Frequently Asked Questions at Century Past

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions). Accessing books, searches, downloads, legality of borrowing, best devices for reading, best screen settings …

How Can I Access Books at Century Past?

1.  Links to Other Free Archives

    All books available on Century Past come from major, free, legal archives on the internet. We provide links to those books, hosted on sites like the Internet Archive.

 2.   Books Still in Copyright

    Most books on Century Past published after 1928 are hosted by the Internet Archive. These books can be read online for up to one hour at a time, automatically renewing.  About 25% of these books (around 1 million) can be downloaded and borrowed for 14 days. Please visit the Internet Archive‘s instructions to learn how to download books from their platform.

  3.  Books No Longer Protected by Copyright

    Books that are no longer under copyright protection—such as those published before 1928—can be freely downloaded in various formats directly from the Internet Archive pages.

 4.   Downloading to Mobile Devices

    To download books to a phone or tablet, please see the related Q&A below for specific instructions on mobile access.

How Can I Find Nonfiction Books by Subject on Century Past?

Finding nonfiction books on Century Past is easy! Here are two simple ways:

    Browse the Book Subjects Directory

    Our Subject Directory, based on the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) classification system, offers an intuitive way to find books. This system, widely used by booksellers, provides an alternative to traditional library systems like the Library of Congress or Dewey Decimal System. You can access the Subject Directory at the Book Subjects menu at the top of every page, right next to Home.

    Use the Search Tool

    Click the magnifying glass icon at the top-right corner of any page to use our Search Tool. Simply enter a keyword or term, and it will look for matches across the Century Past website.

How Can I Find Fiction Books by Subject on Century Past?

Here’s how to locate fiction books on a specific subject:

    Explore the Book Subjects Directory

    Click Book Subjects in the Main Menu and navigate to categories like Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, Juvenile Fiction, Humor, Drama, or Poetry. These sections are designed to help you find fiction books easily.

    Refine Your Search on Internet Archive Pages

    For other topics, you can adapt the Internet Archive’s search options. Here’s how:

   Choose any subject on the Century Past Book Subject Directory.

        Once you’ve selected a Nonfiction topic and opened the Internet Archive collection page, look for the “Search” field at the top of the page.

        Modify the text in the search field:

            If “NOT fiction” is in the search box, delete it.

            Add AND Fiction at the end of the search text (ensure AND is in uppercase).

        Click the GO button to get results that include both fiction and nonfiction materials related to your subject.

How Do I Find Children’s Books on a Specific Subject in Century Past?

To find children’s books related to a subject, follow these steps:

1.    Start with the Century Past Subject Directory (Book Subjects)

    First, identify the nonfiction topic you’re interested in on Century Past (see the section “How to Find Nonfiction Books” on this FAQ page).

    Once you’ve found your topic, click the link to open the corresponding Internet Archive page.

2.    Modify the Search

    On the Internet Archive page, you’ll see a “Search” field at the top. To find children’s books, add AND Juvenile to the search text.

    For example:

        If you’re searching for books on Bulgarian History, modify the search to:

        Bulgarian History AND Juvenile

3.    Click ‘GO’

    Hit the GO button to search for both adult and children’s texts related to that subject.

Now you’ll be able to browse the children’s books on the subject you’re interested in!

In Internet Archive, How Do I Search for Books?

1. The Internet Archive has 7 million books, including nearly 4 million modern books still in copyright. You can use nearly all of them for free. See our Post on How to Search Internet Archive.

I Want to Download a Book at Internet Archive. Which Option Should I Use?

PDF is usually the best choice. Your device will need a pdf reader app. There are several free versions available, which you can find with a search online.

Entries on Internet Archive for Some Books say “Borrow Unavailable” or “Removed”. Why?

The Internet Archive was sued by several publishers and writers in Hachette v. Internet Archive, and in August 2023 the court ruled against Internet Archive. Internet Archive was ordered to remove from lending any books that are commercially available in electronic format (i.e. ebooks legally for sale).

To see only the books that are now available to borrow in an Internet Archive “collection” (search results), go to the left column and under “Collection“, click the box for “Texts to Borrow“. Note that this will also filter out all the older, copyright-free books.

How Can I Find Free Books on the Internet on my Subject?

See “How to Find Free Books Online“, here on Century Past.

Is it Legal to Read Books on Century Past?

Books on the Century Past that are still in copyright (most of the books published since the mid-1920s), are actually hosted at the Internet Archive.  That site acts as a lending library for in-copyright books, where you can legally borrow them.

How Do I Download Books to a Phone or Tablet?

1. Books still in copyright on Century Past that are available to borrow are at Internet Archive. See their borrowing instructions.

2. You will need an Android or iOS app for your device compatible with the Internet Archive’s DRM software.  In addition to apps suggested by Internet Archive, consider the PocketBook Reader app, which seems more functional than the others.

What is the Best Device for Reading Internet Archive Books Online? Can I Use a Kindle?

While Kindles are great for eBooks, they are usually not ideal for reading scanned books from the Internet Archive. However, other e-readers that support PDF files can work well.

You can also access our books on any computer, tablet, or smartphone. For the best experience, we recommend using a small laptop or a tablet with a larger screen (10 to 11 inches) for reading scanned books. An affordable tablet should suffice, as reading PDF files doesn’t require significant computing power.

The Books on the Internet Archive Don’t Fit Well on my Screen. What Can I Do?

If you’re having trouble viewing books clearly on your computer screen, here are some tips to improve the experience:

1.    Use the One-Page View

    When you open a book on the Internet Archive, click the one-page view icon at the bottom right of the screen. This allows you to zoom in and make the text larger and clearer. The one-page view also enables you to scroll up and down.

2.    Adjust Brightness and Contrast

    Look for the icon with three dots in a circle on the left side of the book window. Clicking this icon will open a menu for visual adjustments, including brightness and contrast controls and inverted text, to improve readability.

3.    Read with Adobe Digital Editions

    If you prefer a different reading experience, you can open books in Adobe Digital Editions. For guidance on setting this up, refer to the instructions here.

These steps should help improve your reading experience on the Internet Archive.

How Can I Search for Public Domain Books on the Internet Archive?

The Internet Archive offers access to around 2 million public domain books, many of which are included in the Century Past collections alongside more modern texts. Internet Archive allows you to download public domain books for unrestricted use. If you want to focus specifically on public domain works, here’s how you can filter out the modern texts:

  1.  Find the Topic on Century Past

    Start by browsing the Century Past collection for the topic you’re interested in, and click to open the collection.

2.    Filter by Year

    On the left-hand side of the Internet Archive page, look for the “Year” box. Select one or more years of publication to narrow your results. In 2024, most books published in years before 1928 are in the public domain. In 2025, books published in 1928 will be in the public domain.

        Click More… at the bottom of the Year box to choose multiple years for a single search.

3.    Filter by Media Type

    In the “Media Type” box, select “Texts” to exclude videos, audio files, and other non-book items, ensuring you only see books and other texts results.

By using these filters, you can make Internet Archive narrow the search results to show only texts in the public domain.

How Can I Find Books in Languages Other than English?

The Internet Archive has a variety of books in multiple languages, available in almost every subject. To find books in a specific language, follow these steps:

1.    Go to the Internet Archive Page

    Navigate to the Internet Archive page for the subject you’re interested in, using the Century Past Book Subjects Directory.

2.    Locate the Language Filter

    In the left-hand menu, scroll down to the bottom where you’ll see the “Language” filter. This section shows the number of books available in each language for the selected subject.

3.    Select Your Preferred Language

    Check the box next to your preferred language, and uncheck the “English” box. The page will automatically re-sort to display only books in the selected language(s).

This allows you to focus on finding books in the language you need while browsing the collection.

How Do I Manage Large Collections in the Internet Archive?

When you click on a topic from a subject page, you may be directed to an Internet Archive search results page with hundreds or even thousands of items. Fortunately, the Internet Archive offers several ways to filter and sort these results so you can find the most relevant books and texts for your needs.

Sorting Results

At the top of the search results, you’ll see a “Sort by” option. Here’s how you can sort the results:

    Weekly Views: Sort to see the most popular items based on recent views.

    Date Published: Sort to see the most recently added items.

    View Options: Use the three icons on the right to choose different ways to view the collection (grid view, list view, etc.).

Filtering Results

On the left side of the search page, you’ll find a series of filters to narrow down your results. If no filters are selected, all items are included in your search. To focus on the items that matter most, simply click on the filters that match your needs.

    Year Published: Use the slider to select a specific range of years or narrow down by specific years.

    Subject: Click on More.. to reveal a list of topics that can help you find specific themes or categories within the collection.

    Collection: To focus on books, click Internet Archive Books. To view a smaller set of texts (mostly books) that are still under copyright but available for borrowing, click Texts to Borrow.

    Other Filters: The remaining filters are self-explanatory, such as filtering by language or format (PDF, ePub, etc.).

Using Multiple Filters

If you want to refine your search further, you can select multiple filters at once. For example, you can choose a specific subject and a range of years to narrow your search results. Simply click More… under each filter to explore additional options.

With these tools, you can easily manage large collections and find the materials that best match your interests.

Updated: December 2024