Are There Audiobooks Among Free Online Books On Gutenberg?

I have invested a lot of time searching around Project Gutenberg. They have a large collection of free books online, and also a large collection of free audiobooks. The audiobooks are listed in the ‘Project Gutenberg Audio Books’ section, which includes both human-read audiobooks and computer-generated audiobooks. My personal preference is for the human-read versions. There’s nothing like hearing Pride and Prejudice or the latest Sherlock Holmes story by volunteer readers who clearly are passionate about the books. The sound quality is variable (as it would be with amateur recordings) but there’s plenty of charm to make up for it. Most of the books on Gutenberg are old, so if you’re looking for something a bit more modern, you may be out of luck – many of the newer titles, and almost all of the modern bestsellers, are protected by copyright and so are not available on the site.

I use audiobooks mostly and Project Gutenberg has a large library of free audiobooks. Most of the audiobooks on Project Gutenberg are for classic works, both well known and obscure, and are free to download in various formats, including human-read and computer-generated audio. I prefer the human-read versions because the voices are so soothing and so dramatic, depending on the reader. For example, I recently listened to a free audiobook version of Dracula and it was so good with all the creepy voices etc.

As an alternative to human-narrated audiobooks, Project Gutenberg also provides computer-generated audio recordings. They are useful in a pinch, but lack the character and warmth of a human voice. Typically the books made available here are pre-1924 works. So unless you are really into old books, you won't find any contemporary works here. I found The Picture of Dorian Gray and Jane Eyre to be particularly interesting. Files are available in a variety of formats to suit your needs and your device.

Note to the USER: From time to time Project Gutenberg teams with a number of groups which read books for your listening enjoyment - "Librivox" is one such group - and these are identified on the appropriate audio page. And because these are read by volunteers you might get a REALLY WELL DONE book for NOT MUCH DOLLARS.

The Project Gutenberg audiobooks make for a great free way to download literature to listen to on the go. I was thrilled to find free Frankenstein audiobooks (human-read) here, and they have really won me over. Although the volunteers reading the books are amateur, they are wonderful in their own rough way. Many of the recordings have the listener go back to listen to a particular part again and again.

They also have machine-read audio which can be good for accessibility, but sounds like it was read by a robot. Of course, they have a massive collection of classic literature – including Moby-Dick and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. But there’s something wonderful about reading vintage literature, and the files download easily to listen to on the go. I put them on my phone for my commutes. It’s a very affordable way for book lovers to get their fix of reading.