Friday, May 15, 2009

Public Domain Books

I love sharing resources, but what I love most of all is sharing resources that are free!

Here is a resource that I am very excited to share with you all, and it is a website called www.oldfashionededucation.com that has over 400,000 public domain books specifically for homeschoolers!

Books that are in the public domain mainly include those that are the work of the federal government and those that were published prior to 1923. Public domain books may be copied, redistributed, and used in any way that you like, all for free!

There are a great many books available on this site, and subjects include:

American History, Anthologies, Arithmetic, Art Appreciation, Bible & Religion, Biography, Canadian Interest, Canadian Teacher's Manuals, Character & Etiquette, Christian Classics, Civics & Government, Classic Literature, Composition, Creationism, Drama & Public Speaking, Economics, Emergency Preparedness, Fables, Fairy Tales & Nursery Rhymes, Fiction for Boys, Fiction for Girls, Folk Songs & Hymns, Geography & Social Studies, Grammar & Spelling, Greece & Rome, Health, Helps for Mom & Dad, Historical Documents, Historical Fiction, Holidays, Home Economics, Latin & Foreign Languages, Medicine & Nursing, Music Appreciation, Penmanship, Philosophy, Poetry, Printing Tips, Reading Basics, Recreation, Reference Books, Science & Nature, SciFi & Ghost Stories, Shakespeare & Plutarch, Spelling & Grammar, Social Studies & Geography, Virginia, World History, Women's Studies

Quite a list, isn't it?

Besides being free, older books have many advantages, and one of the main things is that they tend to have more substance, less "fluff": more quality, less silly business. Expectations for the reader is generally much higher, and the ability of children to learn was far more appreciated. McGruffy's comes to mind, with spelling words such as "pharmacopoeia" or "Winnipiseogee" - and that was for sixth grade!

The other advantage many older books have is they aren't filled with all the politically correct nonsense so prominent in today's children's texts and books. There was an unashamed discussion on issues of character, right and wrong, good and evil. And most importantly, the discussion of God and the Bible was not prohibitive.

Be blessed!

"Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth"
Job 19:23


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