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Project Gutenberg is an online library of free eBooks. Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related content today.

 
 

About Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is an online library of free eBooks.

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related content today.

 Project Gutenberg Mission Statement

To encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks

 A 2004 essay by Michael Hart provides more detail on the mission statement, and some of the beliefs that guide Project Gutenberg’s activities in fulfilment of that mission.

Project Gutenberg’s bookshelves are hand-curated collections of eBooks that have similar topics. Bookshelf listings were created by volunteers, and many have not been updated or may otherwise be incomplete.

 Following a server upgrade in 2020, bookshelf listings are presented in the “flat” display below. Previously, there was a hierarchy, which has not yet been recreated.

Another way to find eBooks related to a topic is by browsing the Bibliographic Record section of any eBooks’ page. Most have one or more selectable Subject and LOC Class entries, which take you to other books in the same category.