Questions
The things people ask first. If yours is not here, write to us — a real person reads every message.
Is the text changed or simplified in any way?
No. The original text is never altered, abridged or modernised — not a word. Everything we add sits around it: a panel before the chapter, a cast list, small explanations after hard words, and notes beside the hardest paragraphs. Translated works appear in their classic public-domain translations, credited on the book’s page.
How much can I read before paying?
The first 5% of every book, as whole chapters, with all the annotation switched on. No account, no card. For a short book that is a chapter or two; for War and Peace it is nineteen chapters.
Is this a subscription?
No. You buy a book once and it is yours to read and re-read, signed in with your email. Nothing renews and nothing expires.
Do I need an account to read the free opening?
No. You only give an email when you buy something, and that is what your books are tied to — there is no password to forget.
Can I read on my phone?
Yes. It is a website, not an app, so it works on a phone, tablet or computer, and your place in each book follows you between them.
Where do the annotations come from, and can they be wrong?
They are written for this edition and checked chapter by chapter against the text. They are editorial aids, not a scholarly apparatus, and they can occasionally err. If you find one that is wrong, tell us and we will fix it for every reader — send it here.
Will an annotation spoil the story?
It should not. Panels and cast lists are written to say no more than the book has already said at that point, and every one is checked against the chapters before it. If you meet a line that gives something away, we want to know.
What if I buy a book and it is not for me?
Write to us and we will refund it. The refunds page has the detail.