Science Fiction Downloads

[Timerover51]

If you go to the Project Gutenberg website, and type in science fiction as a search term, you get about a 1,000 possible downloads from a wide range of authors, and some complete early Astounding magazines. I am not sure if some of the stuff is really copyright-free, particularly the Harry Harrison, Andre Norton, and Alan Nourse stuff, but it is there if you want to look at if for inspiration or ideas.

 

[HG_B]

If you go to the Project Gutenberg website, and type in science fiction as a search term, you get about a 1,000 possible downloads from a wide range of authors, and some complete early Astounding magazines. I am not sure if some of the stuff is really copyright-free, particularly the Harry Harrison, Andre Norton, and Alan Nourse stuff, but it is there if you want to look at if for inspiration or ideas.

From what I understand, what they list didn't have its copyrights renewed. It happens all the time. The IP rights holder has to pay attention and renew or it becomes public domain.

 

[Matt123]

I like that the top download amongst Sci-fi is Frankenstein by MW Shelley.

Great link ta. Now if only I had time to read...

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Yeah, I love Gutenberg's stuff. They operate off of the Australian copyright definitions (which are saner than those in the US, right now, imho), so you need to consider the rules where you live.

 

[HG_B]

Yeah, I love Gutenberg's stuff. They operate off of the Australian copyright definitions (which are saner than those in the US, right now, imho), so you need to consider the rules where you live.

No they don't.

"The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is registered in the U.S. as a 501(c)(3) organization, and our two posting servers are situated in the U.S., so we are subject to U.S. copyright law, and only to U.S. copyright law. "

There is a Proj Gut in Australia but, it is a different corp.

 

[aramis]

From what I understand, what they list didn't have its copyrights renewed. It happens all the time. The IP rights holder has to pay attention and renew or it becomes public domain.

Only for certain older copyrights; in the US, renewal became automatic and presumed by the 1990's. IIRC, If it was in copyright in 1978, it's protected to full term automatically.

On double checking... IN THE US... if it was published in the US before 1978 but in or after 1963, renewal is automatic - the government renewed it automatically on behalf of the copyright holder. If it was published in the US after 1978, renewal is unneeded - 28 year renewals were abolished entirely.

See http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf

 

[Fritz_Brown]

No they don't.

It might be a different site from which I have downloaded some books.

 

[Scarecrow]

I like that the top download amongst Sci-fi is Frankenstein by MW Shelley.

I have a friend who has always passionately argued that Frankenstein is science fiction not horror!

Crow

 

[atpollard]

I have a friend who has always passionately argued that Frankenstein is science fiction not horror!

Crow

I am pretty sure that the book would be science fiction (if Sci-Fi existed when it was written), but the later movies have clearly been horror and muddied the waters of public perception.

Frankenstein is actually more about ethics than science ... appropriate now that science makes 'playing god' with genetics even more of a reality.
Coming Soon: How much of a person can you grow in a vat for organ transplant before some hard questions will need to be answered?

 

[BillDowns]

One thing to note about those free downloads, is that Kindle also makes them available for free.

 

[HG_B]

On double checking... IN THE US... if it was published in the US before 1978 but in or after 1963, renewal is automatic - the government renewed it automatically on behalf of the copyright holder. If it was published in the US after 1978, renewal is unneeded - 28 year renewals were abolished entirely.

See http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf

Thanks for the data.

 

[BlackBat242]

Frankenstein is actually more about ethics than science ... appropriate now that science makes 'playing god' with genetics even more of a reality.
Coming Soon: How much of a person can you grow in a vat for organ transplant before some hard questions will need to be answered?

The initial definition is pretty clear... as long as you avoid growing the the brain you are still dealing in "generic meat".

You possibly could squeeze the medulla into that, as all it does is provide autonomic function, and not anything which involves directed activity.



I base this on the US legal situation that as long as there is brain activity of any note outside autonomic (medulla) functioning the person is considered "alive" and is subject to certain legal protections, while as soon as a declaration of "brain death" is made then life support can be disconnected without legal (criminal law) consequence.

 

[saundby]

http://www.baenebooks.com/c-1-free-library.aspx

Says on the tin: " A free library of Baen science fiction and fantasy eBooks with no DRM in every major format--for the Kindle, iPad, Nook, and more." And so it is, Drake, Weber, Flint, Norton, etc.

Note that the website still contains an older version of the free library with few books in it. I think the one above is the newer, larger incarnation.

 

[Vargas]

One thing to note about those free downloads, is that Kindle also makes them available for free.

In the past I've seen Amazon selling the same books that Gutenburg has for free.

 

[aramis]

In the past I've seen Amazon selling the same books that Gutenburg has for free.

Amazon and Sony - charging for the format conversion. In sony's case, $0.50.