About the Ether Library
The Ether Library is a free online library of public-domain classics, published complete and unabridged. We pick books people still quote and argue about, across fiction, philosophy, history, economics, science and psychology. 16 are available in English: new translations made directly from the original languages, and the original text of 8 English-language classics. All 22 are also available in complete Korean translations. Read them here, or download EPUB and PDF for your e-reader or tablet.
How we translate
Every translation follows the same four principles.
Complete
We don't summarize or skip the hard parts. Every sentence is translated and the paragraph structure is kept, one paragraph of the original to one paragraph of the translation. Making a book readable is not the same as making it shorter.
Meaning first
We translate meaning, not word for word. Instead of stiff prose that mirrors the source's word order, we choose sentences that sound natural to today's readers. Long sentences are split where the language needs it, without losing the author's logic or tone.
Original terms alongside
Concepts that resist a single translation, and words with layered meanings, keep the original term in brackets, so you can see the translator's choice and feel the source for yourself.
Translator's notes
Unfamiliar people and places, historical background and typos in the source edition get short notes. On the web, tap a note number to open it in place, or read them all at the end of the page.
How to read
Every book's introduction, contents and first chapter are open to all. To read on to the end and download EPUB and PDF, join EtherXync. It's free.
Members' reading positions are saved to their account, so you can continue on any device. The reader offers night and paper themes and adjustable text size.
Free, and free to share
Every book in the Ether Library is free. The original works are in the public domain, and our translations are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0). With credit, anyone may copy, share and adapt them for noncommercial use. Commercial use is not covered by this license.
EPUB and PDF files are DRM-free. Read them on any device you like.
Source editions
Every book names the edition it was translated from. The table below covers our Korean translations: books translated directly from the original language are marked Original; books translated by way of an English translation are marked Relay, with that translator and year. Each English edition's page names its own source.
A relay translation is one step removed from the original. We think readers deserve to know that. Each book's colophon details the source edition and its rights.
| No. | Book | Source | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0001 | The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald | Complete translation from the original English | Original |
| 0002 | History of the Peloponnesian WarThucydides | Translated via Richard Crawley's English translation (1874) | Relay |
| 0003 | On the Origin of SpeciesCharles Darwin | Complete translation of the 1859 first edition | Original |
| 0004 | On LibertyJohn Stuart Mill | Complete translation of the 1859 edition | Original |
| 0005 | The Theory of Moral SentimentsAdam Smith | Complete translation of the 1777 Dublin edition | Original |
| 0006 | The Wealth of NationsAdam Smith | Complete | Original |
| 0007 | Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoevsky | Translated via Constance Garnett's English translation (1912) | Relay |
| 0008 | The Interpretation of DreamsSigmund Freud | Translated via A. A. Brill's English translation (1913) | Relay |
| 0009 | Thus Spoke ZarathustraFriedrich Nietzsche | Complete translation from the original German | Original |
| 0010 | SiddharthaHermann Hesse | Complete translation from the original German | Original |
| 0011 | MeditationsMarcus Aurelius | Complete translation from the original Greek | Original |
| 0012 | The PrinceNiccolò Machiavelli | Complete translation from the original Italian | Original |
| 0013 | Dialogues and On MercySeneca | Complete translation from the original Latin | Original |
| 0014 | The OdysseyHomer | Complete translation from the original Greek | Original |
| 0015 | DemianHermann Hesse | Complete translation from the original German | Original |
| 0016 | The Art of Worldly WisdomBaltasar Gracián | Complete translation from the original Spanish | Original |
| 0017 | The Art of WarSun Wu | Complete translation from the original Classical Chinese | Original |
| 0018 | Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen | Complete translation from the original English | Original |
| 0019 | The MetamorphosisFranz Kafka | Complete translation from the original German | Original |
| 0020 | FrankensteinMary Shelley | Complete translation from the original English (1831 revised edition) | Original |
| 0021 | Beneath the WheelHermann Hesse | Complete translation from the original German | Original |
| 0022 | WaldenHenry David Thoreau | Complete translation from the original English (with “Civil Disobedience”) | Original |
Who makes it
The Ether Library is made by EtherXync. We choose the classics, translate them, typeset the e-books and publish them here, all under one roof.