Free E-book service to widen access to core texts

A new website promises to reduce student costs by providing free academic e-Books covering a variety of subjects.

After being a success in other European countries, Book Boon, a subsidiary of a Copenhagen-based Danish publishing house, launched its British website on November 17th.

The website, bookboon.co.uk, offers a range of academic books covering subject areas such as engineering, IT, economics and business. The books are written by professors from different European universities and are free of charge, as the costs of Book Boon are covered by a small number of ads published in each e-Book.

The project received positive feedback from academics. Professor Horst Zündorf, from the economic faculty of Hamburg University, said, “The books offered for free download by BookBoon are a valuable supplement for students from universities and polytechnics.”

“Despite their compact format, they form a concise overview of high quality in the relevant field of study.”

Antonia Sander, Book Boon Country Manager, said the service offers an alternative to traditional core text books, and aims to reduce the cost of course books that students face at the beginning of each academic year.