Our Methodology

We draw texts from established public-domain and open-access archives — among them Internet Archive, IAPSOP, the Sacred-Texts archive, Global Grey, and a number of national digital libraries. Every text is linked back to the archive that preserves it, and that archive is credited.

Works still protected by copyright are catalogued for reference only. We record their bibliographic details so researchers can find them, but we never host or mirror their full text.

Each work is assigned a primary tradition and, where relevant, additional traditions, so a text that belongs to more than one current can be found under each. Titles awaiting review are held in a dedicated Unclassified archive rather than being forced into an approximate category.

Classification is a continuing process. As records are reviewed, their tradition, language, period, and source metadata are refined.

We periodically check the health of source links. Each record carries a source status: verified when we have confirmed the link resolves to the full text; unverified when a source blocks automated checking but is known to serve readers; and flagged when a link needs attention. We report these figures openly on the quality page.

Wherever possible each record includes an accurate description, the author, the language, and the period. Every record generates citations in MLA, Chicago, APA, and BibTeX, and carries structured metadata so it can be understood by search engines and reference tools.

This archive improves through the attention of its readers. If you notice an incorrect author attribution, a broken source or download, a duplicate record, a wrong tradition or subtradition, a missing translation, an incorrect publication date, malformed metadata, a missing text, or you wish to recommend a source or raise a copyright or access concern, please tell us. Every book record also carries a “Report an Error” option that reaches the same archive contact.