Why might you need a free textbook? Perhaps textbooks are too expensive and there are not enough copies in the library. Or perhaps your class isn’t using textbooks at all, and you are desperate for another perspective on the concepts. Maybe you desperately need to complete all the assignments in the first half of the semester because you are working and will be too busy to study.
Your problem might be solved by these six sources of free textbooks.
There are a few things to be aware of when you are looking for free textbooks:
- The six sources below provide free textbooks under licence. Copyright still applies, so you can’t put your name on a textbook and start selling it.
- Be aware that different terminology is used in different countries. For example, in the US, “College” usually refers to post-secondary education.
- Some books can be viewed online. Check that you can highlight and annotate books, and that the highlights and annotations are saved when you log out.
- Check the formats for downloading the books. Do you have the appropriate software or e-reader to read them, highlight important points, and add notes and drawings?
- Check whether you can listen to the textbook online, on your computer or on your e-reader.
EdtechBooks has links to over 80 university-level textbooks in areas ranging from learning design to anatomy. You can download them as a pdf, or read and listen to them online.
The Open Textbook Library has links to over 120 free textbooks at university level in English and other languages. You can read them online or downloaded in pdf or epub format. The licences all permit adaptation.
Saylor Academy has a good range of free university-level books with most available under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license. You can read online or download books. Different books come in different formats such as pdf, epub, iBooks, Tex/LaTeX or HTML.
BCcampus OpenEd has a range of free university-level textbooks which are available online or in a range of downloadable formats which, depending on the book might include pdf, epub, HTML or as an audiobook. They are usually provided under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
LibreTexts has a broad range of accessible books in English and other languages. You can read them online or download them in pdf formatand you will find interactive visualisations in many of the books. You will also find some of the books on other sites.
OpenStax has a range of free school and university-level books in English and other languages. You can read and highlight them online or you can download them in pdf format and annotate them in a browser such as Microsoft Edge.
Try a few free textbooks by clicking on the links above.