Best free books for Kindle: classics to read for free

Beginning to notice a theme here? The Victorians had a thing for supernatural yarns - and there are few better than Mary Shelley's timeless man-made monster. Philosophical, melancholic and downright terrifying, the idea for a twisted creature created from the flesh of the dead came to her when she was just 18-years-old.

Another from the gothic canon, Stevenson's tale of a scientist who pushes the laws of nature too far still manages to grip modern readers. And it's a lot less camp than countless TV and film adaptations have made it.

Wilde's only novel is a dark, twisting affair, offset by his familiarly flowery prose. Pages drip with wit and intelligence, allowing readers to escape to the glow of Victorian high life before shattering them with some supernatural skulduggery. The only frustration of the ebook edition is that you can't dogear the pages with the best quotes.

Less book, more "narrative poem" (or so our GCSE English lessons informed us), The Raven is a pillar of gothic literature. An unnamed narrator sits alone in his chamber when a rapping at the door heralds the entry of the eponymous raven. A lyrical read to add some atmosphere to your daily commute.

The Railway Children is a classic children's story originally serialised back in 1905, but was then published as a book in the same year. It has since been adapted several times too, as a film, radio play and TV series. It follows the story of three siblings, Roberta, Peter and Phyllis, who move to the countryside near a railway line when their father is wrongfully imprisoned.

You can pay for the complete works of Shakespeare, or just download this free version. This is largely a collection of plays, rather than novels, but with more than 5000 pages from the most famous writer of them all inside, it will keep you busy. Classics to start with include Othello, Romeo & Juliet and Macbeth.

With more than 50 million copies sold, Black Beauty is one of the best-selling books of all time. This classic novel is narrated by a horse, Black Beauty. The story follows his tumultuous life, from his early days as a carefree foal to a hardworking cab horse in Victorian England. He has different owners over the years, some kind and some cruel. The book is poignant, teaching readers about care for animals and empathy, which is why it's a fantastic book for all ages.

The most famous of all of Thomas Mann's works is a novella in which a 50-year old man pursues a 14-year-old boy. It's a book about homosexual passion, and while it contains some autobiographical inspiration, Mann was in his 30s when the book was published.

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