Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is not an author but a volunteer-run digital library founded by Michael S. Hart, who is widely credited with creating the first ebook in 1971. The project began with a typed copy of the United States Declaration of Independence and grew into a major collection of public-domain and freely shareable texts.

Its mission has stayed simple: make books easy to access, easy to read, and free for as many people as possible. Over time, thousands of volunteers have helped proofread, format, and distribute works ranging from classic novels and poetry to reference books and historical documents.

Because it is a project rather than a person, there is no single author portrait to show here. If you are looking for the individual behind it, Michael S. Hart is the key figure most closely associated with Project Gutenberg.