Book Finder
Find books that match your preferred subjects, lengths, and estimated reading times. The finder filters the catalog to show only titles that fit your interests.
Do more with this book catalog
Explore the UKOSI Public Domain Literature Library, a collection of 91 classic works across four categories: Fantasy Juvenile Worlds, Science Fiction Utopias, Historical Psychological Social Fiction, and Adventure Picaresque Fiction. These books are in the public domain, freely available for reading and study.
Our interactive tools help you navigate this catalog. Whether you are looking for a quick read, comparing works side by side, or estimating your reading time, these pages are designed to enhance your exploration.
91
books in this catalog
4
catalog categories
91
books with reading-time data
Made for this collection
Ways the catalog data becomes useful
Compare Books
Compare two books at a glance, examining word counts, reading times, and sentence complexity to see how they differ.
Reading Time Estimator
Estimate how long it will take to read any book in the catalog, based on its word count and average reading speed.
Choosing, Comparing, and Tracking: A Practical Guide
The UKOSI Public Domain Literature Library holds 91 works, with poetry dominating the shelves. When you arrive at the library's hub, you are offered three tools: Book Finder, Compare Books, and Reading Tracker. Each serves a different part of your reading life, and knowing when to turn to which one can save you time and make your next read more satisfying.
These tools are designed to help you choose, compare, and plan; they do not rate literary quality. A book that fits your available time and reading style is not necessarily a better book than one that demands more of you. The goal is simply to match a text to your circumstances.
When to Use Book Finder
Book Finder is your starting point when you have a general sense of what you want but need to narrow the field. The catalog is organized into four categories: Fantasy Juvenile Worlds, Science Fiction Utopias, Historical Psychological Social Fiction, and Adventure Picaresque Fiction. Within each, you can filter by length, estimated reading time, chapter rhythm, sentence flow, and subjects.
For example, if you are in the mood for something short and quick, the finder will show you that 67 of the 91 books are classified as short, and 62 are quick reads. You might filter by 'short' and 'quick' and then browse the results. But if you are curious about a specific subject, such as 'Nursery rhymes,' you can select that subject to see the six books that carry it. The finder is most useful when you combine a few criteria, not when you rely on a single filter.
When to Use Compare Books
Once you have two or three candidates in mind, Compare Books lets you place them side by side. You can see word count, estimated reading time, text sections, sentence flow, chapter rhythm, and subjects. This is particularly helpful when the difference between a 40-minute read and a 2-hour read matters to your schedule.
For instance, you might be torn between a collection that runs 15,000 words and one that runs 30,000 words. The compare tool will show you that the shorter one might take about an hour, while the longer could take over two. Seeing these numbers together can clarify whether you want a quick dip or a longer immersion.
When to Use Reading Tracker
Reading Tracker is for after you have made your choice. It helps you plan your progress through a book by recording pages read and setting a daily page goal. The tracker uses a default of 250 words per page to estimate total pages, but you can adjust that to match your edition.
For a book like A Selection from the Lyrical Poems of Robert Herrick — Inside the Classic, which runs about 37,827 words, the tracker would estimate roughly 151 pages. If you set a daily goal of 20 pages, you can see that you would finish in about eight days. The tracker stores your progress in your browser, so you can return to it without an account.