Free books - updated Nov 2013

* on newest entries. In alphabetical order, not preference.
Kobo and Kindle now have free programs to read their books on your PC or phone, without buying ereader. Adobe reads epub files has color illustrations, used by Libraries and Kobo. (Bug: Windows Vista has to use old 1.7 version.)
Free OpenOffice.org reads .doc on PC without MS Word. Libraries have ebooks, paper, audio. Categories overlap. Comments welcome to keep current - winners, washouts, warnings.

BEST free eBooks with most: choice, formats (even audio), images
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/ Classics - Austen, Dickens, Doyle, Nesbit, Twain, Verne, fairy tales

Features / Limitations:
http://www.archive.org/ obscure
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/free paper too, ship free, vast choice
*** updated to here Apr 2017 http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/ ePub, Kobo, Kindle, online
http://www.e-reading.org.ua/ Russian
http://www.freebooks2u.org/ bios, online only, Novik, Tolkein
FreeSF sci-fi
http://www.goodreads.com/ebooks free ebooks
http://www.hotfreebooks.com/ defines words, finds books with words
http://www.kobobooks.com/free_ebooks many formats, free previews, unwieldy free catalog - no search by author or genre
books.google collect own shelf, read/ search sample inside pages
http://www.readeasily.com/ online only
http://readfreeonline.net/index.html current best-sellers
http://wikilivres.ca online, Canada copyright law, <=3K+ from 750 authors not WikiSource or Wiki-owned online, U.S. copyright law, <=280K+ Covers, audios, redirects.
http://www.costfreebooks.com/ redirect, Cory Doctorow
http://dvd-copy.com/ refers to google books
http://www.e-book.com.au/freebooks.htm
http://www.epubbooks.com/ illustrated, search author
http://www.feedbooks.com/
http://www.fictionfactor.com/
http://www.fictionwise.com/ Barnes & Noble
* http://www.freebookbooks.com/
http://www.freefictionbooks.org/
http://freeereaderbooks.org/ many formats
http://www.inkmesh.com/ audio Christianna Brand Nurse Matilda (Nanny McPhee)
http://www.manybooks.net/ also audio
http://readassist.org/read/ e, audio, paper

Specialized writer group sites. Previews, contests, free. Some works in progress.
baenebooks.com fantasy
belgravehouse romance
bygosh.com short stories
http://ebooksgo.org obscure html
http://figment.com register, works in progress
hathitrust.org read online, sign in to make collections: Margery Allingham - Albert Campion mysteries, H.E. Bates A House of Women, Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes, Allan Pinkerton detective, P.G. Wodehouse
http://www.lulu.com register, know title
netgalley.com/ register, search author, title
mindspring.com mostly short stories
publicbookshelf.com/ romance, 4 font sizes
pulseit.com/ register, full books, contests
Robert J. Sawyer short stories and excerpts
http://www.sherlockian.net/canon Sherlock Holmes
http://www.wattpad.com/ register, writers before famous
writerspace.com romance

Contests:
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway contests
http://www.mysterybooks.ca/features/contests/index.html
http://www.randomhouse.ca/features/contests/

Excerpts:
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/packages/us/yreaders/savvy/excerpts.php
http://www.powells.com/
Regency
http://books.simonandschuster.com/Most-Of-PG-Wodehouse/PG-Wodehouse/9780743203586/excerpt_with_id/4741

Publishers - excerpts, or if author offers free title
http://www.abebooks.com/
http://www.albris.com/
http://www.amazon.ca/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
http://www.biblio.com/
http://www.bookdepository.com/ free ship
http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/
* http://browseinside.harpercollinschildrens.com/ 3 Free change, others excerpts
http://www.smashwords.com/ Adult filter
http://www.ulverscroft.com/
http://www.workman.com/

Single author websites. Search internet for your own favorites by author name.
http://azuredwarf.blogspot.ca/ William Bentrim, trustworthy, amazing illustrated "childrens" for all ages
http://authormichaelhicks.com/free-novel/ untested
http://craphound.com/down/download.php Cory Doctorow modern fantasy, web activist
http://www.george-orwell.org/1984
http://www.terryfallis.com/ Canadian funny politics ("You know why zombies won't attack Parliament? They want to eat brains" Ajay, Innerspace)
fablefaerie.blogspot YA romance contests
http://www.trit.org/shcanon Sherlock Holmes canon
juliejames.com
victoriaalexander

Kobo flexible eReader also accepts ePub, Adobe files from many sources (baen, gutenberg, others). Kobo has free programs to read ebooks on your PC or cell without their ereader. Free OpenOffice reads .doc Word files on my PC.

Kindle now has programs to read on PC, phone
Amazon Top 100 free
http://www.freebooksy.com/
http://www.pixelofink.com/category/free-kindle-books/ misleads, no Nooks

Pay, not free, need proprietary eReader. Kobo reads .epub .pdf ; Barnes & Noble says Nook reads .doc .epub .pdf (Adobe) after installing Adobe Digital Editions, but I cannot test; Kindle now has program like Adobe Digital Editions to read Kindle books on PC
http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks pay, Kindle
http://www.ebooks.com/ pay
http://www.ereader.com/ pay, Nook
iTunes maybe free but register needs credit card
Texts include others - buy, sell, rent.
http://www.bookbyte.com/
http://dailycheapreads.com/ not free, cheap
http://www.ecampus.com/
http://www.textbookx.com/
http://www.valorebooks.com/

No. Not advised. May be legitimate, most not. Site-title gone, ask register sign in confidential data, redirect to sites where pay, trial cost, buy device. Bait-switch scam.
http://www.4shared.com register
http://aiourdubooks.com/ pdf files removed, pakistani
http://ebookbrowse.com German
http://ebookee.org/
http://ereadernewstoday.com/category/free-kindle-books/ Buy books get free bonus
http://www.ebookoutpost.com/ strange download
http://ebooksfreedownload.org odd download
http://www.epubbud.com unreadable epub on Kobo Desktop
http://www.free-ebooks.net/ register
http://www.freeebooksfinder.com strange download, ordinary google-type search
http://www.freebookspot.es/Default.aspx iLivid download, why?
http://www.librivox.com audio
http://www.mobile-reads.com
http://www.openlibrary.com sponsored links
http://www.openlibrary.org restricted
http://www.readingfanatic.com strange install
http://www.scifimatter.com
http://www.scribd.com signin, pay
http://www.specficworld.com
http://www.thereadingroom.com
http://world-load.com

ShiftControl+ enlarges online font display; ShCtrl- shrinks.
CtrlSh may also switch French and English keyboards.

Check restrictions, fine print, currency exchange, tax, customs, shipping costs.
(UPS does not deliver to PO Box, my address.) US to Canada calculator.

add-on ePub reader for Firefox/Mozilla browser Untested
Converter .doc .epub .pdf - Have not found good one. Wise spaces too far and stamps name.
Paper books. Incomplete online, use telephone yellow pages.
- libraries: private, public, travel (condo, cruise ship, hostel
http://www.worldcat.org/ USA
- used book stores and sites
http://www.bookcrossing.com/ fun in person, free
http://bookmooch.com/ happy user, international mail more points
http://www.paperbackswap.com/ praise in Comments below

Copyrights run out different years (50-100) after December of author's death. Protection ends according to originating country if they adhere to Berne shorter term convention: Canada 50; EU (most) 70; Mexico 100; Japan, Russia. No shorter term: Brazil, China; Colombia 80; US 75 (after 1923).

In essence, a designated heir, family or not, owns works created by their ancestor (aka bequeather-legator-testator). As Canada-based editor for US-based Wiki and Gutenberg, responsible internet users of text and images, I tried to summarize international laws here. For laws, see current local websites.