TODAY'S OPEN BOOK PICKS
A story worth staying up for.
A handpicked classic, ready to discover.
Read
Free & open access
Mai Read
THE OPEN LIBRARY
Mai Reads — The Open Library & Public Domain Books
Find your next read among enduring classics, bold ideas, and stories that still surprise. Free to explore, open to everyone.
Browse curated books and classic comics Study and reading guides How free access works See how the reader works
START WITH THE CLASSICS
World masterpieces
THINK A LITTLE DEEPER
Philosophy & strategy
FOR AFTER DARK
Gothic & dark academia
FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY
Explore the collection
Browse a growing library of public domain books.
Recommended for You
Modern Open Texts (2000–Present)
Open access literature and computer science
Magazines & Periodicals
Historical Chronicles, Gaming Lore & Tech Serials
World Literary Classics
Public Domain Novels & Fiction
Historical Golden Age Comics
1930s–1940s Vintage Public Domain Comic Books
Philosophy, Strategy & Thought
Timeless Wisdom & Historical Treatises
COMMUNITY ROADMAP
Explore Roadmap & Vote
Shape the Future of Mai Read
Vote on upcoming features and follow along as we build the modern open reading library.
In Development
Native EPUB Reflow Engine
Read reflowable .epub books offline with custom typography, page turning animations, and margins.
Planned
100% On-Device AI Study Companion
Ask questions, generate chapter summaries, and translate text privately via WebGPU LLMs without cloud servers.
Planned
Offline WebAssembly OCR
Extract copyable text and highlights directly from scanned PDFs and historical book scans.
Under Research
Sovereign WebDAV Sync
Sync reading bookmarks and study notebooks across devices using your own Nextcloud or WebDAV server.
Right to Education & Open Knowledge Charter
Article 26 UDHR • 100% Client-Side Privacy • Zero Ads & Paywalls
View charter
Right to Education & Open Knowledge Charter
Article 26 UDHR • 100% Client-Side Privacy • Zero Ads & Paywalls
Under Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, access to education and foundational human knowledge is a universal right. Mai Read operates as an open, non-commercial reading utility to democratize literature, historical Golden Age comics, and academic research papers for learners everywhere without financial or technological barriers.
100% Client-Side Privacy
No accounts, no email required, and zero telemetry tracking. Your private study files and reading history never leave your device.
Zero Paywalls & Zero Ads
Unlike commercial readers charging monthly fees for highlighters and text search, every study feature in Mai Read is completely free forever.
True Offline Resilience
Equipped with Service Worker caching so students in low-connectivity areas can read and study without continuous internet access.
Literary works and catalog metadata are sourced from non-profit preservation projects (Internet Archive, Project Gutenberg, arXiv). For our full legal, copyright, and ethical charter, see our DMCA & Right to Education Policy.
LOCAL-FIRST TOOLS
Read & Study Without Cloud Tracking
Offline PDF Reader
Read, zoom, and highlight confidential PDFs 100% offline in browser memory. Never uploads to any cloud.
Open DOCX Free Online
Read Microsoft Word documents without Microsoft Word or Office 365. Clean typography, zero ads.
Multi-PDF Study Binders
Bundle lecture slides, papers, and notes into unified binders with 1-click tab switching and scratchpad.
STUDY & RESEARCH GUIDES
Field Notes for Deep Reading
Annotate PDFs Without Highlighting Everything
A 4-tier annotation system for academic memory.
Study from Multiple PDFs at Once
Comparative side-by-side reading workflows.
How to Read a Research Paper (3-Pass Method)
Triage, evidence audit, and replication breakdown.
Works Entering Public Domain in 2027
Preview 1931 books crossing into open access.