In one of the first sessions of my day at the Google Teacher Academy, we looked at some of the lesser known search options. One such option is the Google Books Advanced Search. In Google Books Advanced Search you can search for full-length books that are in the public domain and available for free download and printing. Those same books can also be embedded into your blog or website. To find full-length, public domain books, go to books.google.com then select public domain in the advanced search options menu. See my screen captures below for more instruction.

Enter your search term then select the public domain button.

Applications for Education
I’ve recently gave my US History students an assignment in which they have to read and analyze a book about about the Civil War. As I have more students than our school’s library has books about the Civil War, the huge listing of books about the Civil War that are in the public domain is very handy for my students.