Many works in the library can be read right here, on a clean reading page, free of charge. Look for the Read here mark on a search result, a bookshelf line, a work page or a timeline card, or browse the whole list on the Read Here page. No account or sign-in is needed.

Every text in the reader is in the public domain — free of copyright — and is a full text, not a sample.

The reading page

At the top are the work's title, the author, and a line saying who translated it and when. Below that:

• Translation — when the library holds more than one translation of the same work, a row of buttons lets you switch between them. Each shows the translator's name and year.
• About this edition — a short note on where this text comes from: the translator, the printing behind it, and any editorial decisions a reader would notice.
• Contents — for a longer text, a folded list of its chapters or sections. Open it and click any heading to jump there.

Then the text itself. At its foot, About this text names the source it was prepared from and carries the work's Catalog ID.

Reading settings

Press Aa Reading settings at the top of the page to make the page comfortable to read.

Your choices are remembered in your browser, so every text opens the way you left it. Reset to defaults puts everything back. As with the reading list, the settings stay on the device you used: another browser or device starts with the defaults.

Texts that have not been proofread

Some texts are prepared from a scan of an old printed book by computer reading of the page images, and have not yet been checked against the page by a person. Those carry an Unproofed text notice at the top. They are complete, but they may contain small errors — a misread letter, a stray mark, a broken line. If you spot one, use Report a correction in the notice. Once a text has been proofread, the notice is removed.

A text without that notice has been proofed.

Finding other ways to read

Below the text, Where to read lists other places to read or listen to the same work: free editions elsewhere on the web, and audiobooks. Those open on the other site, in a new tab.

Each work also has its own page in the library, with every edition and how to get it.

Remembering your place and what to read next

The reader does not keep your place in a text — scroll, or use Contents, to find your way back. To remember what you want to read, add the work to your reading list before you leave; the Add to reading list button is on the work's page.

Something wrong?

Report an issue with this text, in the About this text note at the foot, is for a wrong translator, a missing section, a formatting problem or a mistake in the text. Say where you were reading; the report is not tied to any account.

Tips

• Reading at night? Choose Night under Reading theme.
• On a phone? Use Narrow line width and a larger text size.
• Comparing translations? Switch with the Translation buttons.