Free Books

Many of you likely know this, but it is worth repeating. Google has hundreds of free e-books that cover all sorts of topics including railways. I picked up a history of the Midland, and the same for the Great Western yesterday evening. Search in google for your favorite railway and click books. When it gives you the list, click 'Free Google e-books'. Most of what they offer free is from the 1800s, but that's when it all started!

More there than I've got time to read.

Fascinating reading about our (US) Civil War written a few years after the fact.

Reply to
Lobby Dosser
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I'm with you as far as selecting books but then I can't find "Free Google e-books".

Reply to
Graham Harrison

Left hand side there is a frame with a menu. About half way down there is a section in black/bold type that says "Any Books", third item under that is Free Google eBooks.

Reply to
Lobby Dosser

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Nope. E.g. enter "Midland Railway" than click "More" in the left hand menu then click "Books". Nothing that says "any books", Nearest is "any document" with links for "books" or "magazines". No free e-books.

I suspect it's a copyright issue. This is a UK group.

MBQ

Reply to
manatbandq

sage

OK, just go to

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and search from there.

MBQ

Reply to
manatbandq

OK, just go to

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and search from there.

MBQ

Thank you.

Reply to
Graham Harrison

Do you get the option of "Free only" after you do a search?

If so, then it's just a case of Google UK being set up a bit different.

Reply to
Lobby Dosser

No, but I'm only seeing free books.

My guess is different copyright laws.

Reply to
Graham Harrison

Actually if you go to the google ebookstore you get

ebooks from top authors. In the meantime, you can still browse millions of free and public domain Google eBooks and read them effortlessly across your devices.Learn more

Which I think explains it? But with books like

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don't think google are really bothered about 'copyright' at all?

Reply to
Lester Caine

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AH - I can look at a few pages of the book, but not the middle ... I scanned the first few pages and then went to the index which are all visible. But they do include the page with the copyright notice! Just ignoring it's content :)

Reply to
Lester Caine

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>

Correction ... it does look like

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HAVE given permission for google to scan their books?

Reply to
Lester Caine

Lester,

I think you have misunderstood. The copyright of D&C is recognised, and this is a limited preview of the first couple of chapters shown here with their consent.

This is quite a normal situation, at least for those publishers who are sufficiently on the ball to realise this is a good way of encouraging buyers. In a physical bookshop you can look at all the book, but not take it away (well, not legally!); this way gets part-way to this without actually giving the book away.

David

Reply to
David Littlewood

Graham was saying he was seeing only 'free books' which is the case for UK google ebook users. We can't buy books on-line - Hence the initial post. But I was sort of surprised that I COULD see quite a lot of of a more current book. I though they had limited it to just the first few pages and the index ... but there are actually quite a few pages visible of many 'non-free' books. Once you manage to search for them.

Reply to
Lester Caine

Even Amazon sometimes shows a dozen or so pages, if the publisher will agree to it.

David

Reply to
David Littlewood

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I don't think google are really bothered about 'copyright' at all?

Says "Limited Preview" for that in the US. They have made deals with some publishers and may limit titles by country.

Reply to
Lobby Dosser

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