Saturday Sites: Issue 03

Introduction

Earlier this week, I went to see Jurassic World in theatres. During the pre-show trailers, they played the very first teaser for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film The Odyssey, coming out next summer.

I’ve been a huge fan of Nolan’s work for years, but I realized I actually didn’t know much about The Odyssey itself. I knew it was one of the oldest and most influential stories ever written. Something that inspired everything from epic novels to modern films, so I figured it was time to read the original.

But when I started searching, almost every version was locked behind $26 Kindle downloads, clunky apps, or sketchy PDF sites I didn’t trust to download.

That’s when I remembered a site I stumbled on years ago but never really explored: Project Gutenberg.

I typed in The Odyssey, and sure enough there it was, completely free. That search ended up leading me to a treasure trove of tens of thousands of books, all legally available to read or download in full.

Read and download The Odyssey by Homer here.

And not just philosophy books. I’m talking about everything from classic fiction and poetry to cookbooks, historical essays, sci-fi from the 1920s, and so much more.

It felt like walking into an old, quiet library. Far away from the noise of feeds and ads and paywalls.

What is Project Gutenberg?

Project Gutenberg is one of the oldest digital libraries on the internet and easily one of the most underrated.

It was started in 1971 by a man named Michael Hart, who had access to a university mainframe and wanted to do something meaningful with it. Instead of crunching numbers or writing code, he typed out the entire Declaration of Independence and made it available for others to download, for free.

Read Michael Hart’s obituary here.

That single act launched a quiet revolution.

The idea was simple:

Since then, the site has grown into a collection of over 70,000 free ebooks, maintained by volunteers and supported entirely by donations. It’s run by a non-profit and powered by a global community of people who care about preserving knowledge and making it available to everyone.

• Read classic literature for free — Think Frankenstein, Dracula, The Odyssey, A Tale of Two Cities, The Art of War, and thousands more.

• Download books to read offline — Great for flights, commutes, or digital detoxes.

• Build a personal e-library — EPUB, Kindle, and plain-text versions available. No logins or restrictions.

• Mine content for research or projects — Writers, developers, and educators often use these texts for AI training, literature studies, and app experiments.

Forgotten Classics, Free Forever

Thousands of books live quietly on Project Gutenberg. Many of them classics that shaped modern stories, ideas, and culture. Here are a few gems worth adding to your reading list this week:

1.) The Odyssey by Homer

One of the oldest adventure stories ever told. Gods, monsters, shipwrecks, and the long journey home. A must-read if you’re into epic quests or mythology.

2.) Dracula by Bram Stoker

The original vampire novel. Dark, atmospheric, and full of suspense. Great for fans of horror, thrillers, or gothic vibes.

3.) The Art of War by Sun Tzu

A strategic guide to winning. On the battlefield and in life. Ideal if you like frameworks, decision-making, or tactical thinking.

4.) Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Life advice from a Roman emperor. Short, powerful reflections on self-discipline, purpose, and peace of mind. Great for thinkers, journalers, or anyone in a reflective mood.

5.) Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

Any fans of Breaking Bad out there that understand the reference?

Expansive poetry that celebrates life, nature, and the human spirit. Great for reflective readers and poetry lovers.

Final Thoughts

If this helped you or you ended up downloading something interesting, I’d love to hear about it. Just hit reply and let me know what you found.

Any inquries can be sent to [email protected]

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subscribe here. It’s free, and I’ll never send anything I wouldn’t use myself.

See you next week 👋

— Caleb

Saturday Sites