Book-bot.com - Read Books Online for Free

At first glance, Book-bot.com might appear very simple. That"s because, actually, it is. And when you think about it, this is exactly what a serious reader wants. The site serves up over 14,000 titles from such esteemed classic authors as Dostoevsky, Twain and Lewis Carroll. Calling on the Gutenberg Project"s impressive compendium of books which are no longer under copyright, they serve up these Masters classics with a simple and clean Ajax interface. After choosing from a list of titles, the book pages are displayed in a readable and clear font. The only graphics on the page are the arrows used to "turn" the pages. In the spirit of the site, you won"t find bloated flash animation or blinking images to consume your attention or your bandwidth. And for those who like to build their vocabulary while reading, the built in dictionary (activated by double clicking on any word in the text) will be a welcome innovation. There is no cost for the site, and registration is not mandatory, but it grants the benefit of "auto-bookmarking" your last page. That is, if you navigate away from the site and come back, you will automatically be taken to the last page of the last book you were on.

With its fast and straightforward interface, serious readers will enjoy the texts themselves, without the distractions of a clumsy or flashy site. Built-in dictionary and automatic bookmarking create a one-stop solution for some quick and easy reading.

Will users balk when they can"t download the texts for off-line reading? Also, is there a possibility of showcasing new authors along with the non-copyrighted material (which is generally 75-plus years old)?