eBooks
91 Books foundThe OFUFA Public Domain Literature Library offers 91 works on engineering, technology, and applied science, drawn from historical sources. This catalogue provides access to manuals, treatises, and monographs originally published between the 18th and mid-20th centuries.
Browsing the catalogue
Readers may explore the collection by using the categories listed on this page or by searching for specific titles or authors. Each category groups works that share a common theme, such as mechanical engineering or electrical technology. A full list of books is also available through the site's navigation.
What you will find on a book record
Every book record includes the title, author, publisher, keywords, target reader, and a catalogue note that summarises the work's content and context. The note is intended to help readers decide whether the work matches their interests. No editorial evaluation of quality is offered.
Source attribution
All works in the catalogue originate from Project Gutenberg and are in the public domain. Each record links to the full text on Project Gutenberg. No additional hosting or modification of the original texts is performed.
Categories as navigation aids
The categories—"Mechanical Engineering", "Electrical Technology", "Civil Engineering", and "Inventions Industry"—are designed to help readers find related works. They are not definitive literary judgments. A single work may fit multiple categories, but each appears only once.
Three practical reading paths
For readers interested in the history of invention, begin with The Age of Invention (category 4) for a broad overview, then explore Scott Greenwood and Co. Catalogue of Special Technical Works (category 1) to see how technical knowledge was marketed, and finish with Ocean Steamships (category 3) for a detailed case study of a specific technology. For those drawn to hands-on craft, try The Art of Bookbinding (category 1), French Polishing and Enamelling (category 4), and Beeton's Book of Needlework (category 4). For military technology enthusiasts, The Tank Corps (category 2), Modern ships of war (category 3), and Portable Flame Thrower M2-2 (category 2) offer contrasting perspectives.
Bibliographic dates and catalogue measurements
The catalogue distinguishes the Project Gutenberg digital release from a work’s original or first publication. Project Gutenberg is identified as the digital source for the edition available here; its release year is therefore shown as Gutenberg Release Year, not as the work’s original publication year.
When an explicit first-publication or issue date can be supported directly by the title or issue information, it may be shown separately as First Publication Year. When that date cannot be confirmed, the catalogue displays Not confirmed rather than guessing a year.
Where the source text can be measured reliably, the catalogue may provide word count and estimated reading time. These measurements describe reading scope and are not quality rankings.
The current catalogue contains 4 active subject categories: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Technology, Civil Engineering, and Inventions Industry. Categories are browsing aids and may overlap where a work reasonably fits more than one subject.
