Wow, cool! Those limeys in the United Kingdom totally got it going on, classic literature-wise. First they produce some of the best novelists known to man, then they start giving away books for free! And they don't even care if the authors aren't from the British Isles. That's bloody crazy!
Basically, Scotland's Sunday Herald newspaper selected a bunch of classic titles and feed them into their Magic Free Book Machine, converting them into digital files ripe for the download. They've got 60–70 of history's most favoritest books, including works by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, The Brothers Grimm, Charlotte Bronte, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe, Friedrich Nietzsche, and many others.
The books are in PDF format. "PDF" stands for Perfectly Dapper Fun-file, so there's a 99.9% chance that your computer will be able to open them. If not, you can download free software to help you out. Then, you can read the books on your computer screen, or—if you like murdering trees—print them out.
This is great. We understand that digital files are no replacement for the tactile splendor of a bound book, but some people just don't have access to books because their local library has kicked them out for looking at porn. These people can finally read "Little Women" in the comfort of their own homes. Also, it's good for penniless English Lit Majors.
Browse and download the books here.