How do you DO that???

[mommy2abigail]

I've seen some people link to books online, where you can read the whole (or most of it) text online. One on another thread was through google books? Not sure if I have that right, but how do you do it? They are all older books, which is what I am looking for. Is the Handbook of Nature Study anywhere online? It is so pricey for us right now, I'd love to be able to read through it for free! Thanks!

[Mama Calidad]

Here you go:
http://openlibrary.org/details/handbookofnature002506mbp

[illinoismommy]

Here you go:
http://openlibrary.org/details/handbookofnature002506mbp


Wow! And I can print it and save money?

[jenny_islander]

Here's Google Book Search: books.google.com (This engine turns up lots of samples of books that are currently for sale, along with older books that have been fully scanned. Be sure to click "Advanced Search" and specify "Full View" so that you don't get "teasers" of only a few pages.)

The oldest free-text site I know of is Project Gutenberg, www.gutenberg.org. This is an all-volunteer site that has tons of public-domain (in-the-U.S.) books in many languages and electronic formats. Be aware that they accept everything, so don't turn your kids loose here unless you want them to be asking questions about, oh, the unexpurgated Burton edition of the Arabian Nights (extremely crude, gross, and perverse!) or the works of the Marquis de Sade. They also have lots of Christian literature and world classics, though.

For children's literature specifically, try the Baldwin Online Children's Literature Project, www.mainlesson.com.

If you're into old cookbooks or want to explore a historical period through its cuisine, check out this massive directory of online cookbooks from the Middle Ages through World War I: http://www.hearthcook.com/aaCookbookindex.html These are nearly all Western, or Western interpretations of Eastern food, but there are some exceptions.

As a side note, if you are doing hands-on exploration of history, do take advantage of the huge pool of knowledge accumulated by the enthusiastic amateurs of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Our period of interest is, more or less, Western Europe from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1600. Here's a site that rounds up interesting historical articles along with Society news: www.scatoday.net And here's a digest containing the results of years of research, discussion, and experimentation in all kinds of fields, from calligraphy to jousting to cookery to weaving to making authentic medieval torches to--just go look: florilegium.org

[jenny_islander]

Re printing books at home: Unfortunately, unless you have a very cheap source of paper and ink, you generally spend a lot more per book if you DIY. You might save money if you can take a copyright-free book on disk to someplace like Kinko's, but I would definitely call ahead and discuss terms. If you just plan to print a few pages to take along on a walk, that would be a money-saver.

[Rabbit]

An ink jet would definitely be the wrong choice for that kind of printing.

[Leslie]

I've put texts on my Palm PDA, especially ones for reading out loud where pictures weren't necessary to the text.

Other books, I make the text as small as possible but still readable, and do two columns to print on fewer sheets (although I doubt it saves that much in ink). I also bought a laser printer instead of inkjet.

[mommy2abigail]

:heart :heart :heartThanks!!! I knew about the main lesson and gutenburg ones, but I had seen people using the google.books one and had no idea how to use it. Off to try it now!