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Apple iBookstore to provide access to 30,000 free titles via Gutenberg Project

As assorted publishers get their offerings ready for the launch of Apple’s long-awaited iPad tablet next week, approximately 30,000 books will be available for free via the Gutenberg Project upon the device’s release.

Per AppAdvice, reports have emerged that upon checking Apple’s iBookstore, the entire 30,000 Gutenberg Project catalog appears to be available to iPad users.

The Gutenberg Project is billed as the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and the project is now assisted by thousands of volunteers who help digitize the books.

The catalog currently includes titles such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana by Vatsyayana.

Earlier this week Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs confirmed in a brief email the iBookstore would offer a selection of free eBooks without elaborating on details.

The Gutenberg Project notes: “Our books are free in the United States because their copyright has expired. They may not be free in other countries. Readers outside of the United States must check the copyright laws of their countries before downloading or redistributing our ebooks.”

So, yeah, the iPad will arrive new, shiny and with something to read on it…