access books. Our current collection consists of 86,000+ titles from 750+ publishers and in 100+ languages.   Lately, we have received feedback on a disruption to DOAB, noticing the...

BIC to Thema – after the conversion

Do you happen to be interested in Estonia; Antarctica; Ancient (Classical) Greek; the time period c 1914 to c 1918 (World War One period); Literary studies: c 1900 to c 2000; Publishing and book trade; Public international law: criminal law; Pharmacology; Rehabilitation: brain and spinal injuries; Colonialism...

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Free e-book collections

More and more e-books are being made available for free online. This may be through the digitisation of out of copyright books, such as via Project Gutenberg, or reputable academic publishers providing 'Open Access' e-books for more recently published works. On this page you will find links to selected providers of free online books. Many providers enable you to convert their e-books into formats that can be read on e-readers.

Open Access e-books

• ArchaeoPress Open access e-books published by ArchaeoPress, an Oxford-based publisher specialising in scholarly books and journals in the field of archaeology and related heritage subjects.
• Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) A service which harvests details of academic and mainly peer-reviewed books published on open access.
• JSTOR Open Access E-books A collection of monographs from a selection of university press publishers.
• OAPEN OAPEN is an aggregator of peer-reviewed academic books in the Humanities and Social Sciences from a number of different European publishers.
• Open Book Publishers Freely available e-books to read online, and available to University of Reading members to download.
• Project Muse Open Access E-books Project MUSE offers open access (OA) books and digital humanities works from several distinguished university presses, scholarly societies, and independent not-for-profit academic publishers.
• Punctum Books Open access e-books published by punctum books, an open access, independent publisher.
• University of California eScholarship Editions Includes over 700 readily available books from academic presses.
• White Rose University Press A small open access digital publisher of peer-reviewed academic journals and books, publishing across a wide range of academic disciplines. Run jointly by the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York.

Digitised out of copyright books and archives

• Biodiversity Heritage Library The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is the world’s largest open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives.
• Gallica Over a million books, journals, manuscripts and images, mostly in French, most published before 1900, all free, digitised by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
• Google Books Can, in some cases, be used to view online either the complete text or limited extracts from books. Select ‘Full View’ in the advanced search option if you are only interested in e-books you can view in their entirety.
• HathiTrust Digital Library A growing database of digitised materials from major US libraries. Many of the older items are publicly-accessible. Search the Public Collections for freely available full text items.
• Internet Archive Text Archive Home to more than a million free texts.
• Project Gutenberg Access to over 60,000 free books to download to your PC, e-reader or mobile device.
• University of Pennsylvania Online Indexes more than 3 million free books on the internet. Also has comprehensive list of major sources and indexes of free online texts worldwide .

SpringerOpen open access books

We offer authors the option to publish their books and chapters open access – making your research freely available to anyone with internet access!

We offer authors the option to publish open access books and chapters in a wide range of areas within science, technology and medicine (STM) and within the humanities and social sciences (HSS).

Open access allows unrestricted online access to your ebook with no reading or subscription fees. Authors retain copyright and are able to comply with funders' open access mandates.

Our open access academic books and chapters on average receive seven times more downloads, 50% more citations, and ten times more online mentions compared to non-open access books*. 

Each open access scholarly book or chapter receives the same editorial and publishing expertise, rigorous peer review and high quality production process that non-open access books receive.

Read more about why you should publish an open access book.

Contact  one of our publishing editors in your discipline to discuss your proposal. 

* From our report ' The OA Effect '.

​​​​​​​Highlights from our open access books list

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Browse our open access books and download them free of charge from SpringerLink (HTML, PDF, ePub) or Amazon (MOBI).

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“The only truly modern academic research engine”

Oa.mg is a search engine for academic papers, specialising in open access. we have over 250 million papers in our index..

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Open access and free scholarly resources.

• Social Sciences
• Primary Sources
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• Cambridge University Press Open Access Open access journals from Cambridge University Press.
• Digital Commons Network The Digital Commons Network brings together free, full-text scholarly articles from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide. Curated by university librarians and their supporting institutions, the Network includes a growing collection of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, and other original scholarly work.
• Directory of Open Access Journals DOAJ is an online directory that indexes and provides access to quality open access, peer-reviewed journals.
• JSTOR: Open Access Journals Growing collection of Open Access journals cover topical areas in sustainability and security studies, and offer broad coverage in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
• LOADB: Listing of Open Access Databases The objective of Listing of Open Access DataBases (LOADB) is to create a web-enabled, linked, classified and categorized collection of Open Access Databases which one can access from a single portal. Although initial focus is on science and technology subjects, the ultimate aim is to include all subject areas.
• Open Library of Humanities Open Library of Humanities journal publishes internationally-leading, rigorous and peer-reviewed scholarship across the humanities disciplines: from classics, theology and philosophy, to modern languages and literatures, film and media studies, anthropology, political theory and sociology.
• Project Muse Open Access Journals Open Access journal content from Project Muse.
• Sage Open Access Open access journals published by SAGE. All articles published in the journals provide worldwide, barrier-free access to the full-text of articles online, immediately on publication under a creative commons license.
• SciELO Scholarly literature in sciences, social sciences, arts & humanities published in open access journals from Latin American, Portugal, Spain and South Africa
• SpringerOpen: Journals Includes Springer’s portfolio of 160+ peer-reviewed fully open access journals across all areas of science.
• Directory of Open Access Books A directory of academic, peer reviewed open access books.
• Hathi Trust Digital Library This link opens in a new window A partnership of more than sixty major research institutions with Google, the Hathi Trust Digital Library includes all the book images from these libraries that have been digitized by Google. Only out-of-copyright images (generally pre-1923) can be displayed, or others where the permission of the copyright holder has been obtained, though both in-copyright and out-of-copyright materials can be searched. Out-of-copyright books can be downloaded by Northwestern users who register with the site.
• Internet Archive: eBooks and Texts The Internet Archive and Open Library offers over 8,000,000 fully accessible public domain eBooks. This includes a special modern collection of over 500,000 eBooks for users with print disabilities, and a very interesting curated, modern collection for the world at large.
• JSTOR: Open Access Books 7,000+ Open Access ebooks from 90 publishers, including Brill, Cornell University Press, De Gruyter, and University of California Press, are now available at no cost to libraries or users.
• Luminos Luminos is University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program for monographs. With the same high standards for selection, peer review, production and marketing as our traditional program, Luminos is a transformative model, built as a partnership where costs and benefits are shared.
• MIT Open Access Books Open access titles from MIT
• Open Book Publishers Open books in humanities and social sciences.
• Open Textbook Library Open textbooks are textbooks that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. These books have been reviewed by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities to assess their quality. These books can be downloaded for no cost, or printed at low cost. All textbooks are either used at multiple higher education institutions; or affiliated with an institution, scholarly society, or professional organization.
• OAPEN: Open Access Publishing in European Networks The OAPEN Library contains freely accessible academic books, mainly in the area of humanities and social sciences. OAPEN works with publishers to build a quality controlled collection of open access books, and provides services for publishers, libraries and research funders in the areas of deposit, quality assurance, dissemination, and digital preservation.
• Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg offers over 50,000 free ebooks: choose among free epub books, free kindle books, download them or read them online.
• Project Muse Open Access Books Open Access books from Project Muse
• TOME The Association of American Universities, Association of Research Libraries, and Association of University Presses have launched an initiative to increase access to humanities and social sciences scholarship.
• University of Michigan Press Open Access Open access books available through the University of Michigan Press.
• WorldCat.org WorldCat.org lets you search the collections of libraries in your community and thousands more around the world. more... less... You can search for popular books, music CDs and videos—all of the physical items you're used to getting from libraries. You can also discover many new kinds of digital content, such as downloadable audiobooks. You may also find article citations with links to their full text; authoritative research materials, such as documents and photos of local or historic significance; and digital versions of rare items that aren't available to the public. Because WorldCat libraries serve diverse communities in dozens of countries, resources are available in many languages.
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8 Websites to Download Free PDF Textbooks

April 9, 2020 Posted by Christina Grace Free Resources More Topics

PDF textbook refers to the digitized, interactive function of intelligent textbook content displayed in a scientific and intuitive visual, audio, graphic, and text through electronic media reading textbook. Since the advent of the Internet, many ordinary activities have been transferred to the Internet. The same goes for textbooks.

Due to the recent Covid-19 virus, many schools choose to take online lessons at home. Then electronic textbooks are essential for many students. In this situation, you can download the PDF textbook. Using PDF textbooks is not only environmentally friendly but also saves your money. In this post, we will recommend you 8 websites to download all kinds of PDF textbooks for free.

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1. Library Genesis

2. openstax, 3. open textbook library, 4. scholarworks, 5. pdf search engine, 6. bookboon, 7. textbooksfree, 8. free kids books.

Library Genesis is a file-sharing site that provides academic journal articles, general interest books, images, comics, textbooks, and magazines. This website has millions of articles and PDF textbooks in its inventory.

Go into the website of Library Genesis, just need to simply enter your search term into the search box, you can find and download the textbook you need. You can also enter an author, book title, or subject to search the textbook.

• Full range of books
• Simple interface
• Perfect for reading on your Kindle, iPad, Android, or other e-reader devices

OpenStax is a nonprofit educational initiative based at Rice University. In OpenStax, you can find textbooks on mathematics, physics, biology, social sciences, humanities, business, etc.

All textbooks in OpenStax meet the standard scope and sequence requirements, making them seamlessly adaptable to existing courses. In addition to college textbooks, you can also find a small number of high school textbooks here. But most of them are based on college books. If you are a college student, this website will be a good choice for you.

• Download the textbooks for free
• All textbooks are 100% free and ready to download
• Full range of college textbooks

Open Textbook Library contains many textbooks that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. These books can be downloaded for no cost, or printed at a low cost.

In the Open Textbook Library, you can search for textbooks by subjects. It has textbooks on twelve topics including Business, Education, Engineering, and so on. The textbooks on this website are mainly aimed at college students.

• All open textbooks in the library can be downloaded and adapted for free without additional permissions or paperwork
• Allows you to write your own open textbook

ScholarWorks is an open-access repository maintained by the GVSU Libraries that showcases and maintains works by GVSU scholars. You can search the open textbooks you need across all repositories by title, author, citation information, keywords, etc. All the textbooks here are for college students.

• Various search methods for textbooks

PDF Search Engine allows you to find free PDF textbooks and files and download them to your computer. Using PDF Search Engine is as simple as using other search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

Just type your query in the text box and click enter or the search button. You will be presented with a list of search results relevant to your query. This website is very rich in resources; it contains textbooks of all ages. You can find the books you need here.

• Abundant textbook resources
• Provides textbooks in multiple formats

Bookboon is an online publishing company of eBooks. It is focused on publishing student literature for engineering, IT and business students as well as short and practical business books. If you are looking for textbooks on engineering, IT and business, Bookboon it is your best choice.

• Simple and clear interface
• Mainly textbooks on engineering, IT and business

Textbooksfree is a website that provided high school textbooks for free. If you are a high school student, textbooksfree is one of the best websites for you to learn online. There are many kinds of textbooks here like English, Mathematics, Science, etc. In addition to the textbooks, you can also find the free course materials of high school like subject lectures and subject videos.

• Abundant learning resources for high school students

Free Kids books is a growing library of unique children's books, literary resources, and textbooks for children and young adults, available online and for download primarily in a user-friendly PDF format.

The textbooks in this website are mainly for K-12 - pre-primary, primary, and secondary education. The resources (i.e textbooks or books) for students, parents, and teachers in this sector that are available found on this website.

• Abundant learning resources for K-12 students

"If you can't find the textbooks you want on the above websites, you can try to search for the advanced search command: "filetype: pdf + book name" on Google. For detailed operation, please refer to the first part of " 12 Sites to Download Any Book for Free PDF Like Library Genesis ."

There are so many ways to download free textbooks. If you are a college student, you can use the OpenStax, Open Textbook Library, and ScholarWorks website. If you are a high school student, the Textbooksfree website is a good choice for you. If you want to find the primary and secondary school resources, please go to the Free Kids books website. If you have a new website to recommend, please contact us .

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17 Great Sites to Download Free Books in 2024

Love to read? Open Library, ManyBooks, and Librivox are just a few of the many places to find free books online

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Free books on nearly any subject you can think of are all over the internet, ready to be downloaded, read, and shared. These are our favorite sites with free books covering a wide variety of subjects.

A huge quantity of books previously unavailable to the public was released starting in 2019 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 below give access to the tens of thousands of books (plus movies, songs, and cartoons) available under this act. Downloads should be free and without retribution under U.S. copyright law.

Project Gutenberg

Over 70,000 titles.

Wide variety of formats.

Top 100 list aids discoverability.

Majority of books are in English only.

Books may not be free outside the U.S.

Project Gutenberg   is one of the largest and oldest sources for free books on the web, with over 70,000 downloadable titles available in a wide variety of formats. The vast majority are released in English, but there are other languages available.

If you already know what you're looking for, search the database by author name, title, language, or subject. You can also check out the top 100 list to see what other people are downloading .

Selection includes more than just classics and Creative Commons books.

Great categorization makes finding what you love easier.

Variety of download formats.

A few areas of the site hardly ever receive updates.

Some books do cost money.

ManyBooks is one of the best resources on the web for free books in a variety of download formats. There are hundreds of titles here in all sorts of interesting genres, and they're completely free. Not all the books are classics, so if you're into other genres, this site is a good alternative to others in this list.

Unlike some sites, this one lets you browse free books by language. You can also search by author and genre. The ManyBooks Articles page is another handy way to browse their collection, with articles such as "Books Like A Match Made in Venice" and reviews.

Downloading books requires a free user account unless there's a link to Amazon, in which case you can grab it with your Amazon account. There are often several download options, like EPUB, PDF, AZW3, and FB2. They're also readable online through the site's built-in book reader.

Open Library

Good alternative if Internet Archive is too confusing.

Multiple formats available.

Just pulls results from Internet Archive.

Some books can only be borrowed.

Open Library is a search tool that pulls data from Internet Archive. You might use it if that site (listed above) isn't helping you find the right book. You can search hundreds of thousands of books here, and most are in multiple formats such as PDF, ePub, and Daisy.

I particularly like the Library Explorer section because it feels like I'm looking through real bookshelves!

You can search for ebooks specifically by checking the Ebooks option after running a search.

Free audiobooks.

Audiobooks are available in multiple languages.

Large collection of children's audiobooks.

Books are read by volunteers, which means performances can be hit or miss.

Many listed authors have zero books available.

If you've been looking for a great place to find free audiobooks , visiting Librivox is a good start. The site has many volunteers who work to release quality recordings of classic books. All the titles here are free, which is good news for those of us who've had to pony up ridiculously high fees for substandard audiobooks.

I like to use the New Releases RSS feed with a feed reader service to stay on top of new additions.

Google Play Books

Saves books in your online account.

Read from the website or the mobile app.

Requires a Google account.

If you like to read ebooks through Google Books, you'll be pleased to know that there's a full page of just free titles.

Google lists the top several dozen free books available on Google Play through the link below. There are history and religious books as well as titles in categories like Fantasy and Health, mind & body .

Books you "download" through this site appear in your Google Play Books account , where they're readable online, through the mobile app, and offline if you decide to export the book to a file.

Internet Archive

Books across a wide variety of interests.

You can sort by view count or popularity.

Several downloading options.

It can be difficult finding exactly what you want from numerous search results.

Site can be slow to respond.

Internet Archive has a digital library full of fiction, popular books, children's books, historical texts, and academic books. The free books on this site span every possible interest.

You can sort these books by view count to see the most popular ones and sort by title or date published. Another way I like to scour the millions of books on this site is through collections such as California Digital Library , Getty Research Institute , and Boston Public Library .

There are usually several download options if you don't want to read the book online, such as PDF, EPUB, and Kindle.

Easily readable format.

You can read right in the browser.

No account necessary.

Bare bones website.

Lacks books in foreign languages (except some German).

Lacks advanced search features.

Authorama offers a good selection of current and classic books from a variety of authors. They're organized alphabetically by the author’s last name and are written in HTML and XHTML, which means they're in an easily readable format. Most books here are featured in English, but there are quite a few German language texts as well.

This site offers a good selection of high-quality, free books you can read in your browser. These are in the public domain, which means they're freely accessible and allowed to be distributed. In other words, you don't need to worry if you're looking at something illegal.

The website is really simple to use, maybe too simple. The search box is basic and the only other way to find books is by scrolling through the author list. But, you don't need a user account to read these titles online, and they're all formatted nicely.

Hundreds of thousands of pieces of content available to read.

Audio available for certain texts.

User-submitted content could vary in quality.

Technically, there are no books on this site.

Wikisource is an online library of user-submitted and maintained content. While you won't technically find books on this site, there are still hundreds of thousands of pieces of content available to read, and some are in ebook form.

Wikisource:Index is a good place to start.

Wikijunior offers books for children 12 and under.

Offers community features like a forum.

Mostly just textbooks.

Small collection.

Not all of the books are completed.

​Wikibooks   is an open collection of mostly textbooks. Subjects range from computer and engineering to science, humanities, languages, and more. Every book has a list of contents and other information to give you a solid idea of what it's about.

The Featured Books and Stacks/Departments pages are good places to start if you're not sure what to browse for.

Free-eBooks.net

Diverse selection.

Also offers audiobooks.

Large number of categories.

You can only download five free books a month.

Free-eBooks.net offers a wonderfully diverse variety of free books, ranging from fiction and non-fiction to textbooks, academic text, classics, and more. Some of the subcategories include advertising, parenting, humor, science, engineering, self-teaching, sci-fi classics, and poems.

You have to register for a free user account to use this site, but only five books are free, so choose wisely.

The Online Books Page

Boasts over three million books.

Dozens of different formats.

Offers partial searches.

Updates often.

Extremely basic site.

Links to downloads on other websites.

The Online Books Page, maintained by the University of Pennsylvania, lists over three million free books available for download in dozens of different formats. The site itself is pretty boring, but the long list of titles might make you a repeat visitor.

You can browse these free book downloads by new listings, author, title, subject, or serial. There's also a search tool where you can find books by running a partial author or title search.

Hundreds of free books.

Download or view online in your browser.

Must go through a "checkout" process even though they're free.

Some books need special software for offline reading.

eBooks.com has a couple of ways to find free books. Use the link below to access a list of a few hundred completely free eBooks that you can read online or download as an ACSM file —those are DRM-protected files that work with Adobe Digital Editions (directions are available on the download page).

The other way is to browse their DRM-free eBooks . Some of these aren't free to download, but the ones that are can be saved and opened like any EPUB file.

You can filter these books by subject, like computers or religion, or by a number of fiction and non-fiction subcategories. There's also a format (PDF or EPUB), release date, and language filter.

International Children's Digital Library

Large collection of international children's books.

Interesting ways to browse the titles.

The books are actually just images of scanned pages.

Some pages are too large to read comfortably.

Browse over 4,000 high-quality free books for children at International Children's Digital Library (ICDL). These are scans of physical books, so each page is a separate image you can scroll through and read.

On the home page are helpful links so you can browse the library by language, character, shape, format, genre, and more.

Offers a wide range of reading materials, including sheet music and magazines.

One of the internet's largest sources of published content.

Mobile app available.

Free only for 30 days.

Costs $11.99/month.

Everand (previously Scribd) offers a fascinating collection of all kinds of reading materials: books, audiobooks, documents, sheet music, magazines, and more. This is one of the web’s largest sources of published content, with literally millions of documents published every month and organized by category.

However, the site is only free for 30 days. Unlike other sites on this list, you have to pay every month after the trial to continue using it. The membership grants you access to the site's entire database.

Free Computer Books

Extensive collection of computer books.

Includes lecture notes.

Dated site design.

Everything on the site is just hyperlinks to other sites.

Lacks file format variety.

Every computer subject and programming language you can think of is represented at Free Computer Books. There are free textbooks, extensive lecture notes, and more.

Some of the genres include computer and programming languages, computer science, data science, computer engineering, Java, and networking and communications. There are also many subgenres, giving you an easy way to find the book you're after.

Sacred Texts

Large collection of free religious texts.

Text is quite small.

Most pages don't have a download button; you have to save them manually.

Sacred Texts   contains the web’s largest collection of free books about religion, mythology, folklore, and the esoteric in general.

You can view a list of all the books by title or author. You can also browse by category or search for a book title, author, or subject.

Every book is available online from their website. You can save each page if you want an offline version, but it won't be in a pretty format.

Good for presentations, infographics, and documents.

Lots of non-free content.

Limited download options.

Registration required.

SlideShare is another site with both free and paid books. It's 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.

The site supports documents and PDF files, all available as free downloads. You have to log in to download these books, but registration is free.

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Share this post, published august 24, 2023 in general, the best websites for free college textbooks: a comprehensive guide, by scholarly, introduction.

Welcome to our comprehensive guide to the best websites for free college textbooks. In today's increasingly expensive education landscape, finding affordable resources is essential for students. Thankfully, the internet has made it possible to access high-quality college textbooks without breaking the bank.

In this article, we will explore a range of websites that offer free college textbooks. From open educational resources (OER) to project repositories, we have curated a list of reliable sources that provide textbooks for various subjects and disciplines.

In the past, acquiring college textbooks often meant shelling out hundreds of dollars each semester. Students had limited options, mainly relying on physical bookstores or campus libraries. This dependence on traditional textbook distribution incurred considerable expenses on students and limited their access to necessary learning materials.

Current State

Today, the availability of digital platforms has revolutionized the textbook market. Numerous websites now provide free college textbooks in digital formats, enabling students to access the resources they need at no cost. These websites leverage open licensing and collaborative efforts to offer textbooks across diverse disciplines. Students can download or read textbooks online, often choosing from a range of formats, including PDF, e-books, and interactive platforms.

Future State

The future of college textbooks lies in the seamless integration of technology and education. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, textbooks will become more interactive, adaptive, and personalized. AI-powered platforms will offer tailored learning experiences, catering to each student's unique needs and learning style. The integration of multimedia elements, such as videos and simulations, will enhance engagement and facilitate deeper understanding of complex concepts.

Here are the key benefits of using the best websites for free college textbooks:

Cost Savings : By accessing free textbooks, students can significantly reduce their educational expenses. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on each textbook, they can allocate the saved money towards other essential needs.

Accessible Education : Free online textbooks eliminate barriers to access, ensuring that all students, regardless of their financial background, can obtain essential learning materials. This inclusivity enhances educational equity and promotes equal opportunities for learners.

Versatility : Websites offering free college textbooks usually provide a wide range of subjects and disciplines. Students can find resources in various fields, from humanities and social sciences to STEM subjects. This versatility caters to the diverse needs of students pursuing different majors.

Sustainability : Digital textbooks are eco-friendly alternatives to their printed counterparts. By utilizing electronic resources, students contribute to reducing paper waste and the environmental impact associated with traditional book production and distribution.

Convenience : Online textbooks can be accessed anytime and anywhere, as long as there is an internet connection. Students can use laptops, tablets, or smartphones to read or download textbooks, allowing for flexible learning on the go.

Significance

The availability of free college textbooks has a significant impact on students and the education landscape as a whole. This section explores the significance of these resources:

Affordability and Financial Relief : College education comes with considerable expenses, and textbook costs often add to the burden. The availability of free textbooks reduces financial strain on students and ensures that the cost of learning materials does not limit educational opportunities.

Expanded Access to Knowledge : Free college textbooks democratize access to knowledge, making educational resources available to a wider audience. Students in developing countries, in particular, benefit from online textbooks, as they may face limited resources and financial constraints.

Promotion of Open Education : The rise of open educational resources (OER) and free college textbooks contributes to the open education movement. Universities and institutions worldwide are embracing OER as a means to foster collaboration, sharing, and innovation in education.

Encouraging Lifelong Learning : Free college textbooks encourage lifelong learning beyond formal education. Individuals can continue to explore subjects of interest and expand their knowledge without financial barriers, fostering a culture of continuous learning.

Innovation in Teaching and Learning : Free college textbooks open avenues for innovative teaching and learning approaches. Educators can leverage a variety of resources to design engaging and interactive lessons, incorporating multimedia elements and adaptive learning technologies.

Best Practices

To make the most of free college textbooks, consider the following best practices:

Research and Compare : Explore different websites offering free college textbooks and compare their offerings, formats, and user reviews. Each website may have unique features and subject coverage, so it is important to find the best fit for your needs.

Check for Quality and Accuracy : While the textbooks are free, it is crucial to ensure their quality and accuracy. Look for reputable sources that provide peer-reviewed and professionally curated textbooks to ensure the content is reliable and up-to-date.

Utilize Supplementary Resources : Free college textbooks can be enhanced with supplementary resources such as lecture notes, practice questions, and video tutorials. Check if the website provides additional materials to support your learning and deepen your understanding of the subject.

Engage in Online Communities : Join online communities or forums related to your studies. These platforms provide opportunities to connect with fellow learners and exchange insights or resources about free college textbooks.

Keep Track of Updates : Websites occasionally update their textbook offerings or add new resources. Stay informed about these updates to access the latest materials and improve your learning experience.

Pros and Cons

Here are some pros and cons of using free websites for college textbooks:

• Cost-saving : Free websites provide access to educational resources without any financial burden.
• Wide Selection : Numerous websites offer textbooks from various disciplines, ensuring there is something for everyone.
• Anywhere, Anytime Access : Online textbooks can be accessed on multiple devices, enabling flexible learning.
• Environmentally Friendly : Digital textbooks reduce paper waste, leading to a more sustainable learning environment.
• Supplementary Resources : Some websites offer additional study materials and resources alongside the textbooks.
• Limited Availability : Not all textbooks may be available for free, especially for specialized or niche subjects.
• Quality Concerns : The quality and accuracy of free textbooks may vary, requiring careful evaluation.
• Offline Access : Reliance on an internet connection might be a limitation for students in areas with limited internet connectivity.
• Lack of Interactivity : Free textbooks may lack interactive elements and features compared to commercial alternatives.
• Up-to-date Content : Free textbooks may not be promptly updated with the latest research or developments in the field.

To help you navigate the vast array of websites offering free college textbooks, we have compared some popular options:

OpenStax : OpenStax provides peer-reviewed textbooks in various subjects. Their textbooks are free to download, easy to access, and cover a wide range of disciplines, including math, science, and humanities.

Bookboon : Bookboon offers a large collection of free textbooks for business, engineering, IT, and other fields. Their textbooks are written by experts and are available in PDF format for easy offline access.

Project Gutenberg : Project Gutenberg hosts over 60,000 free e-books, including many classic literary works. While it focuses on public domain books, it also offers textbooks and educational resources in various languages.

LibreTexts : LibreTexts is a project that collaboratively curates textbooks for various subjects. Their textbooks are open-source and available for free, covering STEM, social sciences, and more.

MERLOT : MERLOT is a curated collection of free and open online teaching, learning, and faculty development services. It offers a large selection of textbooks and resources for a wide range of subjects.

When using free college textbook websites, consider the following methods to effectively utilize the resources:

Search by Subject : Start by searching for textbooks specific to your subject or course. Many websites allow you to browse textbooks by subject, making it easier to find relevant resources.

Filter by Format : Depending on your preference and device compatibility, filter textbooks by format. Common formats include PDF, e-books, and interactive platforms such as HTML-based textbooks.

Read Reviews : Read user reviews or ratings to determine the quality and usefulness of a particular textbook or website. Reviews can provide valuable insights and help you make informed decisions.

Utilize Advanced Search : Use advanced search options, if available, to narrow down your textbook search. Filtering by author, publication year, or specific keywords can help you find the most relevant resources.

Combine Multiple Resources : Don't limit yourself to a single website. Combine resources from different websites to access a wider range of textbooks and supplementary materials.

AI has the potential to transform the landscape of free college textbooks. Here are some ways AI can impact the field:

AI Applications : AI can enhance free textbook platforms by providing personalized recommendations based on individual students' learning preferences and performance.

AI Techniques : Natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms can be used to improve the search capabilities of textbook websites, enabling more accurate and efficient results.

AI Benefits : AI-powered platforms can offer adaptive learning experiences, identifying areas of difficulty for students and providing targeted resources to enhance understanding.

AI Challenges : The integration of AI in free textbook platforms may pose challenges such as data privacy, algorithm bias, and ensuring the accuracy of AI-generated content.

AI Online Apps : AI has already made its way into online study apps, offering features like flashcard generation, text-to-speech, and automated question generation.

Common Techniques

When using free college textbook websites, consider employing these common techniques for a better learning experience:

Effective Note-Taking : Develop effective note-taking strategies to synthesize information from textbooks and consolidate key concepts.

Active Reading : Engage actively while reading by highlighting and annotating important points to promote better comprehension and retention.

Collaborative Learning : Join online study groups or forums to engage in collaborative learning and benefit from the collective wisdom of peers.

Time Management : Create a study schedule to ensure regular and consistent learning, especially when using self-paced online textbooks.

Practice Problems : Look for websites that provide practice problems or exercises related to the content covered in your textbooks to reinforce learning.

While free college textbooks offer numerous advantages, certain challenges should be considered:

Quality Control : Not all textbooks available for free online undergo the same rigorous editorial processes as traditional publishers. Verify the credibility and accuracy of the resources before relying on them.

Limited Availability : Some niche subjects or specialized courses may not have a wide range of free textbooks available. In such cases, students may need to explore other alternatives, such as borrowing from libraries or purchasing used copies.

Digital Distractions : Online textbooks come with potential distractions such as social media, email notifications, and other online temptations. Practice self-discipline to maintain focus while studying.

Internet Reliance : Access to free online textbooks is contingent upon a stable internet connection. Students in areas with limited internet access may face difficulties accessing resources consistently.

Copyright Restrictions : Free textbook websites often adhere to open licensing, but it is crucial to respect copyright laws and avoid unauthorized sharing or distribution of copyrighted material.

Potential Online Apps

Here are some online apps that complement the use of free college textbooks:

Scholarly : Scholarly is an AI-powered study platform that offers features like text completion, flashcard creation, and an AI-powered tutor. It assists students in generating flashcards, studying with AI-generated questions, and transcribing pictures and PDFs into text.

Quizlet : Quizlet allows students to create interactive flashcards, practice quizzes, and study sets. It offers various study modes, including games, and allows sharing and collaboration with peers.

Khan Academy : Khan Academy provides free video lessons, practice exercises, and personalized learning platforms across various subjects and grade levels.

Coursera : Coursera offers online courses in collaboration with universities and organizations worldwide. It provides opportunities to explore subjects in-depth and earn certifications.

Google Scholar : Google Scholar provides access to a vast range of academic literature, research papers, theses, and dissertations. It is a valuable resource for students seeking additional scholarly material.

Free college textbooks have revolutionized the educational landscape, offering students access to high-quality learning resources without financial constraints. The best websites for free college textbooks provide cost savings, increased accessibility, and a sustainable alternative to traditional printed textbooks. By utilizing the websites mentioned in this guide, students can enhance their education, broaden their knowledge, and save money along the way.

In conclusion, we encourage students to explore the benefits, best practices, and potential of AI-powered study apps in conjunction with free college textbooks. By leveraging these resources effectively, students can optimize their learning and embark on a fulfilling educational journey.

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Harvard Library has paid for your access to hundreds of websites — from the New York Review of Books to the Oxford English Dictionary to the journal Nature: Chemical Biology . You just need to connect via HarvardKey.

The library offers many tools to quickly check if you have free online access. Each tool has features that you may find helpful at different times. Most people mix and match for different purposes. Find the one that's right for you.

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LibreTexts is the largest centralized open education project and platform online. Founded in 2008 at the University of California, Davis as the ChemWiki, the LibreTexts mission is to unite students, faculty and scholars in a cooperative effort to develop an easy-to-use online platform for the construction, customization, and dissemination of open educational resources (OER) to reduce the burdens of unreasonable textbook costs to our students and society.

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Unlocking knowledge: your gateway to open access scientific papers and research data, introduction.

In the digital era, the quest for knowledge and scientific discovery is no longer confined to the walls of academia and research institutions. Welcome to [Your Website Name] , a dedicated platform for finding and downloading open access scientific papers and other research data. Our mission is to democratize access to scientific information, making it freely available to researchers, students, and curious minds across the globe.

What is Open Access?

Open Access (OA) refers to the practice of providing unrestricted access via the Internet to peer-reviewed scholarly research. OA content is available to all, without the usual financial or legal barriers. We believe that open access is crucial in fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration, thereby accelerating innovation and discovery.

Types of Open Access:

• Gold Open Access: Papers are published in open access journals that provide immediate open access to all of their articles.
• Green Open Access (Self-Archiving): Authors publish in any journal and then self-archive a version of the article for free public use in their institutional repository or on a website.
• Hybrid Open Access: Some articles in a subscription journal are made open access upon the payment of an additional charge.

Downloading Resources

• Direct Downloads: Once you find a paper or dataset, download it directly.
• Citation Tools: Easily export citations in various formats to incorporate them into your research.

Open Access

Open access in scientific publishing represents a transformative approach that breaks down traditional barriers to knowledge dissemination. It is a movement dedicated to making scientific research freely available to all, fostering a more inclusive and collaborative scientific community. At its core, open access allows for the unrestricted sharing of research findings, enabling scientists, academicians, and the general public to access and utilize scientific papers without the constraints of subscription fees or licensing restrictions. This paradigm shift in scholarly communication is driven by the belief that knowledge, particularly that which is publicly funded, should be a communal resource, accessible to everyone for the greater good of society.

In the realm of scientific research, open access has numerous advantages. It accelerates the pace of discovery by allowing researchers to build upon existing work without delay, facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas across various fields. This is particularly crucial in addressing global challenges, where rapid and unencumbered access to research can lead to faster solutions. Furthermore, open access democratizes knowledge by making it available to researchers in developing countries who may not have the resources for expensive journal subscriptions, thereby narrowing the research gap between high and low-income countries.

The open access model also aligns with the digital age's ethos of openness and transparency. It enables a more efficient validation and critique process, as a larger audience can scrutinize and contribute to the research. This can lead to higher quality and more reliable scientific work. Moreover, it provides an equal platform for emerging researchers and institutions to share their findings, ensuring that the visibility and impact of research are not confined to those within well-funded, prestigious entities.

However, the transition to open access is not without challenges. The sustainability of publishing models, quality assurance, and equitable distribution of costs are ongoing concerns. Despite these hurdles, the open access movement is gaining momentum, driven by the global scientific community's commitment to an open, accessible, and collaborative future in research. As we move forward, open access stands as a beacon of progress, symbolizing a world where knowledge is a shared and freely accessible asset, driving innovation and societal advancement.

10 Digital Libraries Where You Can Download Ebooks for Free

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With the advance in digital technology, more and more people are choosing ebooks and audiobooks over printed books. Amazon alone offers millions of ebooks in every category you could think of. Some are free, while others come with a hefty price tag.

The good news is that you can always head over to a digital library to get the information you need when you need it. You just have to know what to look for, and these digital libraries are a great place to start if you want free ebooks, audiobooks, and other online resources.

1. Open Library

You can use Open Library to borrow and read millions of ebooks for free. All you need to do is to sign up for an account and browse away. You can even add new books to its collection.

With a quick search, you'll find ebooks in every genre, from art and sci-fi to medicine. And luckily, you can also filter results by subject, author, and other criteria.

If you're looking for a particular book, all you have to do is enter its name in the search bar. Or you can click on random ebooks to preview and "borrow" them for free. Registered users can also create custom lists of ebooks, such as Want to Read or Have Read.

Some people prefer audiobooks to physical books , but you won't have to choose since this platform offers both.

2. Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg features over 60,000 free ebooks, which you can download or read online. The best part is that you don't need a PDF or ebook reader for your computer to access the titles in its collection.

With Project Gutenberg, you can access "bookshelves" for specific content. So if, you want to learn more about the Spanish American War, you can go directly to that bookshelf instead of browsing through thousands of titles.

You can also narrow your search by title, popularity, author, language, and file type or search by subject or category, like audiobooks, pictures, or music.

If you prefer Kindle to physical books , you'll love using Project Gutenberg. When you select an ebook, you can read it online, in plain text, or in Kindle format.

3. Internet Archive

Featuring over 36 million ebooks, the Internet Archive is possibly the largest digital library ever created. In addition to free ebooks, its catalog includes over 778 billion web pages and millions of videos, concerts, audio files, and software programs.

Think of the Internet Archive as a digital time machine. Some items in its collection date back to the '90s and are not available anywhere else.

The ebooks are organized by category, but you can also search by collection, author, topic, or year of publishing. Users have the option to rate and review the books they read. So, if you find a book that looks interesting, click on it to see what others have to say.

After registration, you can upload ebooks and other media files from your personal collection.

4. Wiley Online Library

Whether you're doing research for an essay, white paper, or science project, it can be difficult to find trustworthy sources. That's where the Wiley Online Library comes in handy.

This digital library offers over 20,000 online books, 1,600 journals, and hundreds of reference works. Most resources are science-focused, covering all topics.

The Business & Management collection , for example, includes hundreds of ebooks and articles on consumer behavior, management, and business technology.

If you're ready to learn a new programming language, head over to the Information Technology section . Narrow down your search by publication date, subject, author, or publisher.

Not all ebooks are free to read and download, but you can browse them or access specific chapters. Look for the Free Access icon to see which books are free.

5. World Digital Library

The World Digital Library's selection of rare books, manuscripts, and other materials dates back to 8,000 BC. The collection includes more than 19,000 publications from over 190 countries.

This project was developed by the U.S. Library of Congress and UNESCO to make culture available to everyone. It features thousands of books, photos, and maps that were once only available in certain galleries, so it's just like visiting virtual museums from home .

You can search by place, topic, time period, language, or institution and download the books for free.

6. Free Ebooks

Free Ebooks lets you access a trove of ebooks from every category, each of which you can find in a dedicated section—Fiction, Non-Fiction, Academic, Textbooks, Classics, and Others. Its digital library is pretty well stacked, and every title is neatly classified, so whatever you're looking for, you're bound to find it quickly and easily.

Free Ebooks is a great place to download unique ebooks for free , but it comes with a caveat. You can create a free account that lets you access free ebooks, but only five times a month and only in a PDF format.

After your five downloads for the month, you have to wait until the next one rolls around to continue downloading. If that doesn't work for you, the platform does offer a V.I.P. level account that starts at $7.95/month and lends you unlimited downloads in multiple formats besides PDF.

Bookbub has a dedicated free ebooks section that takes you to an extensive digital library full of free titles you can download. Its selection is ever-changing, so you're sure to find something fresh to read every time you browse.

Once you visit the free ebooks tab, you can further filter out the titles Bookbub shows you. You can choose the category, limiting it to one or several, as well as the retailer and collections.

Bookbub's ebooks are available to read on all the prominent devices in the respective supported formats: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple Books, Google Play, and Kobo. Plus, there's no limit to how many ebooks you can download, so you can go wild.

8. Baen Free Library

Baen Free Library is a bit more niche since its digital library focuses on science fiction and fantasy titles. So, if that's right up your alley, look no further.

The digital library offers an array of ebooks you can read online or download for free. You can get the ebooks in the standard formats, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, or any device-specific ones for your eReader of choice. You can also email the ebook to an address of your choice.

The website looks a bit outdated when you first land on it, but don't let that stop you from using it.

9. ManyBooks

ManyBooks does indeed have a lot of ebooks to offer. The digital library offers over 50,000 ebooks to explore, all of which come from every category and genre you can imagine. When looking through the online library, you can select your preferred genre, language, and rating to hone your search.

The digital library doesn't have a dedicated free section, so all the titles are mixed together. When you click on one, you can see whether it's free to download and read online or not. Each ebook comes with an extensive description of the story and the author, as well as a book excerpt and summary to understand the book you're considering .

ManyBooks helps you find many known classics and discover new titles to tackle.

10. Smashwords

Whereas other digital libraries ensure you have access to timeless classics, Smashwords goes the opposite direction. So, rather than finding Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, you'd discover Around the World in 80 Pages by Sharon E. Cathcart on the platform.

Smashwords is considered an indie author hub where you can look for newly released titles. You can choose whether to read the ebooks online or download them. You can usually download each ebook in a variety of formats, including the most popular ones: PDF and EPUB.

You can refine your search when exploring the online library by ticking the Free box and your preferred book length—under 20K words or over 20K, 50K, and 100K words.

At the time of writing, the platform boasts over 98,000 free ebooks, so there's much to explore.

Expand Your Horizons and Keep Learning

Though there's always room for growth, that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune on books and courses. Whether you want to learn a new language, develop skills, or start a project, you can find everything you need online.

For starters, you can visit these digital libraries. Even if you don't use them for research or personal growth, you can always just use them for entertainment.

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15+ Best Websites To Download Free PDF Textbooks [2024 Edition]

Gone are the days when you had to pay full price for books. Now you can find college textbooks online for free. One not-so-great thing about college education is expensive books. The amount of money it takes out of your pocket to pay for textbooks is huge. No matter how financially prepared you think you are for college, the cost of textbooks will frustrate you at some point. So, there are several best websites to download free PDF textbooks.

Today, there are many resources on the Internet where you can find a lot of books available for downloading in electronic form. From PDFs and eBooks to renting or using university libraries, there are plenty of ways to get free (or very cheap) university materials . This way, you’ll have certain savings to invest in other beneficial ways. Read this article to learn about the 15+ best websites to download free PDF textbooks in 2024 .

Table of Content

Comparison Of Best Websites For Free Textbooks Online

15+ best websites to download free pdf textbooks, centslessbooks, project gutenberg, open library, digilibraries, amazon kindle, google books, digital book index, internet archive, scholarworks, directory of open access books (doab), open textbook library, national academies press (nap), oer commons, mit opencourseware, tips for downloading free pdf textbooks, bonus website to download pdf books.

Finding free PDF textbooks can be a game-changer for students looking to save money on educational resources. In this article, we’ll explore the 17 best websites to download free PDF textbooks. These websites offer a wide range of textbooks across various subjects, ensuring you have access to essential study materials without any cost. From comprehensive academic databases to specialized subject sites, these platforms provide reliable and legal options for downloading textbooks. Let’s dive into the top sources for free educational content in 2024.

What makes CentslessBooks different from other websites? It provides a comprehensive list of all e-books that are available for free in the Amazon Kindle Store. If you select any e-book, it will direct you to the Kindle Store . Kindle offers the purchase of a hard copy for those who want it, and a free version is also available. CentslessBooks is a dedicated platform designed to help readers discover free e-books available on the Amazon Kindle Store. The website serves as a comprehensive directory that categorizes and lists Kindle e-books that are currently offered for free by Amazon. By providing direct links to the Kindle Store, CentslessBooks makes it easy for users to access and download a wide variety of free e-books across multiple genres.

Website: https://centslessbooks.com/

On OverDrive, you can explore and read over a million eBooks for free. However, the only thing is that you must have an active student ID or public library card to access the books for free. Another plus of Overdrive is that it also has a wide selection of free audiobooks .

Website: https://www.overdrive.com/

Well, if you’re looking for the biggest and oldest free eBook sources, your search should end here. You won’t believe it, but there are over 70,000 e-books on the site, and considered as one of the best websites to download free PDF textbooks .

Another advantage is that Project Gutenberg does not require you to register with the site to access the books. All books were available in Kindle , HTML , ePub , and plain text formats.

Website: https://www.gutenberg.org/

From the Open Library, you can access and download books in various formats, such as MOBI , EPUB , PDF , etc. It is essentially a search engine that allows you to search the Internet Archive’s e-book library.

There are over 1.5 million books available on the site, and they cover all categories like romance , history , children , etc.

Website: https://openlibrary.org/

Well, Bookboon is one of the great sites to download free books in PDF format. You can download more than 75 million books in PDF format from this site. Bookboon is basically a website aimed at students.

All free textbooks are written by professors from the best universities in the world. The site is very easy to navigate and is definitely the best eBook site you can visit today. Also, as per user reviews only, it is considered as one of the best websites to download free PDF textbooks.

Website: https://bookboon.com/

The site claims to offer a digital source of e-books for every taste. Depending on your taste, you can browse through different categories of e-books.

The good thing is that the site allows you to browse books by title, author, or topic. DigiLibraries supports downloading files in EPUB, PDF, and MOBI formats.

Website: https://digilibraries.com/

Well, Amazon Kindle is one of the best places to read e-books and one of the best websites to download free PDF textbooks . The Kindle is now the main source for downloading e-books. While not all books available on Kindle are free to download, if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can read many books for free.

You can download the Kindle app on Android or iOS . The desktop version is also available to read books stored in your Kindle library.

Website: Amazon Kindle

The Google Play Store has a separate section for books. Go to the Google Play Store and select the books section. In this section, you will find many popular books.

Google Play has a section for free books of various genres. The free section lists new books almost every day. You can’t download books. However, you can read them through the Google Play Books app.

Website: https://books.google.com/

The Digital Book Index is another website where students can find free university textbooks in PDF format.

Textbooks in the Digital Book Index are available in history, social studies, medicine and health, math and science, philosophy and religion, law, and other subject areas. You can also search for textbooks by author, title, subject, and publisher.

Website: http://www.digitalbookindex.org/

OpenStax is another website where college students can access 100% free online college textbooks in pdf format, available in English and Spanish . Its mission is to improve access to education and learning for all. It publishes openly licensed books.

OpenStax publishes high-quality books that are reviewed by experts. These openly licensed college textbooks are completely free online. You can also print them in a very affordable manner. The textbooks provided by OpenStax are written by professional authors. They follow standard length and sequence requirements. This allows them to be tailored to your existing course. OpenStax also has textbooks for high school courses.

Website: https://openstax.org/

The Internet Archive is an easy-to-use website. Students can download free university textbooks online. Free PDF college textbooks are available for almost every subject area.

Books published before 1926 are also available for download . Hundreds and thousands of modern books can also be rented online. The Internet Archive is a non-profit library containing millions of free books, movies, websites, and more.

Website: https://archive.org/

ScholarWorks is an institutional repository that collects, preserves, and disseminates scholarly work across multiple universities in the United States. Each ScholarWorks site is associated with a particular university, serving as a platform to house and share the academic and creative outputs of faculty, staff, and students. These outputs can include dissertations, theses, faculty publications, research datasets, and more.

For example, at California State University, ScholarWorks is used to share collections from various academic communities, including datasets and teaching materials​ ​. Similarly, Indiana University Indianapolis offers a ScholarWorks platform that houses thousands of articles, presentations, and other scholarly materials, promoting widespread access and engagement with these resources​.

Website: ScholarWorks

The Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) is a central online hub aimed at increasing the visibility and accessibility of open access peer-reviewed books. It serves as a community-driven discovery service that indexes high-quality open access books, facilitating easier access and promoting their use both by the academic community and the public.

DOAB allows academic publishers to submit metadata about their open access books, which enhances discoverability and utilization. It’s open to all publishers who produce academic and peer-reviewed books under an open access license, ensuring a broad spectrum of disciplines and topics are covered.

Website: Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)

The Open Textbook Library, hosted by the Center for Open Education at the University of Minnesota, is a valuable resource for freely accessible educational materials. It offers a broad selection of over 1,490 textbooks that are openly licensed, allowing users to freely use, edit, and distribute the content without any cost.

The library covers a wide range of subjects including Business, Computer Science, Education, Engineering, Humanities, Law, Mathematics, Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. Each subject category includes specific fields; for example, under Business, you can find textbooks on Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Management, and Marketing.

Website: Open Textbook Library

The National Academies Press (NAP) is the publishing arm of the National Academies of Sciences , Engineering , and Medicine . It is renowned for producing over 200 authoritative publications each year on a broad array of topics in science , engineering , and medicine .

These publications serve as independent, thoroughly researched sources of information on significant issues in science and health policy. The NAP’s commitment is to make these resources available for free, promoting knowledge and understanding among the public and professionals alike.

Website: National Academies Press (NAP)

OER Commons, developed by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), is a platform dedicated to enhancing educational equity through open educational resources (OER). It provides a digital library where users can find over 50,000 educational resources , allowing educators and students to freely use, modify, and share these materials.

The platform is well-supported by various educational partnerships and receives backing from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation , emphasizing its commitment to the open education movement. Teachers and other users engage actively with the platform, enhancing the materials through reviews and adaptations , thereby contributing to an evolving repository of freely accessible educational content.

Website: OER Commons

MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a free and open educational resource that offers an extensive array of course materials from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Established in 2001 , OCW aims to provide open access to the educational materials used in the wide range of MIT’s undergraduate and graduate-level courses covering all academic disciplines .

These materials typically include syllabi , course notes , assignments , and exams . Additionally, many courses offer complete video lectures, free online textbooks, and insights from faculty about teaching strategies and course design

Website: MIT OpenCourseWare

• Visit the official websites of universities and educational organizations. It is a safe way to download free PDF versions of textbooks.
• Use open-access resources such as OpenStax . It will allow you to access free electronic versions of textbooks in various subjects.
• Check online libraries such as Google Books . Here you can find free passages and sometimes entire textbooks.
• Use platforms that provide free books, such as Project Gutenberg . Classic textbooks are also available.
• Check out educational research sites that often offer free PDF versions of academic books and articles.

ScholarWorks offers a range of free online college textbooks. Get free college textbooks in PDF format here. This makes it easy to find the textbooks that are suitable for your college course.

Besides various other reading materials, textbooks rank as one of the largest college bills. By following this guide closely, you’ll never need the costly text books anymore. This is a modern-day method of obtaining college textbooks. It is now possible to get free pdf copies of books on the Internet without having to spend your hard-earned money . Easily access some of the best websites to download free PDF textbooks and get the required material.

Best Websites To Download Free PDF Textbooks [2024] – FAQs

Where can i download textbooks pdf for free.

You can download free textbook PDFs from sites like OpenStax , Project Gutenberg , and MIT OpenCourseWare, which offer a range of academic and classic literature texts legally.

Where can I download any book PDF for free?

Websites like Project Gutenberg , Internet Archive, and Google Books often provide free PDF downloads of a wide variety of books, especially public domain works.

Is PDFdrive safe?

PDFdrive is generally considered safe to use, but like any free download site, it’s advisable to have updated antivirus software as the site hosts files uploaded by various users, and there could be risks of malware.

How do I download an online textbook as a PDF?

Many educational platforms and university websites allow you to download textbooks directly as PDFs. Always ensure you have legitimate access through library services or open access sites.

How to download textbook PDF from Google?

Use Google Books to search for the textbook. If available for free, Google Books might offer an option to download it as a PDF. Always ensure the download is legal and respects copyright laws.

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