Thousands of classic books, right in your browser.
Always free, no holds or waitlists.
- Read on any phone, tablet or computer. No separate e-reader needed.
- No app, no sign-up. It all runs in your web browser.
- Always available. Every book opens instantly, whenever you want it.
- Remembers your page. Come back anytime and pick up where you stopped.
Try:
Search results
Continue reading
Most Popular
Most downloaded on Project Gutenberg this month
Moby Dick; Or, The WhaleRead
Pride and PrejudiceRead
The OdysseyRead
A Room with a ViewRead
Romeo and JulietRead
Crime and PunishmentRead
The Secret of ChimneysRead
The Mysteries of UdolphoRead
CarmenRead
The Blue Castle: a novelRead
The Green MummyRead
The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesRead
The Love Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft to Gilbert ImlayRead
Jane Eyre: An AutobiographyRead
My Life — Volume 1Read
Alice's Adventures in WonderlandRead
The Complete Works of William ShakespeareRead
The String of Pearls; Or, The Barber of Fleet Street. A Domestic Romance.Read
DraculaRead
The Lady of the LakeRead
The Man Who Was Thursday: A NightmareRead
The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-BurglarRead
Sense and SensibilityRead
MeditationsRead
Recently Added
The newest books to enter the library
Voyages and travels of Marco PoloRead
60 years of best sellers, 1895-1955Read
The fourth plagueRead
The best short stories of 1916, and the yearbook of the American short storyRead
Connie Morgan in the cattle countryRead
Race and reasonRead
Along the Hudson with Washington IrvingRead
All's fairRead
A minute to thinkRead
Every woman her own midwifeRead
About Classic Book Reader
Classic Book Reader is a free online e-reader for classic literature. Open thousands of public-domain classics right in your browser, on the phone, tablet or computer you already own, with no app, account or waitlist. It turns its pages like a printed book and saves your place on every page, so you can close the tab and come back weeks later to the same line.
Every title here is in the public domain. That includes Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, Moby-Dick, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and tens of thousands more. The texts come from Project Gutenberg, whose volunteers have spent more than fifty years digitizing and proofreading them. Classic Book Reader adds the page layout, typography and page turns, so reading a classic online feels close to reading the printed book.
Feels like a book
A two-page spread on wide screens, one page on phones, and an animated page turn. Swipe, tap or use the arrow keys.
Remembers your page
No account needed. Your place is saved on every page turn, and your books wait under Continue reading.
Free and private
No ads, sign-ups or tracking of what you read. Your progress stays in your own browser.
Frequently asked questions
Is Classic Book Reader really free?
Yes. Every book is in the public domain, and there are no accounts, subscriptions, or paywalls.
Is it legal to read these books?
Yes. The books come from Project Gutenberg, which publishes works whose U.S. copyright has expired. They are free for anyone in the United States to read and share. If you live elsewhere, check your local copyright laws.
Will Classic Book Reader remember my page?
Yes. Every page turn is saved automatically in your browser, so you can close the tab and come back later to the exact spot. Your saved books appear under Continue reading on the home page.
Can I read on my phone or tablet?
Yes. On phones the reader shows one page at a time and you swipe or tap to turn; on larger screens it opens into a two-page spread like a real book.
Can I change the font size or read in dark mode?
Yes. Tap the Aa button in the reader to change text size, typeface, and line spacing, and to switch between Paper, Sepia, and Night themes.
Can Classic Book Reader read books aloud?
Yes. Tap the headphones button in the reader and Classic Book Reader narrates the book using your device's built-in voices. It highlights each sentence as it's read and turns the pages for you. You can pause, skip, change speed, and pick a different voice.
Can I download books for my e-reader or Kindle?
Yes. Every book page has a Download section with EPUB (for Apple Books, Kobo, Nook, Google Play Books and Kindle via Send to Kindle), a Kindle AZW3 file, and plain text. The files come from Project Gutenberg. Downloaded copies don’t sync with your saved place on Classic Book Reader.
Why can't I find a particular book?
Classic Book Reader only carries books that are in the public domain in the United States and that Project Gutenberg offers as plain text. Most books published in the last 95 years are still under copyright, so they aren't available.
Does my reading progress sync between devices?
Not yet. Progress is stored privately in the browser on each device, and nothing is sent to a server.
What is Project Gutenberg?
Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort, founded in 1971, to digitize and archive cultural works. It is the oldest digital library and offers more than 70,000 free eBooks. If you enjoy these books, consider supporting their work.