For readers · Guide
Where can you read good books online for free, and legally?
Free ebook sites are often pirated copies, buried in pop-ups, or nothing but very old books in ugly formatting. Library apps have waiting lists. And you’d like the author to be all right with you reading it.
A free sample of every ebook, no account needed
Every ebook on LocalBooks opens with a free sample: its first chapters, in a reader set like a printed book. No sign-up, no email, no app to install.
Whole books free with a free account
Many authors share their whole book with signed-in readers. Signing in takes your email address and one click on the link we send: no password.
In full books, a short trailer for another book plays from time to time: 10 seconds, about every 15 minutes of reading. That’s how reading stays free and how local authors get found. See why trailers appear.
Classics, too
The LocalBooks Classics are more than 200 public-domain books, from Jane Austen to Japanese and Russian classics, in 14 languages. A few are public domain only in some countries, so they can be read only where that’s allowed.
Legal, and fair to authors
Authors upload their own books and confirm they own the rights. The classics are in the public domain. Nothing here is a pirated copy.
How to read a book free on LocalBooks
Find a book
Browse by genre, by place or on the map, or search.
Read the sample
On the book’s page, click “Read a sample”. No account needed.
Keep reading free
Where the author shares the whole book, sign in with your email at the end of the sample and carry on.
Pick up anywhere
Your place is saved, so you can continue on any device.
What it costs
Free. Samples need no account; a free account opens the books authors share in full.
Questions
Do I need an account?
Not for samples. A free account opens whole books where the author shares them, and keeps your place and your bookshelf.
Is it really free?
Yes. In full books you see a short trailer for another book from time to time. That’s the deal.
Can I read on my phone?
Yes, in your phone’s browser. You can also add LocalBooks to your home screen. See offline reading.
Why can’t I read a classic in my country?
Copyright lasts different lengths in different countries. A few classics are public domain only in some countries, so their text is shown only there.
Why does a book stop after the sample?
Its author chose sample only. Their where-to-buy links show where to get the whole book.
Where can you read good books online for free, and legally?