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Project Gutenberg has been around for about fifty years now. The idea and the initiative for setting up Project Gutenberg came from the USA and has found several imitators over time. This exciting project has also arrived in our country, albeit with limitations.
Project Gutenberg – free eBooks for all
Project Gutenberg started in 1971 and is owed to the American Michael S. Hart. The writer not only had a really good idea, but also did not rest until the project was actually realised.
- Behind the Gutenberg project is a library. Not just any library, though. Project Gutenberg was the first digital library in the world.
- Thanks to the tireless efforts of numerous volunteers, the digital library has now reached an enormous volume.
- Users have access to over 60,000 eBooks. Most of the books are English-language editions, but around 700 German-language books can also be found in the Gutenberg Library.
- The e-books may be downloaded completely free of charge. Almost all of the published books made available are works for which the copyright has expired.
- Due to a legal dispute with the Fischer publishing house, all users with a German IP address were initially blocked as of March 2018. However, it was relatively easy to circumvent the geoblocking of Project Gutenberg.
- After the legal dispute had dragged on through various instances, it was then announced in October 2021 that the parties had reached an agreement. The blocking of German IP addresses for Project Gutenberg was subsequently lifted, except for the works of three authors.
- This means that the American eBook library is once again available to German users almost without restriction.
The German version at a glance
In addition to the American Project Gutenberg, a German counterpart also developed in 1994. However, there are serious differences to Michael S. Hart’s idea.
- In the German project Gutenberg, old works whose copyright has expired are also put online. However, many of the digitised books can only be read for free on a page-by-page basis.
- Downloading complete works, unlike the American original, is not possible without restrictions in all cases.
- The reason for this is probably the financial interests associated with the German Project Gutenberg. In contrast to the American Gutenberg project, the digitised works are offered for sale in an online shop.
