Downloading EBooks - how does one know if it is legal?

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doo_much
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Downloading EBooks - how does one know if it is legal?

Post by doo_much »

Ran across a Canadian site (no I wont post the link and promote possible piracy) that has a multitude of ebooks available for download at exceedingly good prices.

How does one know if these sites are actually on the level or if they're pawning off illegal copies?
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Re: Downloading EBooks - how does one know if it is legal?

Post by Bluez »

That's a good question - maybe look on the site if they have a policy regarding copyright?
I've got a few rss feeds with all the books that pop up on Amazon and Nook, marked down to $0.00 - my favourite bargain - 100% discount.
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Re: Downloading EBooks - how does one know if it is legal?

Post by doo_much »

Amazon - don't they only do Adobe DRM?

I prefer straight epub.
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A surprising amount of modern pseudoscience is coming out of the environmental sector. Perhaps it should not be so surprising given that environmentalism is political rather than scientific.
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Re: Downloading EBooks - how does one know if it is legal?

Post by Bluez »

I'm not sure - I hardly notice it as I use the Kindle (blasphemous I know!) Reader app on both my phone, pc and tablet, since I can sync all my bookmarks, etc.
And to read DRM free books (from gutenberg.org among others) on the Kindle app, I use Calibre to convert files to Mobi.
I use SugarSync to sync the DRM free books to access it all my devices.
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Re: Downloading EBooks - how does one know if it is legal?

Post by Sojourn »

Bluez wrote:...as I use the Kindle (blasphemous I know!) ....
Why is using a kindle deemed blasphemous ??? :?
Probably the best reader out there.
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Re: Downloading EBooks - how does one know if it is legal?

Post by hamin_aus »

Bluez wrote:I'm not sure - I hardly notice it as I use the Kindle (blasphemous I know!) Reader app on both my phone, pc and tablet, since I can sync all my bookmarks, etc.
And to read DRM free books (from gutenberg.org among others) on the Kindle app, I use Calibre to convert files to Mobi.
I use SugarSync to sync the DRM free books to access it all my devices.
It sounds like the process for acquiring DRM-free e-books is more complicated than actually learning to read....
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Re: Downloading EBooks - how does one know if it is legal?

Post by Bluez »

Not really that difficult. You can even 'shop' through Calibre for both free and paid books. It's got a built in browser that you use to search for books all the various online sellers - and I can keep track of which books I've read or want to read.

EDIT: Except Kalahari's ebook store - which is a rip off, since they tend to charge more for ebooks that for old fashioned books :)

DOUBLE EDIT: I'm a blonde today :oops: just realised now what you meant - it's not that difficult to sync everything - just point everything to the same folders.
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Re: Downloading EBooks - how does one know if it is legal?

Post by Anakha56 »

http://lifehacker.com/5924359/tophqbook ... pdf-ebooks
TopHQBooks Is a Search Engine for Free PDF Ebooks
Adam Dachis

If you're in need of some ebook content but don't want to pay and arm or a leg, TopHQBooks is a search engine for discovering high quality PDFs that you can download to your ereader—or just read on your computer.
The selection isn't bad, either. There are magazines, books on learning to code, and a variety of other stuff. The selection of fiction appears to be pretty small, but if you're looking to learn something this appears to be a great reference library—especially for technical topics. Each book's page is useful as well. You get a picture of the cover, an easy-to-find download link, and descriptive information. You may not always find the book you're looking for, but it's a great resource if you want to pick up some free content. Even if you don't have an ereader, you can just print the PDF out and read it the old fashioned way.
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Re: Downloading EBooks - how does one know if it is legal?

Post by Tribble »

Oooh some useful books there. Thank you.
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