FREE/BARGAIN — Non-Fiction

[GtrsRGr8]

Post Deleted. See the following posts.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Great source of quality free ebooks--www.bookstore-s.com/top-free-books !

I was more than a little bit leary of the site, because the quality and quantity of the freebies are so good. But read the DMCA (www.bookstore-s.com/dmca) --it convinced me that the site is on the up-and-up. The site must use one really stout webcrawler is all that I can say.

Given that their DMCA Policy references video files, they're probably just taken the boilerplate from another site. My suspicion is that their free books may be free at the original site, but aren't all authorised for redistribution. They ought to be redirecting you to the original site, (Smashwords on the one I checked), not offering their own downloads.

I haven't checked any of their non-free offerings, but I wouldn't buy from them.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Given that their DMCA Policy references video files, they're probably just taken the boilerplate from another site. My suspicion is that their free books may be free at the original site, but aren't all authorised for redistribution. They ought to be redirecting you to the original site, (Smashwords on the one I checked), not offering their own downloads.

I haven't checked any of their non-free offerings, but I wouldn't buy from them.

Thank you. That's just the kind of insight that I needed. The post is going down as soon as I finish this one.

I am definitely not very familiar with all of the legal issues involved, but one thing in the DMCA that gave me pause is that they put the onus on copyright holders to inform them if they've violated their copyrights. To me, a site presenting the books should be responsible for getting permission.

[ekbell]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Thank you. That's just the kind of insight that I needed. The post is going down as soon as I finish this one.

I am definitely not very familiar with all of the legal issues involved, but one thing in the DMCA that gave me pause is that they put the onus on copyright holders to inform them if they've violated their copyrights. To me, a site presenting the books should be responsible for getting permission.

I've seen that sort of DMCA on filesharing sites that were definitely hosting pirated books. As far as I can tell it's a pretty normal cover-my-ass policy for dubious sites.

All the legit free not-in-public-domain book sites that I've come across will either require you to subscribe (or be subscribed) to the author or publisher's mailing list to download the free books and/or simply provide links to the major book sellers.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Thank you. That's just the kind of insight that I needed. The post is going down as soon as I finish this one.

I am definitely not very familiar with all of the legal issues involved, but one thing in the DMCA that gave me pause is that they put the onus on copyright holders to inform them if they've violated their copyrights. To me, a site presenting the books should be responsible for getting permission.

The DMCA provision that site owners can avoid liability by promptly complying with copyright violation notices is a good idea in theory.

And certainly, some method of avoiding liability is necessary, or no-one would dare post anything.

But sites that rely on it deliberately as a way to allow them to post copyright material that is obviously copyright until they are told not to are not acting ethically.

But I suppose one ought to blame it on the people who wrote the laws for not getting them right.

[Fluribus]

I looked at a smattering of links, free and paid. They all went to iTunes. Maybe they get a referral payment from iTunes when people buy stuff. They ought to make clear what's going on there.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Fluribus

I looked at a smattering of links, free and paid. They all went to iTunes. Maybe they get a referral payment from iTunes when people buy stuff. They ought to make clear what's going on there.

Thank you for bringing that up.

I noticed that when I was first looking over the site, but failed to bring that up when I made my O.P. I didn't see the possible significance that you did, only that I was out of luck, because I don't own an Apple device.

[sufue]

A couple of collections of non-fiction titles are part of Kobo's 60% off sale good through Jan 8. These are already on sale at $2.99, and then the 60% code stacks on top, to make them $1.20 each, and if you have the Kobo VIP thing, then that also stacks, and they are even a little less. The coupon code for the sale is OPEN60.

The American Experiment by James MacGregor Burns contains The Vineyard of Liberty, The Workshop of Democracy, and The Crosswinds of Freedom
link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...can-experiment

MLK: An American Legacy by David J. Garrow contains Bearing the Cross, Protest at Selma, and The FBI and Martin Luther King, Jr.
link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/mlk-an-american-legacy

There are a few other of these "already-on-sale-with-stackable-coupon" titles that turn out to be pretty good prices, if you just take the Non-Fiction part of the sale, and sort by ascending price. Here's a link for that too: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/list/nonf...?sort=PriceAsc

[GtrsRGr8]

Get one of thimblesofplenty's [sic] books _free_.

"thimblesofplenty is a group of friends who also happen to be business people and avid readers. We wanted to keep up with the latest business books but found that time was a factor. So we divided out the work and each of us took a book and summarised it for the others. We though it might be a great idea to share these summaries with you. For a small price and a 3 minute time investment, our summary gives you some of the wisdom from the book, some food for thought and hopefully the impetus to make some time to read the whole book!"

Think of these short books as being like Cliffs Notes, but for business titles.

Of course, we all know that there is not truly a free lunch--someone has to pay a price of some kind for everything. thimblesofplenty requires that you "subscribe" (to get on their mailing list, I suppose) in order to get the freebie, no doubt in hope that you will _buy_ a book, or two or three, after seeing a sample of their work.

Oh, I should mention that their books (some of them, at least) come in English, French, and German.

Here's where you can see Amazon's selection of thimblesofplenty's offerings:* https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s?k="thimblesofplenty". Here's thimbleofplenty's website, where you can sign up and get your free book: http://www.thimblesofplenty.com.

* Please forgive any formatting issues in this message--I'm having to try to make do with only a smartphone for a computer right now.

[Little.Egret]

For legal mavens, free


Copyright Supreme Court Decisions by Robert Dittmer

(828 PP) This is a sourcebook on the supreme court's major copyright decisions, with a few patent and trademark decisions.

Lots of posters here are interested in copyright and some of the cases are quite amusing.

Hurry, may only be free for a day.


https://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search...Robert+Dittmer

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?url=sear...Robert+Dittmer

https://www.amazon.ca/s/?url=search-...Robert+Dittmer

[Little.Egret]

Endeavour, free

The Life and Death of Trotsky by Robert Payne


In this compelling biography, Payne recreates the man in all his facets. He reveals Trotsky's inner seeds of self-destruction, his terrible errors, his excessive pride, his supreme contempt for others. He unravels power plays at the highest levels of the Russian government, the immense struggle between Stalin and Trotsky, the twisted path of international intrigue that led to Trotsky's political downfall and, ultimately, his death at the hands of a mysterious assassin.

First published 1977 (US) 1978 (UK)

Robert Payne (1911-1983) had over a hundred books published on a wide range of subjects during his lifetime. The Russian series, in particular ‘The Life and Death of Lenin’ and ‘The Rise and Fall of Stalin’, raised his reputation as biographer to enormous stature.

‘Probably no author of this century has produced so many books at such a relatively high level of scholarship’ – The Times


https://www.amazon.com/Life-Death-Tr...dp/B00YH1711O/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Death-...dp/B00YH1711O/

https://www.amazon.ca/Life-Death-Tro...dp/B00YH1711O/

[Little.Egret]

Free


High Horizons in Switzerland: Travelling in Switzerland by Neil Harrison

Discover Switzerland, from its prehistory to the present, its diverse multi-cultural society and its amazing natural landscapes.
How the confederation appear out of post-roman Europe?

Discover the great mountains and glaciers, Europe's great rivers and lakes, how this Alpine landscape shaped the country, all thanks to 10 journeys from one end of the country to the other.


https://www.amazon.com/High-Horizons...dp/B0767FBXYL/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Horizo...dp/B0767FBXYL/

https://www.amazon.ca/High-Horizons-...dp/B0767FBXYL/

[Little.Egret]

academic, free

Animals and the Shaping of Modern Medicine: One Health and its Histories (Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Modern History) by Abigail Woods and Michael Bresalier

This book breaks new ground by situating animals and their diseases at the very heart of modern medicine. In demonstrating their historical significance as subjects and shapers of medicine, it offers important insights into past animal lives, and reveals that what we think of as ‘human’ medicine was in fact deeply zoological.

Each chapter analyses an important episode in which animals changed and were changed by medicine. Ranging across the animal inhabitants of Britain’s zoos, sick sheep on Scottish farms, unproductive livestock in developing countries, and the tapeworms of California and Beirut, they illuminate the multi-species dimensions of modern medicine and its rich historical connections with biology, zoology, agriculture and veterinary medicine.

Abigail Woods is Professor of the History of Human and Animal Health and Head of the Department of History at King’s College London, UK.

Michael Bresalier is Lecturer in the History of Medicine at Swansea University, UK.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078QL8RGN

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B078QL8RGN

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B078QL8RGN

[GtrsRGr8]

99 cents. Was $9.99.

_The Dark Ages 476-918 A.D._, by Charles Oman.

An older work (1898) but apparently still considered a good one--has very good ratings at Amazon and Goodreads.

https://amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B077PG7Q4...b_digital-text.

[GtrsRGr8]

Computer-types, who are also frugal, may wish to learn about Goalkicker. That is, if those peeps don't already know about it.

The company is similar to Packt.com. There are two major differences, well, maybe three. Goalkicker doesn't publish nearly as many titles (I counted 36 of 'em). Goalkicker's titles tend to be on less-technical, and more-common, subjects (even I, who am a virtual illiterate about computer stuff, recognized many of the books' subjects). Third, as far as I can tell, _all_ of their books are _free_.

You can get the books in any format that you please, as long as it's pdf.

www.goalkicker.com.