What is Standard Ebooks?
Standard Ebooks is a volunteer project that makes new editions of public domain books. It takes texts from sources such as Project Gutenberg, proofreads them against scans of the original pages, and formats them with a strict style manual so they look like real books on an ereader.
Each ebook gets modern typography, a cover made from public domain fine art, detailed metadata and features such as popup footnotes and hyphenation. The source files are kept in Git, so anyone can suggest a fix, and all of the project's own work is released into the public domain.
Main Features
- Free public domain ebooks
- Careful proofreading against the original scans
- Consistent, modern typography
- Covers made from public domain fine art
- Downloads for Kindle, Kobo and other ereaders
- Read online in the browser
- Popup footnotes, hyphenation and proper tables of contents
- Source files on GitHub for corrections
How to Get Started with Standard Ebooks
- Open standardebooks.org in your browser.
- Browse or search the ebook library.
- Open a book and pick the format for your device.
- Download it, or read it online.
- Send a correction on GitHub if you spot a typo.
Standard Ebooks Pricing
Every ebook is free to download and read. The Patrons Circle is a recurring donation of $15 a month or $150 a year or more that adds your name to the masthead, access to the ebook feeds and bulk downloads, and a vote on which books come next.
Who Should Use It?
- Readers who want free classics that look good on an ereader
- Kindle and Kobo owners
- Students reading public domain texts
- Book lovers who care about typography
- People who make their own ebooks and want clean source files
Standard Ebooks Alternatives
- Project Gutenberg hosts a very large collection of free public domain ebooks.
- Open Library lets you find and borrow digital books for free.
- Libby lets you borrow ebooks and audiobooks with a library card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Standard Ebooks free?
Yes. All the ebooks are free. The Patrons Circle is an optional recurring donation that adds feeds, bulk downloads and voting.
How is it different from Project Gutenberg?
Standard Ebooks starts from texts like Project Gutenberg's, then fully proofreads them and typesets them to a professional style manual.
Which formats can I download?
There is a compatible epub, azw3 for Kindle, kepub for Kobo and an advanced epub. You can also read online.
Can I reuse the ebooks?
Yes. The books are in the US public domain, and Standard Ebooks releases its own work on them into the public domain too.