Best free books for Kindle: 18 classics to read for free

Amazon’s Kindle book store offers loads of free downloads. Hundreds of the things. However, we’re not interested in questionable romance reads and self-published novellas today. We’re only interested in hunting down the stone cold classic books you can get for free.

These tend to appear when texts fall out of copyright, which in the UK happens 70 years after an author’s death. Copyright issues nixed, free editions of novels and other books are much more likely to appear.

Below you’ll find some must-not-miss literary classics from Charles Dickens and the Brontë clan, as well as some slightly newer picks such as George Orwell’s always-prescient 1984.

Brush up on Stoker, rediscover a classic you’ve avoided since school days or stumble on a new favourite – get downloading.

Please note: these are all free on the UK site – please check your country for availability. Some of the free titles require you to have a Prime subscription.

Best free Kindle books

1

. Robinson Crusoe, By Daniel Defoe
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Another title that fits the “What do you mean, you haven’t read it?!” list. In addition to being a trader, journalist and spy, Daniel Defoe (no, not that Spider-Man guy) wrote several hundred novels – of which this is the most famous. Fleeing his parents’ wishes for him to have a dull career, Crusoe boards a boat bound on a sea voyage from Hull. There follows a shipwreck, cannibals and the original wanderlust adventure.

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2

. A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
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You don’t have to save this story for a turgid December (though it clearly befits a winter setting). A tale of moral improvement, social lessons and ghosts (he had to get the readers in somehow), A Christmas Carol is as relevant in the success-driven world of contemporary Britain as it was in 1843.

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3

. Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

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Beginning to notice a theme here? The Victorians had a thing for supernatural yarns – and there are few better than Mary Shelley’s timeless man-made monster. Philosophical, melancholic and downright terrifying, the idea for a twisted creature created from the flesh of the dead came to her when she was just 18-years-old.

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4

. Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Be honest – you’re more familiar with the Muppet version than the original aren’t you? Well now you’ve no excuses: Stevenson’s tale of treasure, pirates and exploring the unknown still ripples with addictive prose and vivid imagery. Immediate escapism.

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5

. The Great Gatsby, By F Scott Fitzgerald
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If you’ve been meaning to read the novel that inspired last year’s glitzy big screen adaptation, now’s your chance. Fitzgerald’s novel plays out a little more mutely than Luhrmann’s lavish offering, but it’s still a superb window into the stale state of the 1920’s American dream.

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6

. The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde, By Robert Louis Stevenson

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Another from the gothic canon, Stevenson’s tale of a scientist who pushes the laws of nature too far still manages to grip modern readers. And it’s a lot less camp than countless TV and film adaptations have made it.

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7

. Dracula, by Bram Stoker

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The definitive vampire novel, Stoker’s seminal work has a hand (or fang) in pretty much every blood sucking story you’ve ever encountered. A monster of a book, even if it does tail off towards the end.

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8

. Moby Dick, by Herman Melville

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An American monster – Captain Ahab’s obsession with the great white whale consumes his entire existence, leading to him putting his own life and that of his crew in danger as he hunts Moby Dick across the seas. A pub quiz necessity.

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9

. The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe
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Less book, more “narrative poem” (or so our GCSE English lessons informed us), The Raven is a pillar of gothic literature. An unnamed narrator sits alone in his chamber when a rapping at the door heralds the entry of the eponymous raven. A lyrical read to add some atmosphere to your daily commute.

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10

. The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde

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Wilde’s only novel is a dark, twisting affair, offset by his familiarly flowery prose. Pages drip with wit and intelligence, allowing readers to escape to the glow of Victorian high life before shattering them with some supernatural skulduggery. The only frustration of the ebook edition is that you can’t dogear the pages with the best quotes.

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11

. The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling

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No, it’s not a kid’s book. Well – it is – but it’s a seriously dark, poetically magnificent one thoroughly deserving of your mature attention. You play Pokémon GO for goodness sake. The story of Mowgli, the young orphan raised by wolves, is brimming with philosophical musings and ethical ponderings that are still razor sharp all these years on.

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12

. A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

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A Study In Scarlet is one of the very best Sherlock Holmes stories. It’s the first time we meet the detective and, alongside war veteran Watson, he’s given a case to crack about a murder in Brixton. It’s a two-part story about the murder then the murderer.

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13

. 1984, by George Orwell
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George Orwell’s hugely influential 1984 went out of copyright in 2020, making freebie downloads far more likely. This tale of an authoritarian state overseen by the ominous “big brother” gets referenced more often than just about any other in a political context these days, so perhaps it’s time to go to the source and see what all the fuss is about. 1984 is also a snappy and thrilling read, with a much more approachable style than many “classics”.

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14

. The Complete Works of Shakespeare by William Shakespeare
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You can pay for the complete works of Shakespeare, or just download this free version. This is largely a collection of plays, rather than novels, but with more than 5000 pages from the most famous writer of them all inside, it will keep you busy. Classics to start with include Othello, Romeo & Juliet and Macbeth.

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15

. Death in Venice, by Thomas Mann

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The most famous of all of Thomas Mann’s works is a novella in which a 50-year old man pursues a 14-year-old boy. It’s a book about homosexual passion, and while it contains some autobiographical inspiration, Mann was in his 30s when the book was published.

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16

. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë

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Not read Wuthering Heights? Rid your mind of the sloppy period romance you’re no doubt conjuring up – Emily Brontë’s dark, bold story of love and jealousy is a heart-wrenching brute of a novel. You’ll need to schedule in a trip to the Yorkshire moors once you’re done.

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17

. Three Men In a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome

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Fan of Withnail and I? Of course you are, you’re cultured enough to be reading a free book list. Jerome’s work is a feast of comic wit: three overworked Londoners decide a holiday is called for, and embark upon a boating trip up the River Thames to Oxford. Queue travel notes, humorous anecdotes and warm feelings of mirth.

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18

. Around the World In 80 Days, by Jules Verne

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A work of science fiction written before the genre became obsessed with laser guns and aliens, Vern’s classic transports you back to a time when explorers could actually find something they’d never seen before. Phileas Fogg gets in his balloon for an adventure around the world. We won’t spoil you by saying how long it takes.

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