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List of Free Science Books (for download) — Parallax Forums

List of Free Science Books (for download)

xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
edited 2014-10-29 01:37 in General Discussion
Check this out if you haven't already, and if you have check it anyway it may have been updated!

http://physicsdatabase.com/book-list-by-title

Comments

  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2014-10-21 18:24
    Many thanks.
    I was looking at Project Guttenberg's science and engineering bookshelves just recently and dismayed at what they had. By conforming to their 'public domain' rules, they seem to have managed to end up with only the eldest of tomes.
  • ValeTValeT Posts: 308
    edited 2014-10-22 04:54
    This is awesome. I'm surprised there are so many books. It is uncommon to find good and free physics books nowadays.

    If only I had the time to read through all of the physics ones :(
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2014-10-22 06:28
    Loopy,
    By conforming to their 'public domain' rules, they [ Project Guttenberg ] seem to have managed to end up with only the eldest of tomes.
    I think you are missing the whole idea of Project Guttenberg. Do read their mission statement.

    Be dismayed, not at     Project Guttenberg, but at abysmal state of copyright laws.
  • tomcrawfordtomcrawford Posts: 1,126
    edited 2014-10-22 08:59
    Have a look at this:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Term_Extension_Act

    I have done some reading for Librivox, who can only do public domain material. It really is a drag sometimes.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2014-10-22 09:32
    Tom,

    Yep. This whole copyright thing is totally out of control.

    So much so that I think it is every humans duty to copy, and perhaps distribute, anything they find interesting.

    Otherwise a lot of it will rot in the basements of the copyright holders. Who have no desire to publish it because it does not have a big enough audience to make money.

    A ton of books and movies are already lost forever this way.

    We have a duty to preserve our culture and knowledge through these dark ages.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2014-10-22 09:38
    I'd say few of the books on the list are public domain because they expired, even without the extension acts passed recently. After a quick review I see most or all are being given away by the schools or teachers who published them or (presumably) otherwise control the copyrights. Some may have been proactively deeded to the public domain, or have retained their copyright but converted to an open source model. This happens to thousands upon thousands of books every year.

    I lost interest in Project Gutenberg (one t, BTW) when they appeared to not actively pursue printing rights to older but still copyrighted texts. It's not hard, but it does take an additional effort, especially if the book is out of print, and its rights have reverted to the author. (Many contracts before about 1990, when electronic rights were first being realized, contained language that automatically granted the reversion. And, under US copyright law, authors can force reversion for works 35 years or older under certain circumstances.)

    So, there are PLENTY of ways to legally and freely publish copyrighted works, and many authors are more than willing to contribute material. However, few of the re-press organizations want to bother.
  • ratronicratronic Posts: 1,451
    edited 2014-10-22 12:48
    I looked at one of the math books from that site it was dated ~1910.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2014-10-23 07:02
    ratronic wrote: »
    I looked at one of the math books from that site it was dated ~1910.

    I don't think that new math is much better than old math. :)
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2014-10-23 07:50
    ratronic,
    I looked at one of the math books from that site it was dated ~1910.
    Are you saying that good old maths does not work any more?

    Euclid's "The Elements" is still being studied after nearly two and a half thousand years! (Luckily that just about get's it out of copyright now a days :) )
    ,
  • ratronicratronic Posts: 1,451
    edited 2014-10-23 08:19
    There is new math? I made that statement because Gordon had mentioned the copyright could be expired.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2014-10-23 08:40
    ratronic,

    Perhaps I misunderstood. I thought "I looked at one of the math books from that site it was dated ~1910." was a complaint at how old and out dated they were.

    "new math" was some new maths curriculum they introduced in England in the early 1970's. That basically made all the old school books useless for study at school and a whole new lot had to be published.

    I get the idea that this "new math" idea has reoccurred in school education many times since then. I guess it's good for book publishers. Does not seem to improve maths education though.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2014-10-23 22:31
    Heater. wrote: »
    Loopy,

    I think you are missing the whole idea of Project Guttenberg. Do read their mission statement.

    Be dismayed, not at     Project Guttenberg, but at abysmal state of copyright laws.

    I haven't missed 'the whole idea' of Project Guttenberg and I am aware of the world's copyright nonsense. I often turn to AbeBooks for out of print items that are not available elsewhere at a reasonable cost. And I did not say I was dismayed 'at Project Guttenberg'.

    I still visit Project Guttenberg for some titles... mostly classic fiction. I was just picking up a copy of Great Expectations and peeking in on their bookshelves to see what might be had.
  • TorTor Posts: 2,010
    edited 2014-10-29 01:37
    It's Gutenberg, really.. no gutting involved. Old Johannes' family name probably meant 'good mountain' back then.

    -Tor
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