From the Gutenberg (Project) files..

Now that I have a B&N Nook I’ve been looking for ebooks to read.  One place that has turned out to be a fun look into the past, and source of some interesting reads, is the Gutenberg Project.

At first, it looked like most of what was listed was digital versions of musty, boring old tomes that didn’t look in the least bit interesting.  Then, I found the Cooking & Food listing (I’ll share how I got to this and other lists in the GP files in a moment).  I collect cookbooks (very selectively) and was fascinated to find not just English language cook books listed, but some in French, Spanish and German.

I was able to look through a 1918 war-time cookbook that gave homemakers recipes that saved on “Wheat, Meats, Fat and Sugar” – foods desperately needed by the US Army to feed soldiers and in the effort to keep Europeans from starving.  Interesting to note that this little cookbook advocates eating less red meat for health reasons!

Another list of interest was Travel.  There I found travelogues covering Russia in 1858, France in 1917, the “new found lands of Virginia,” and “a lady’s life on a farm in Manitoba.”  You can read Henry James’ account of his travels in France and Anthony Trollope’s A Ride Across Palestine.”

These titles are all free to download and read when you want for as long as you want.  You can easily access this list through the Chester County Library System’s website, then click on the Downloadable Audio & eBooks icon.  The direct link is here.

To download, view and transfer titles (to an ereader) you’ll need the Adobe Digital Editions software, available here. Follow their instructions to set up an Adobe account and authenticate your PC.  Then plug your ereader into the PC, download/save the GP title you want to your PC, add it to the ADE library(via the “Library” drop-down menu), and then transfer to the ereader.

Happy reading.  Who knows what you’ll find.