Free Google books?

nannye · 11-27-2010, 03:39 PM

Apparently at least according to my ereader I am supposed to be able to download google books. (however I can't find them! or really figure it out.) I'll be honest I am kinda stupid with the whole internet thing so maybe I am just missing something major, but can anyone give me a hand in this area? Keeping in mind i am in Canada.
Thanks
Erin

polly · 11-27-2010, 04:25 PM

I wouldn't even worry about Google books. Many of them are OCRed and riddled with mistakes. You can get the same books here at MobileRead, with the added advantage that the books posted here are well formatted and proofed. You can find them here:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/ebo...&sort=dateline

icewyche · 11-27-2010, 07:37 PM

You can also go to sites like manybooks.net or epubbooks.com for a whole range of great freebies - I think more than half of what's on my reader now are from these sites.

The Sony Reader store offers free books, but it's a little more complicated to find them - you have to go to the category you want and arrange them by price, then hope that there's something you want. And sadly, a lot of Sony's freebies are from sites like Smashwords and Wattpad - the former isn't so bad, but the latter is glutted with stuff written by semi-literate 14-year-olds and titled things like "I'm The Only Girl At An All-Boy's Boarding School...Oh Yeah And They're All Lust-Filled Vampires". I wish I were making that up.

polly · 11-27-2010, 07:54 PM

Instead of searching the Sony site, just go to http://www.inkmesh.com/free-ebooks/. They do a pretty good job of cataloging freebies from across the bookstores. Most of the best finds are on Amazon, but it's easy to strip the DRM off of those. You just have to watch out for the promotional offers that only give you the first few chapters and the poorly written ones from SmashWords. I've downloaded close to 200 contemporary books over the last year.

desertgrandma · 11-27-2010, 07:59 PM

Welcome to MobileRead, nannye.

Click on the link below for help downloading some wonderful reads from here.

doreenjoy · 11-27-2010, 08:45 PM

I concur with the above, BUT --

If you're looking for highly specialized and rare old books, you can't beat Google books. I've found some outstanding "period books" there that don't exist elsewhere in e-format.

To search Google books, you can go to books.google.com. Or you can use the Sony software. Click Ebook Store in the left nav. When the store page comes up, scroll down until you see the Google Books logo. Click it.

Hope that helps.

Bookworm_Girl · 11-27-2010, 09:10 PM

In addition to rare books, I like that Google Books also scans the illustrations. Most of the other sources mentioned have text only ebooks. There are some classics where the old illustrations really add to the ereading experience.

If you go direct through the Google website, then you will often have a choice of file formats. I prefer to download EPUB rather than PDF.

doreenjoy · 11-27-2010, 09:25 PM

The Sony Library software also downloads the EPUB.

icewyche · 11-27-2010, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

If you're looking for highly specialized and rare old books, you can't beat Google books. I've found some outstanding "period books" there that don't exist elsewhere in e-format.

There is that - I've found some old texts on ballet that weren't available anywhere else, although one or two of them were pretty much unreadable thanks to the scanning errors. I guess it depends on what you want.

Xanthe · 11-27-2010, 11:56 PM

I've got to agree too, that you can find some old gems on Google books that you're not going to find elsewhere. I'm currently reading a speculative fiction book from the 1880's about what life in America would be like in the 1930's.

Bookworm_Girl · 11-28-2010, 12:35 AM

That sounds really interesting, Xanthe! I read many nonfiction and historical fiction books. I like to browse the author's reference list and then go search on Google Books for the ones that sound interesting. If only there were enough time in the day to read all the good books I find!

doreenjoy · 11-28-2010, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

That sounds really interesting, Xanthe! I read many nonfiction and historical fiction books. I like to browse the author's reference list and then go search on Google Books for the ones that sound interesting. If only there were enough time in the day to read all the good books I find!

There are some fabulous accounts of life during Regency England on Google books. Look for Captain Gronow's "Reminiscences and Recollections", for one.

cliq · 11-28-2010, 04:21 AM

I thought with Calibre, one can have books directly downloaded onto the Sony reader. [Correct me if I am wrong. New to this and I am still learning

]

polly · 11-28-2010, 10:05 AM

You're close. Calibre is a book database and management sort of a program. It's not a source for books. You have to get the books from someplace and add them to Calibre before that program can do anything for you. With Calibre, you can highlight a book and click on the Send to Device button and Calibre will send it directly to your reader. You can tell it what format you want loaded on your reader; it will convert books to that format as it moves them. It will also create Collections for all of the tags and series in the books it sends over.

cliq · 11-29-2010, 03:39 AM

Thanks @polly!

11-27-2010, 03:39 PM	#1
nannye Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: sony e reader	Free Google books? Apparently at least according to my ereader I am supposed to be able to download google books. (however I can't find them! or really figure it out.) I'll be honest I am kinda stupid with the whole internet thing so maybe I am just missing something major, but can anyone give me a hand in this area? Keeping in mind i am in Canada. Thanks Erin

11-27-2010, 07:37 PM	#3
icewyche Dark Queen of Bibliomanes Posts: 47 Karma: 86 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Sony PRS-650	You can also go to sites like manybooks.net or epubbooks.com for a whole range of great freebies - I think more than half of what's on my reader now are from these sites. The Sony Reader store offers free books, but it's a little more complicated to find them - you have to go to the category you want and arrange them by price, then hope that there's something you want. And sadly, a lot of Sony's freebies are from sites like Smashwords and Wattpad - the former isn't so bad, but the latter is glutted with stuff written by semi-literate 14-year-olds and titled things like "I'm The Only Girl At An All-Boy's Boarding School...Oh Yeah And They're All Lust-Filled Vampires". I wish I were making that up. Last edited by icewyche; 11-27-2010 at 08:08 PM.

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11-27-2010, 04:25 PM	#2
polly Evangelist Posts: 454 Karma: 270240 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony PRS 650, PocketBook 360, Astak PocketPro (RIP), Tungsten T3	I wouldn't even worry about Google books. Many of them are OCRed and riddled with mistakes. You can get the same books here at MobileRead, with the added advantage that the books posted here are well formatted and proofed. You can find them here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/ebo...&sort=dateline

11-27-2010, 07:54 PM	#4
polly Evangelist Posts: 454 Karma: 270240 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony PRS 650, PocketBook 360, Astak PocketPro (RIP), Tungsten T3	Instead of searching the Sony site, just go to http://www.inkmesh.com/free-ebooks/. They do a pretty good job of cataloging freebies from across the bookstores. Most of the best finds are on Amazon, but it's easy to strip the DRM off of those. You just have to watch out for the promotional offers that only give you the first few chapters and the poorly written ones from SmashWords. I've downloaded close to 200 contemporary books over the last year.

11-27-2010, 07:59 PM	#5
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Welcome to MobileRead, nannye. Click on the link below for help downloading some wonderful reads from here.

11-27-2010, 08:45 PM	#6
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	I concur with the above, BUT -- If you're looking for highly specialized and rare old books, you can't beat Google books. I've found some outstanding "period books" there that don't exist elsewhere in e-format. To search Google books, you can go to books.google.com. Or you can use the Sony software. Click Ebook Store in the left nav. When the store page comes up, scroll down until you see the Google Books logo. Click it. Hope that helps.

11-27-2010, 09:10 PM	#7
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36536965 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	In addition to rare books, I like that Google Books also scans the illustrations. Most of the other sources mentioned have text only ebooks. There are some classics where the old illustrations really add to the ereading experience. If you go direct through the Google website, then you will often have a choice of file formats. I prefer to download EPUB rather than PDF.

11-27-2010, 09:25 PM	#8
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	The Sony Library software also downloads the EPUB.

11-27-2010, 11:56 PM	#10
Xanthe Plan B Is Now In Force Posts: 1,894 Karma: 8086979 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surebleak Device: Aluratek,Sony 350/T1,Pandigital,eBM 911,Nook HD/HD+,Fire HDX 7/8.9,PW2	I've got to agree too, that you can find some old gems on Google books that you're not going to find elsewhere. I'm currently reading a speculative fiction book from the 1880's about what life in America would be like in the 1930's.

11-28-2010, 12:35 AM	#11
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36536965 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	That sounds really interesting, Xanthe! I read many nonfiction and historical fiction books. I like to browse the author's reference list and then go search on Google Books for the ones that sound interesting. If only there were enough time in the day to read all the good books I find!

11-28-2010, 04:21 AM	#13
cliq Nameless Being	I thought with Calibre, one can have books directly downloaded onto the Sony reader. [Correct me if I am wrong. New to this and I am still learning ]

11-28-2010, 10:05 AM	#14
polly Evangelist Posts: 454 Karma: 270240 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony PRS 650, PocketBook 360, Astak PocketPro (RIP), Tungsten T3	You're close. Calibre is a book database and management sort of a program. It's not a source for books. You have to get the books from someplace and add them to Calibre before that program can do anything for you. With Calibre, you can highlight a book and click on the Send to Device button and Calibre will send it directly to your reader. You can tell it what format you want loaded on your reader; it will convert books to that format as it moves them. It will also create Collections for all of the tags and series in the books it sends over.

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