Monday, July 09, 2007

ONLINE BOOK RESOURCE

Working midnight shift, on the few occasions that things run smoothly, it sometimes gets hard to stay awake. I usually resort to covert blogging, smuggling in a verboten book (no VIPs here at 2 in the A.M. to ask if it's work related) or mindless eating. However, several days ago while cruising the web I struck pay dirt!

I happily stumbled on The Online Books Page, which is a"website that facilitates access to books that are freely readable over the Internet. It also aims to encourage the development of such online books, for the benefit and edification of all." In other words, it doesn't host books but instead links to ones already on the web. The page formats are whatever the author or poster selected, so you find everything from plain text to wonderful artwork and some of the works are really old obscure writings that wouldn't see the light of day without being on the web.

It has everything from novels to poems, short stories and history, fact and fiction, written by authors both known and nobody. If you have a book or short story already on the web you can have it listed there for free. All this has given me access to stories and information that I would have never found before and damn if I don't love it!

I'm currently reading "The Ape Man" by James Ogilvy (1834-1914) which is sourced from the ERBZine, The Official Edgar Rice Burroughs Tribute and Weekly Webzine Site (owners Bill and Sue-On Hillman love ERB, whom they have dubbed "Master of Imaginative Fantasy Adventure Creator of Tarzan® and "Grandfather of American Science Fiction") as "The Ape-Man: his Kith and Kin A collection of texts which prepared the advent of Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs". I don't know if old Edgar ever read the story, but it follows along the same lines As Tarzan and is definitely keeping me awake!

Check it out some time, it makes for some interesting browsing and you never know what forgotten gem you might uncover. Happy reading, y'all.

BONUS: Check out the picture stating ONLINE BOOKS in my sidebar, it links to a page with lots more online book resources!

1 comment:

mlg said...

...terrific link, Junebugg! Thanks. Now if you come across another one like this that takes us to audiobooks, even better. Good to be back on track with you! -mg