British Library to give away thousands of classics away as e-books

Got a Kindle? Get thee to the British Library! Not only are they giving away a ton of old 19th-century literature in e-book form, but they’re a special “first edition” e-book with the original typeface and illustrations baked in. The 1800s encompass nearly all of my favorite literature, so this is actually making me want a Kindle pretty bad right now. Original typefaces! O lawd!

If Dickens and Austen aren’t your thing (pity) there are lots of other great works as well. None of the articles describing the project list more than a few titles, but I’m guessing you are likely to have some Dumas, Jules Verne, Arthur Conan Doyle, and of course Melville. Whatever the case, they’re going to be beautiful copies that make good use of those high contrast e-ink screens.

The project is funded by Microsoft, which donated “a very generous amount” to the library to enable the giveaway. They’ll be made available in the spring, at which time I’ll probably post again because I love love love this.