WebPick Weekly
Books have always held a special place in the making of mankind, dating back thousands of years to the era when writing was discovered in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Yet even to this day, books still occupy a very important place in the scheme of things. From Timbuktu to Patagonia, Greece to Asia Minor, books are famed for their ability to “open, broaden and strengthen the mind”. Over the years, books have evolved into various forms appearing as written, printed, or illustrated assemblies traditionally made of paper and other such materials discovered over the years.
With advancement in technology and the growing need to increase access to information and knowledge across our vast world, books or other various forms of published or printed information are becoming ever more accessible electronically. The internet and other technologies have helped spur this knowledge proliferation via formats such as the now commonplace digital books also known as E-books and audio books among others. This electronic version of books can be easily accessed anywhere around the world via the internet and directly downloaded on portable computers or mobile devices such as phones, E-book readers among others.
This week on Webpick Weekly we will explore the world of E-books, how, where and the best selection of websites on offer on the World Wide Web where readers can easily access and legally download the electronic version of all kinds of books. Here is a list of these websites.
Many Books: http://www.manybooks.net
This website contains a vast library of over 25,000 E-books published in more than 35 different languages all available at no cost at all. Its seemingly unlimited array of free titles will appeal to the most avid reader of books, novels and classic literary materials on display. What is however unique about manybooks.net is not only its wide selection of books but the numerous genres of reading material available on the site. Books are categorized according to language, author, genre all of which can accessed without any hidden charges for the service. However some materials do require registration and login details to gain access. In general it is has a rich collection of materials, easy to use and navigate and the search facility is quite good. The slight drawback is that some links of the website occasionally get broken, and a little slow to respond. Overall rating 7/10.
Free Kindle Books: http://freekindlebooks.org/
This amateurish layout of this website belies its literary riches. Browsing through this website, a book enthusiast will unearth a vast cache of literary gems. The site boasts an impressive collection of famous books by celebrated authors such as Stephen Crane, Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and James Joyce among others. Its Halloween and Christmas Classics will appeal to the most eccentric book enthusiasts amongst readers out there. However, there is a downside, books downloaded from freekindlebooks.org can only be downloaded and stored on devices that accept the MOBI file extension (.mobi) such as the Amazon Kindle and other selected E-book readers. In general, the site is free, easy to use, and contains a vast array of books which can be accessed without requiring registration. Overall rating , 8/10.
Munseys: http://www.munseys.com/site/home
This is by far one of the best looking E-book website on the World Wide Web. Yet it does not just dwell on its good looks; after all it is an E-book library. The best feature of this website is its search functionality which unlike the previous sites explored is much better – a great plus. Munseys contains a large collection of literary works across diverse literary genres. From Dickens to Tolstoy, Adventure to History, Francis Bacon to Thomas Crane; Munseys fails to disappoint. In general, it is an impressive website, beautiful layout, easy navigation, vast collection of books. However, it requires MOBI file compatible device such as the Amazon Kindle or such related devices to enjoy the downloaded materials. Other similar sites include http://inkmesh.com/ as well as http://www.lookforbook.com/,or the famous free eBook wesite of Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page. Overall rating, 9/10.
Next week Webpick Weekly! will bring you more information on useful websites, web information and webzines around the world of the internet. Till then, get clicking…#click!
