Free Download of Books from Google in EPUB Format
Author: Ian C. Langtree - View Credentials
Published: 27 Aug 2009 - Updated: 25 Jun 2010
Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Overview - Related Content
Synopsis
Google Books can now be downloaded in the open EPUB format making these public domain books more accessible.
Overview
Google has announced that over a million out of copyright books inGoogle Books can now be downloaded in the open EPUB format making these public domain books more accessible.
The EPUB format is supported by an increasing number of devices, including e-readers, netbooks and phones.
Recently, Sony made the announcement that the EPUB format will be supported by its upcoming Reader devices - the Pocked Edition, the Touch Edition and the Daily Edition. Google Book users can now choose between the PDF and EPUB formats for downloading books.
What is EPUB
EPUB is a free, open standard supported by a growing ecosystem of digital reading devices, allowing publishers to produce and distribute a 'digital publication' file and offer consumers interoperability between software and hardware for unencrypted reflowable digital books.
"By adding support for EPUB downloads, we're hoping to make these books more accessible by helping people around the world to find and read them in more places," Brandon Badger, product manager, Google Books, wrote on the Inside Google Books blog. "More people are turning to new reading devices to access digital books, and many such phones, netbooks, and e-ink readers have smaller screens that don't readily render image-based PDF versions of the books we've scanned. EPUB is a lightweight text-based digital book format that allows the text to automatically conform (or "reflow") to these smaller screens..."
How do I download a book from Google Books
Easy, just find any public domain book and click on the Download button in the toolbar.
More information on Google Online Services - Accessible Information Applications
Author Credentials: Ian C. Langtree is a writer, editor, and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, which he established in 2004 as one of the longest-running independent resources for disability news and information. Over more than two decades, he has written and edited thousands of articles on disability rights, health, accessibility, and assistive technology. Drawing on a global perspective shaped by extensive travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed advocate of the Social Model of Disability, the framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that focuses on removing societal barriers rather than on individual impairments. His writing is grounded in that framework and in a lasting commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.