50,000 Free eBooks by Project Gutenberg Available

Author: Charmtech Labs LLC
Published: 2016/05/06 - Updated: 2025/05/13
Publication Type: Announcement
Category Topic: Disability Publications - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: This information details how Capti Narrator, a web service and iOS app, has made over 50,000 free eBooks from Project Gutenberg accessible as audiobooks, significantly benefiting individuals with reading disabilities, seniors, and anyone who prefers listening to books rather than reading them on a screen. Capti allows users to create personal audiobook libraries from a wide range of sources-including eBooks, documents, and web pages-and listen across multiple devices, supporting formats like HTML, EPUB, PDF, and DOC.

This development is especially valuable given that approximately 20% of the global population experiences reading difficulties such as vision loss or dyslexia, and it also serves busy professionals, retirees, auditory learners, and English language learners. The solution is not only consumer-friendly but is also being adopted by schools worldwide to provide alternative learning formats and support language development, making literature and educational materials more universally accessible. The article's authority is reinforced by its selection for quality review and its recognition with awards for advancing accessibility, reflecting its practical impact and reliability for those seeking accessible reading solutions - Disabled World (DW).

Defining eBook

eBook: An eBook, short for electronic book, is a digital version of a traditional printed book that can be read on electronic devices such as e-readers, tablets, smartphones, or computers. Unlike physical books, eBooks exist as files-commonly in formats like EPUB or MOBI-that contain text, images, or both, and are designed to be displayed on screens with adjustable features like font size and style to enhance readability. This flexibility makes eBooks especially useful for people with visual impairments or reading difficulties. They offer instant access to vast libraries without the bulk of physical books and reduce environmental impact by eliminating the need for paper and printing. Additionally, eBooks often include interactive functions such as search, dictionary lookup, and translation, which enrich the reading experience beyond what printed books can provide.

Introduction

Capti Narrator makes 50,000 free eBooks by Project Gutenberg available to people with reading disabilities and anyone who prefers audiobooks. Capti is both a web service and an iOS app enabling people to create a personal audio book library with eBooks, documents, and web pages and listen to them on the go and at leisure.

Main Content

Capti Narrator now makes over 50,000 free Project Gutenberg eBooks universally accessible to anyone who needs or wants to listen to audiobooks instead of reading eBooks from the screen. It is perfect for busy professionals and retirees, auditory learners and people with print disabilities, English language learners and native speakers.

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks, that were invented by Michael Hart in 1971. His memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies to this day. Project Gutenberg, where anyone is sure to find their favorite classics, now offers over 50,000 free eBooks for anyone to download and read.

"I corresponded with Michael Hart when we were just starting with Capti; he told me that he saw a great purpose in our mission of enabling everyone to listen to all they want to read" - said Dr. Yevgen Borodin, the CEO of Charmtech Labs LLC. "And, today, I am thrilled to finally deliver on my promise and make Project Gutenberg eBooks available as free audiobooks to everyone!"

With 20% of the World's population having reading difficulties due to some reading disability such as vision loss or dyslexia, and with a substantial part of the population not having the time to sit down and read a book, Capti offers a perfect solution making it easy to listen to eBooks online and across many devices, including Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iOS, and soon Android.

With Capti, one can add any eBook, document, or a webpage to a playlist - a personal audio book library, and then listen to them on the go or at leisure, switch between devices and continue from where one left off.

While attractive for consumers, Capti is also being adopted by schools worldwide as a resource for language learning and for providing alternative formats for students with reading difficulties.

Capti makes it easy for teachers to create Playlists with textual materials and share them with their students, who can then read and/or listen to their reading assignments on any of their devices.

Capti supports many popular file formats such as HTML, EPUB, PDF, and DOC that can be added to the Playlist from numerous sources, including the local computer, other iOS apps, Cloud storage services: Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive; read-it-later lists: Instapaper and Pocket; and, now, also the Project Gutenberg eBook library.

"I am pleased that Capti will work to make our free eBooks easier to use in schools and colleges around the World, and I am also happy to see that Capti goes above and beyond to make sure the eBooks are universally accessible to people with and without print disabilities, as well as to those seeking to improve their literacy," said Dr. Greg Newby, the CEO of Project Gutenberg.

As a valuable universally accessible technology, Capti was distinguished with several prestigious awards, including the FCC Chairman's Award for Advancing Accessibility. For his work on Capti, Charmtech's CEO was named a 2015 MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: The expansion of free, universally accessible audiobooks from Project Gutenberg via Capti Narrator marks a pivotal step in bridging the gap between classic literature and those previously excluded by print barriers. By leveraging technology to convert a vast library of public domain works into audio format, this initiative not only preserves literary heritage but also democratizes access for readers of all abilities, making lifelong learning and enjoyment of literature a reality for millions - Disabled World (DW).

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Charmtech Labs LLC and published on 2016/05/06, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.