FREE Electronic PC Book Reader Software

There are a number of formats for electronic books. The most common formats that I am aware of are .txt and .epub. Some of the readers have their own format or install their reader before you can access their FREE books.

From what I can tell the readers that offer free books from their own commercial libraries mix in free sample chapters as well. It can really be disappointing to get really engrossed in a book only to find you can't read the ending till you buy the book.

A useful function of PC eReaders is converting and installing them into your own personal iPhone, Kindle, Sony Reader, etc. They can detect your device and convert books the the format used by your device automatically. This makes it convenient to store large libraries on your computer where you have more room.

Here are the 3 best PC eReaders. They each have their limitations but they can only get better. They allow easy access to thousands of FREE books.

Mobipocket
FB Reader
Calibre

Here are details of these and other options:

• Adobe® Digital Editions software offers a way to view and manage eBooks and other digital publications. Use it to download and purchase digital content. Transfer copy-protected eBooks from your personal computer to other computers or devices. Install failed on my system.
• Bookworm is an experimental platform for storing and reading ePub-format books online. Simply create a bookworm account and log in, upload an epub book, and start reading by just clicking on the book title in your library!
• Calibre has an excellent video tutorial on their home page It is a free and open source e-book library management application developed by users of e-books for users of e-books. It has a cornucopia of features. Features include library management, e-book conversion, syncing to e-book reader devices, downloading news from the web and converting it into e-book form, e-book viewer, and online access to your book collection.
• FB Reader FBReader has versions for Linux/Windows/MacOSX/OpenBSD computers and directly onto portable readers. It offers browsing by authors and by genres and simplified scrolling and navigation
• Mobipocket can build, organize, read and annotate your entire eBook library. Get the Mobipocket eBook Reader on your Windows PC - it's free - and build up your library of eBooks, RSS eNews and eDocs using the #1 online ebookstore.
• Openberg is a free Firefox add-on allows the browser to open select e-books. It has no interface of its own, OpenBerg Lector operates inside Firefox using mouse scrolling and arrow navigation.

See also:
The 30 Best FREE eBooks
23 Great Freeware Programs for Windows