Post: #1

Looking to access a lot of knowledge and wisdom without affecting your budget too much?

If we don't have one already, let's make this a place where we share free books we come across. Many of the books in the public domain that are out of copyright are timeless classics, especially those on personal development and success principles. As they say, there's nothing new under the sun, and many concepts we regard as ground-breaking today, in a wide range of subjects, have already been popularized or at least explored by eccentric geniuses in the past.

To be sure, I think this thread should be only for "must-reads" that are free - don't just post books because they are free if they are a lukewarm read. Gold nuggets only.

Can be from Kindle, Project Gutenberg, online downloads, whatever...

I'll start off with a few I have in my Kindle library:


The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Inspirational read and while boring in places offers some great lessons in productivity and personal development. I can't vouch for this particular version, but there are other free ones available as well.


The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Not sure if I ever read this as a kid, but I read it this year, and wow...one of the most amazing novels I've ever had the pleasure to dig into. Crazy that an author could make a story with a damn dog as the main character so emotionally powerful...It's no wonder Jack London's name never died.


Within You is the Power by Henry Thomas Hamblin

This old book may be a bit too on the "law of attraction" side for many, and talks a lot about a Divine Power, but a lot of great wisdom here about how to deal with life challenges and how to take control of your life's path. Here's a quote: "The only life that is easy is the life of the strong soul who has overcome. His life is not easy in reality, but appears relatively so because of his strength. It is impossible to have an easy life, and, if it were possible, than life wold be not worth living, for the sole object of life is the building of character and the attainment of wisdom through experience."


How to Live on 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett

A timeless self-help classic (1910) about productivity, self-improvement, and making the most of your time on this Earth. More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Live...ours_a_Day


Walking by Henry David Thoreau

A surprisingly good book if you like getting in touch with nature and getting lost in your own thoughts - the writer, of course, needs no introduction. Amazon Desc: "A meandering ode to the simple act and accomplished art of taking a walk. Profound and humorous, companionable and curmudgeonly. Walking, by America's first nature writer, is your personal and portable guide to the activity that, like no other, awakens the senses and soul to the 'absolute freedom and wildness' of nature."

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #2

More here:

Free public domain audiobooks

http://librivox.org/

Post: #3

Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Mackay
The most famous chapter is on the tulip mania, but the other chapters are more interesting. A devastating analysis of groupthink, which can be applied to the modern world's popular delusions as well.

The Great Imposter
The life of a conman who could talk his way into any organisation. Essential reading for anyone interested in network infiltration. The guy could rock up in a random town and get a job simply by making a few friends.

Post: #4

(09-10-2013 03:32 PM)Sombro Wrote:  More here:

Free public domain audiobooks

http://librivox.org/

Thanks, Sombro.

What I had in mind were specific books, if that makes sense. Most of us know where the resources are, but while we get recommendations online all the time for the latest best-seller that we need to pay for, it's a bit more rare to have our attention drawn to free books with life-changing potential or that are just pretty profound.

I was hoping this could be a resource for that.

Have you read any particular good books through that link you can share?

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #5

Boxing

Some good fundamentals for the beginner. I love reading about old school methods because the new school is all about point fighting than knocking someone out.

Daniel Mendoza Bareknuckle Boxing

This book was for bareknuckle fighters. It included wrestling techniques as well because the rules were different back then compared to today. Also, the principles here are used by MMA fighter Nick Diaz. For example, Diaz uses his forehead to intercept incoming jabs resulting in his opponents breaking their hand (e.g. KJ Noons and BJ Penn).

The old fighters were bad mother fuckers.

Post: #6

Not sure how I forgot this one:

The Art of Money Getting; Or, Golden Rules for Making Money by P.T. Barnum

Many people may think of P.T. Barnum as a scammer, but Wikipedia says this about him:

Quote:At his death, most critics had forgiven him and he was praised for good works. Barnum was hailed as an icon of American spirit and ingenuity, and was perhaps the most famous American in the world.

Obscenely rich for his time. Surely a man with some words of wisdom we can learn from, and this short book contains a lot of his thoughts on moneymaking mindset.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #7

Anyone know of any good book torrent sites?

Post: #8

There's always Project Gutenburg. Its super great for Kindle.
http://www.gutenberg.org/

Post: #9

delete

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #10

(09-15-2013 04:02 PM)renotime Wrote:  Anyone know of any good book torrent sites?

Not a torrent site, but http://libgen.info is the best I've come across (at least ever since library.nu/gigapedia got shut down) for finding books online.

http://gen.lib.rus.ec/ is a mirror; although this one's more convenient to use, the first one is easier to remember.

Enjoy!

Post: #11

Do you need a kindle to read these books?

Post: #12

^Amazon have a kindle client for pc, mac, iOS and android.

Post: #13

(09-16-2013 11:15 PM)JoyStick Wrote:  Do you need a kindle to read these books?

The ones that are available in PDF you can read on your computer.

Otherwise: Kindle for PC

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #14

My favorite poem of all time: the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. An 11th- / 12th-century celebration of all that's best in life: drinking, boning, and pissing on the unthinking orthodoxies of the day. And at ~400 lines, I say it's long enough to qualify as a 'booklet,' if not a book.

If you give it a try, make sure you read Edward FitzGerald's translation, fifth edition. Far more lyrical than the rest.

Here are some of the choicest passages:

Quote: Some for the Glories of This World; and some
Sigh for the Prophet's Paradise to come;
Ah, take the Cash, and let the Credit go,
Nor heed the rumble of a distant Drum!

Quote:The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.

Quote:You know, my Friends, with what a brave Carouse
I made a Second Marriage in my house;
Divorced old barren Reason from my Bed,
And took the Daughter of the Vine [i.e., booze] to Spouse.

Quote:The Grape [i.e., booze] that can with Logic absolute
The Two-and-Seventy jarring Sects confute:
The sovereign Alchemist that in a trice
Life's leaden metal into Gold transmute;

Quote:And much as Wine has play'd the Infidel,
And robb'd me of my Robe of Honor—Well,
I wonder often what the Vintners buy
One half so precious as the stuff they sell.

I read this for the first time in 10th grade and I don't think anything I've read before or since has had such a profound effect on me.

The hedonism and carnality are great, but beyond that, the poem is a brilliant rebuke of those who say morality / ethics require men to repress their desires, avoid pleasure, and contort themselves to meet societal expectations.

Post: #15

The 4 Hour Chef (audiobook + supplementary materials) by Tim Ferris is available free at the moment, you just need to enter your email.

http://bundles.bittorrent.com/4hourchef-audiobook/

It also comes with the first 62 pages of the pdf ebook.

EDIT: Turns out the pdf ebook is available in full (actually not),

http://bundles.bittorrent.com/4hourchef/

EDIT2: Actually, I think the pdf ebook content is the same whether you get the audiobook version or not, but the ebook only torrent comes with some extra bonus materials.

http://i.imgur.com/Das1i2U.jpg

Post: #16

YouTube. It's as easy as that a lot of the time. I have listened to many complete audiobooks on there.

Post: #17

(09-10-2013 11:32 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  To be sure, I think this thread should be only for "must-reads" that are free - don't just post books because they are free if they are a lukewarm read. Gold nuggets only.

(09-29-2013 11:20 PM)YaManBT Wrote:  YouTube. It's as easy as that a lot of the time. I have listened to many complete audiobooks on there.

I think some of you are missing the point of this thread. This was meant to be a place to link to specific books you can get free (and specifically "must-reads") - not general sources where we can wander around hoping to find something of interest.

Audiobooks are fine, but why not link to a specific audiobook that you think is a highly valuable listen and is available free somewhere? That's what I was hoping for here.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #18

The Psychopath's Bible: For the Extreme Individual

This one should be of interest to a lot of guys here. Hyatt originally published this in 1999. It scoops a ton of 'Red Pill' thinkers, covering shit that'll be at least vaguely familiar to you with an elan that even really talented bloggers never approach. And he gets weird at times which IMO accounts for a lot of the appeal.

Quote:As with all psychopaths, he (or she) recognizes the pathetic nature of the human condition and takes from it what he can...

he encourages homo normalis to live life according to his nature—the life Thomas Hobbes characterized as "brutish, nasty and short." He encourages the human race to the precipice. He does what he can to help the species destroy itself and let nature get on with something(s) different.

Quote:...the psychopath realizes that what follows is more due to 'chance' than direct application. This means that you should not sit around too long thinking about what to do. Set something in motion now. Then sit back and watch the fallout.

The natural power behind psychopathy is the Hatred of Restriction and the Joy in the power of Freedom and the apparent random application of choice, risk and chaos.

Quote:After a page or two, most will put this book down and return to the mush of the TV set. We recommend that you do so. This book is toxic!

link

Post: #19

http://gen.lib.rus.ec/ is a great place to find rare academia works among other stuff.