Baen Free Library

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The Baen Free Library is a digital library of the science fiction and fantasy publishing house Baen Books where (as of February 2007) 94 full books are available for free download in a number of formats, without copy protection. It was founded in autumn 1999 by science fiction writer Eric Flint and publisher Jim Baen to determine whether the availability of books free of charge on the Internet encourages or discourages the sale of their paper books.

The Baen Free Library represents an interesting experiment in the field of intellectual property and copyright. It appears that sales of both the books made available free and other books by the same author, even from a different publisher, increase when the electronic version is made available free of charge. [1]

In 2002, Baen also started adding CD-ROMs into some hardcovers of newest titles in successful series. They contain the complete series of novels preceding the printed book (for those books that were the latest in a series), other works by the same author, some works by other authors, and multimedia bonuses. The CD-ROMs have a prominent permissive copyright license which expressly encourages free-of-charge copying and sharing, including over the Internet.

Baen also operates Webscriptions, a subscription-based e-book program.

[edit] Current titles

Current as of 2007-02-27.

1632 by Eric Flint
1633 by Eric Flint
1812: The Rivers of War by Eric Flint
A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo
Agent of Vega by James H. Schmitz
An Oblique Approach by David Drake & Eric Flint
Anti-Grav Unlimited by Duncan Long
The Apocalypse Troll by David Weber
Bedlam Boyz by Ellen Guon
Berserker Throne by Fred Saberhagen
Beyond World's End by Rose Edghill
Black on Black by K. D. Wentworth
Born to Run by Mercedes Lackey
Changer of Worlds by David Weber
The Course of Empire by Eric Flint and K. D. Wentworth
Crawling Between Heaven and Earth by Sarah A. Hoyt
The Creatures of Man by Howard L. Myers
Cross the Stars by David Drake
Crusade by David Weber
Demon Blade by Mark A. Garland and Charles G. McGraw
Destiny's Shield by Eric Flint and David Drake
Diamonds Are Forever by Ryk Spoor and Eric Flint
Digital Knight by Ryk Spoor
Doc Sidhe by Aaron Allston
Fallen Angels by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Michael Flynn
Far Edge of Darkness by Linda Evans
Fiddler Fair by Mercedes Lackey
Fire In the Mist by Holly Lisle
The Forlorn by Dave Freer
Fortune's Stroke by Eric Flint and David Drake
Forward the Mage by Eric Flint and Richard Roach
Freehold by Michael Z. Williamson
Genie Out of the Bottle by Eric Flint
The Grantville Gazette, Vol. 1 by Eric Flint et. al.
Great Kings' War by Roland Green and John F. Carr
Gust Front by John Ringo
The Honor of the Queen by David Weber
The Hub: Dangerous Territory by James H. Schmitz
In the Heart of Darkness by David Drake & Eric Flint
Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan
Interstellar Patrol by Christopher Anvil
The Lark and the Wren by Mercedes Lackey
The Lighter Side by Keith Laumer (edited and compiled by Eric Flint)
The Lion of Farside by John Dalmas
Lt. Leary Commanding by David Drake
A Logic Named Joe by Murray Leinster (edited and compiled by Eric Flint)
March to the Sea by David Weber and John Ringo
March Upcountry by David Weber and John Ringo
Med Ship by Murray Leinster
Mother of Demons by Eric Flint
The Mountains of Mourning by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Multiplex Man by James P. Hogan
Mutineers' Moon by David Weber
Northworld by David Drake
Oath of Swords by David Weber
Odyssey by Keith Laumer
Old Nathan by David Drake
On Basilisk Station by David Weber
Original Edition of edited Godwin Stories by Tom Godwin and Eric Flint
Original Edition of edited Schmitz Stories by James H. Schmitz
Pandora's Legions by Christopher Anvil
Paying the Piper by David Drake
The Philosophical Strangler by Eric Flint
Planets of Adventure by Murray Leinster
Pyramid Scheme by Eric Flint
Rats, Bats and Vats by Dave Freer and Eric Flint
Redliners by David Drake
Retief! by Keith Laumer
The Sea Hag by David Drake
Seas of Venus by David Drake
Sentry Peak by Harry Turtledove
The Shadow of the Lion by Mercedes Lackey
Sheepfarmer's Daughter by Elizabeth Moon
Sisters of Glass by D. W. St. John
Slayer by Karen Koehler
Sleipnir by Linda Evans
Star Soldiers by Andre Norton
Stars Over Stars by K. D. Wentworth
Sunrise Alley by Catherine Asaro
Sympathy for the Devil by Holly Lisle
The Tank Lords by David Drake
Telzey Amberdon by James H. Schmitz
Time Traders by Andre Norton
The Two Faces of Tomorrow by James P. Hogan
The Tyrant by David Drake
The War God's Own by David Weber
The Warslayer by Rose Edghill
TNT-Telzey & Trigger by James H. Schmitz
Werehunter by Mercedes Lackey
Windows of the Soul by Paul Chafe
With the Lightnings by David Drake
Wizard's Bane by Rick Cook
Wizardry Compiled by Rick Cook
Wolf Time by Lars Walker

[edit] Letters to and from Baen's First Librarian

This section lists letters from readers to Baen's "First Librarian", Eric Flint, and responses he made in return about the Free Library and its offerings, but more importantly these discuss the experiences of Baen with offering free titles and further discuss issues in ePublishing in general. Of particular note, are the grateful letters from blind and handicapped individuals, and the wide geographic demographic of the Baen experiment. However, most of the material is historically interesting 'snapshots' of the arguments over intellectual property rights in the early days of the Free Library and development of the Baen Books publishing style of offering titles both by download and in print.

Link and Title of Page	Description in Brief
*Introducing the Baen Free Library	Eight pages on how the library came to be and the software piracy and publisher issue in general.
*Letters to the Librarian December 20th, 2000	A selection of 123 letters about the free library as seen by the readers; of particular note: Messages from a blind reader and a handicapped reader.
*Letters to the Librarian January 16th, 2001	Special Report on 200 plus Letters received in 24 hours when the Free Library made internet news.
Letters to the Librarian February 04th, 2001	Special Report on self-publishing on the internet with comments by the First Librarian.
Letters to the Librarian February 04th, 2001	Special Report on self-publishing on the internet with commentary by First Librarian Eric Flint.
M.P. Macaulay on copyright law 1841 issues	Two speeches on copyright law to the British House of Commons during 1841, characterized by historian Flint as brilliant, as they cover the issues still problematic in copyright law.
Letters to the Librarian, Eric Flint September 1, 2001	This matter deals with intellectual property rights and piracy of intellectual materials
Letters to the Librarian, Eric Flint April 15, 2002	One and a half years into the Library, Flint provides hard numbers on how sales and works listed on the Baen Free Library are related.
Letters to the Librarian, Eric Flint April 26, 2002	More numbers on how hypothetical thefts can't be harming publishing industry to any significant extent. Discusses as well Book Vs eBook preferences, and need for authors to achieve exposure and the role of the Free Library in providing such.
Letters to the Librarian, Eric Flint April 26, 2002	Discusses prominent writers opposed to eBooks for free, and cites how such might help their sales.
Letters to the Librarian#1, Eric Flint May 12, 2002	Stance on helping blind and handicapped persons and others of limited means including kids obtain free materials with an argument of how that eventually helps an authors sales.
Letters to the Librarian#2, Eric Flint May 12, 2002	Discusses paper versus screen reading; studies showing much better retention from paper learning, and includes a long letter relating experiences on sales by an educational publisher once they offered free works like Baen Free Library.
Reprint by singer and song writer Janis Ian September 16, 2002	Three-time Grammy award winner Janis Ian in an article reprint excoriating the music publishing industry and praising Baen and a few others. Flint makes one comment— a minor correction which supports Ms. Ian's point. (This is the last of the Letters to the Librarian)