I used to hoard books. Now I hoard epubs. I keep them on my old kindle; I have nearly 2,000 books– and the stack never gets any heavier! Most of these come from Gutenberg, because I like the old authors, and also– free downloads. Many of these gutenberg files have been edited by me, because I like a decent-looking page to read, and also illustrations if I can get them. Here’s a catalogue of some of them, as I fix ’em up.
Read online;
- A. A. Milne’s sublime not-a-children’s story Once On A Time: Start reading here
(and download the book as well) - Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories; Start reading here
- Rootabaga Pigeons, the second book of these wonderful bedtime stories; Start reading here
The Etext Library
- Irish Storytellers; A collection of accomplished spinners of tales, including James Stephens, Brian MacMahon and the inimitable Padraic Colum
- E. Nesbit She is probably best known for her series “The Railway Children” but her output exceeded forty books for children alone. I have a baker’s dozen that I am working my way through
- Read online; a chapter (about writing poetry) from The Treasure Seekers
- Doctor Dolittle; Seven, thus far. More, I sincerely hope, to come.
- Some oddities for children; The King of Gee-Whiz, how’s that for a name! also a lovely half-a-story by the great Walter De la Mare, two riffs on Peter Pan from J. M. Barrie, and adventures in baby-sitting from the Victorian humorist W. Heath Robinson.
- Frank R. Stockton; The writer of the classic; “The Lady? or, The Tiger?” will charm and beguile you with his wide range of interests and his fluid storytelling skills.
- Read online; The Floating Prince
- A Literary Miscellany; Herman Hesse’s glorious Steppenwolf, with new illustrations from a Spanish artist, and The King In Yellow, a forerunner of the Lovecraftian style of horror.