The first ebook was available on July 4, 1971, as eText #1 of Project
Gutenberg, a visionary project launched by Michael Hart to create free
electronic versions of literary works and disseminate them worldwide.
In the 16th century, Gutenberg allowed anyone to have print books for a
small cost. In the 21st century, Project Gutenberg would allow anyone
to have a digital library at no cost. Project Gutenberg got its first
boost with the invention of the web in 1990, and its second boost with
the creation of Distributed Proofreaders in 2000, to share the
proofreading of ebooks between hundreds of volunteers. In 2010, Project
Gutenberg offered more than 33,000 high-quality ebooks being downloaded
by the tens of thousands every day, and websites in the United States,
in Australia, in Europe, and in Canada, with 40 mirror sites worldwide.
This trilingual (English, Spanish, French) ebook is meant to celebrate
the 40th anniversary of Project Gutenberg, with four parts:
# Project Gutenberg is 40 years old
# From the past to the future
# Project Gutenberg and languages
# Distributed Proofreaders is 10 years old
About the author > Marie Lebert is a researcher and journalist
specializing in technology for books and languages. Her books are
freely available in Project Gutenberg <www.gutenberg.org> and in
ManyBooks.net <http://manybooks.net>, in various formats for any
electronic device (computer, PDA, mobile phone, smartphone, ebook
reader).