British Library Creates 65,000 Free eBooks

The British Library is to make a large amount of its collection of books free to download. The project is funded by Microsoft by “a very generous amount”. Interestingly, the books will made be available for Kindle, according to the Times, which also reports that printed copies will also be made available via Amazon:

Like the onscreen versions, the paperbacks, costing £15-£20, will look like the frequently rare 19th-century editions in the library’s collection — including their typeface and illustrations. Originals of works by Austen and Dickens typically cost at least £250.

Books to be made available from Spring 2010 will include Victorian classics such as A Strange Story by Edward Bulwer-Lytton and The Story of a Modern Woman by Ella Hepworth Dixon. 35%-40% of the library’s 19th-century printed books are now digitised.