Any idea as to:

– What happened to them? Why did they shut down the site?

– When or if they will re-launch the site?

None of that is true.

I don’t think you actually understand how copyright law works.

And they are easily contacted.

This is actually not true. Forgotten Books takes things that are not public domain and sells them in violation of copyright law. There are things that they are selling on this site that are available elsewhere for free (though copyrighted) on the www.

There is no email or contact info on the Forgotten Books web site and there should be–that way they could be informed that they are in violation of the law and the spirit of the law. Perhaps if you are in touch with them you might ask them about this fact.

They were fair and proper up until recently when they were offering their service at USD 49 for life; which is reasonable price for the offering but lately they have been profiteering with solicited endorsements traded for free life memberships to “big” names as influencers, with a pricing model that is not in public interest for third world countries with disadvantaged exchange rate vis a vis USD.

Their stock is entirely dependent on public librarians and public endowments; currently used for private enrichment of their founder David Forsythe, which can’t hold a candle to Google Books at all, by any stretch of imagination.

It is a worthwhile service only at the price and type that they have now stopped offering – life membership model.

Preserving human knowledge lawfully, comprising mostly of out of print and out of copyright held in trust for humanity till posterity, is a project of Google Books is grand and noble with free access. But doing it in a quite a surreptitious and not at all strategic venture withholding books from humanity till posterity, in an odious re-copyrighting project with usurious rate of service disproportionate to the true source of those books, is despicable.

Appended is the free book a day email from forgottenbooks.org on 1st Jan 2012, which is self-explanatory.

Legal eagles must launch proper class action case against forgottenbooks for usurping public interest for private gain.

What do the other commentators think, apart from the original blogger, who has missed these vital points completely ?

In support of free knowledge or affordable access to yesteryear cumulative knowledge of humanity,

Satyamev Jayate,
INDIA

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Forgotten Books
Date: Sun, Jan 1, 2012 at 6:04 AM
Subject: Free Book of the Day – Sunday 1st
To: bhatpm@gmail.com

Dear Subscriber,

Today is Sunday 1st of January. Your free book for today is:
Beowulf

To download your free high-quality copy, please visit the following link:
http://www.forgottenbooks.org/freebie.php?book=60358884GA22682

You have only 24 hours to download the book before the link expires. If you miss it, you can still download the free copy, or purchase membership. Membership to Forgotten Books costs only $49 for life, you only pay once.

Thank you for your continued support,
Forgotten Books Team

To unsubscribe:
http://www.forgottenbooks.org/unsubscribe.php

Consider:
Number of books: FB has 1,000,000 GB has (on a recent count) 30,000,000

Quality of OCR: you’ve accepted FB’s metric without question. Whether it’s true or not I don’t know.

Cost: You need to subscribe to read most FB books ($3/m upwards). GB are free if there are no copyright issues, but limited outside the US otherwise.

Convenience: FB does offer Kindle but only as images (afaics); GB puts much stuff on archive.org where multiple formats are available. (archive.org claims 5m books).

Now I’m not knocking another entry in the ebook market – I’m all for it. I guess that FB is a profitable enterprise without advertising. But I don’t think you’ve proved anything.

I don’t understand your question.

Have a look at what they offered very recently:

Life Membership Options

Casual Reader
10 eBooks / Month
$49.95
Available

Fast Reader
25 eBooks / Month
$69.95
Available

Book Lover
100 eBooks / Month
$89.95
Available

Collector
500 eBooks / Month
$99.95
Available

Librarian
1000 eBooks/Month
$109.95
Available

So, it is worthwhile to wait for it to return, while you get a free book a day by simply registering on their website, and choose the smallest package if you want really something urgently.

Not everyone is given a free life membership with [no?] download limit, like Richard Carrier 🙁

I wonder why Richard Carrier failed to mention whether Forgotten Books obviates need or supplants for the truly sought after perennial titles within ocean of deservedly forgotten and outdated books.

http://www.scholarsbooklist.com
http://www.mosleyfacsimiles.com
http://www.willowsreprints.com
http://www.abebooks.com/books/RareBooks/collection-expensive-reprint-publisher/facsimile-editions.shtml

and other scholarly important antiquarian book alternatives not available in softcopy

I would appreciate open feedback here by Richard Carrier and Forgotten Books here, if not the full emails exchanged with Richard Carrier for knowing and pursuing deeper the scope and depth of utility perspectives they discussed. I prefer responses here than to myself in private.

May this thread be supported by all, with the hope of paid life memberships during New Year 2014 eve from forgottenbooks.org !

Corporations killed that dream with the Mickey Mouse law.