Do you know about gutenberg.org? No? Then you are missing out on some great books, and guess what? They are free! Gutenberg.org is a large collection of copyright free/expired books (at least those in America), and those books are available for downloading to your PC, iphone, kindle, ipad, and other portable reading devices.
I know what you are thinking – just because they only have copyright free or expired copyrighted books, then there isn’t anything good to read. That is where you are wrong! Yes, you can’t read the current “Who Done its”, or the latest thrillers, but for the most part, any book that was written prior to 1923, you can read. And that list is HUGE! You can find the classics, from Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Agatha Christie, and Charles Dickens, to the maybe not so famous, such as John Galsworthy and Henry Van Dyke.
So when you are ready to read your next book, think about checking out Gutenberg.org and download your book…for free.
PS…and yes, that is where I have been reading my P G Wodehouse books from. My local library only has about 5 of his books, but from Gutenberg.org I can download and read over 30 of his books.
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For the last few weeks, I have been reading different stories by P G Wodehouse. Who is P G Wodehouse, you ask? If you are a Anglophile, and have seen Jeeves and Wooster (Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry), then you seen one of his stories “come to life”. Wodehouse was an British writer, who wrote novels, short stories and even helped with a few musical productions, such as Anything Goes, Show Boat and wrote the screen play for Fred and Ginger’s Damsel in Distress. But, he is probably best known for his character Jeeves and Wooster, both in book and on screen.
Currently, I am reading his first set of stories, the School Stories (1902-1910). So far, I have read the first book, The Pothunters, and now in the middle of The Prefect’s Uncle. The series takes place in and around fictional schools for boys, around 1890-1900s, and deals with their daily lives and their fondness for sports. Since these books are the first of his writings, they are not “up to standards” with his books in his later years, such as Jeeves and Woosters. But never-the-less they have been a pleasure to read, with their subtle twist and their bits of humor, that foreshadows the verbal patter that will become what Jeeves and Wooster are known for.
So if you are look for a book, or series, that is filled with English life around 1900 and humor, then check out some of P. G. Wodehouse’s earlier books, and Enjoy!
Oh, and if you are looking for a good list of all of his books and short stories, check out: http://www.pgwodehousebooks.com/simplebiblio.htm. Not only do they list the books in order, but they also give your the UK and USA titles if they do vary.