Way back in the time before the invention of the printing press, only the very most wealthy and powerful people owned books, not only because they were among the very few who could read them but because of the process of getting them. Books at that time were written by hand, a long and arduous process that could take as long as five years for a single book to be completed. Once the printing press was invented and more books became readily available, there still was not a lot of reading going on because there just was no time to sit and do it. But, times changed and soon people were reading for fun with many of them collecting their favorite types of books. At one time, people had homes that had dens, meant to be filled with vast collections of books, whether they read them or not. Those days are gone as well.

Why are free online books to read so popular? It is a matter of time, money and of course, space. Very few people have the vast houses with huge shelves meant for books anymore. Those who do have additional rooms are using them for other purposes. Reading is still popular but owning a hundred books is just not all that realistic any more. Instead, people are using electronic book readers and finding ways to get free online books to read. They read them, all from the a small, handheld reader and then delete them to make room for others or store them to be read again. Others might have these books right on their home computers, reading a few pages or chapters while they are working on other projects.

Free online books to read saves you time because you do not have to go to the library to look for the right book to check out nor do you have to go to the book store to buy a book that is outrageously priced. While it might be fun to hang out in a book seller’s shop and see all of the interesting things that are there, it is not something that we all have time to do frequently. But, since most of us are already on the computer and surfing for other things as it is, why not find free online books to read at the same time?

And, most importantly, free online books to read saves you money. Think of this: the average best seller from a top author can cost as much as fifty dollars for a hard back edition and only slightly less for the paper back version. A book by a lesser known author will cost less, but you are taking a huge risk on an unknown- you may not like their tone of writing or the topic. You can wait and buy the book from a second hand dealer, but you are never guaranteed of finding what you want or finding it in good condition. Finding a good source of free online books to read allows you to enjoy a good book but without the other hassles or expense.