Aug. 15th, 2012

miriam_e: from my drawing MoonGirl (Default)
Want to read more science fiction ebooks, but are reluctant to pay money for locked ebooks that you know will sooner or later lock you out?

I just found out that Project Gutenberg has a special area devoted to more than 800 science fiction ebooks: subject 36.

They not only have the old stories you'd expect, such as those by Jules Verne, H G Wells, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, but also modern stories by Cory Doctorow, Damon Knight, Harry Harrison, Katherine MacLean, Leigh Brackett, Philip K Dick, and many more.

A random wander around Project Gutenberg turns up real gems. Tonight, while looking for something else entirely, I found Preliminary Specifications: Programmed Data Processor Model Three (PDP-3) by Digital Equipment Corporation, from back in 1960 -- before anybody had thought of stack registers.

Some other amazing things I've found by accident on Project Gutenberg recently:
  • Dinosaurs, by W D Matthew, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology, New York Natural History Museum in 1915, and containing about 50 photos and diagrams.
  • David Hume - Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. The great thinker from the late 1700s wrote this philosophical piece as a conversation, making it more accessible.
  • William Curtis' beautifully illustrated Botanical Magazine from the late 1700s (the first 8 volumes so far)
  • several of Stanley G Weinbaum's stories, for which I have a bit of a soft spot, as his stories use very original concepts, but he died very young before he had a chance to really make an impact on the SF world.
  • Cory Doctorow's most recent books are available for free download (please do buy some of his books to make it worth his while)
I like to use the old author listing to go beachcombing at Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/a

It seems the folks at Project Gutenberg realise some people like to wader aimlessly, browsing. They've provided a random search function:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?sort_order=random

You can sign up to get [a list of] their latest releases emailed to you each month
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Subscribe_How-To

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miriam_e: from my drawing MoonGirl (Default)
miriam_e

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