British Library to offer 19th Century first editions for free download on Amazon Kindle

The British Library is to make more than 65,000 rare first editions of 19th Century fiction available for the public to download for free from the spring. Owners of the Amazon Kindle e-book device will be able to view the books, including their original typeface and illustrations, of famous works by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy, as well as thousands of more obscure authors. Printed paperback copies of the first editions, including Dickens’ Bleak House and Austen's Pride and Prejudice, will also be available for the public to order from Amazon for around GBP15. The library is concentrating on the 19th century because the books are out of copyright and so can be offered for free. As well as classic titles by famous 19th Century authors, many of the downmarket books known as "penny dreadfuls" will also be made available to the public, including Black Bess by Edward Viles and The Dark Woman by J M Rymer.