You probably don't think about where free ebooks come from. I didn't, until I picked up this book. 'Tribute to Michael Hart' tells the story of the quiet revolutionary who started it all.

The Story

The book starts in 1971 with Michael Hart, a college student with access to a massive university computer. Instead of playing games or running calculations, he had a wild idea: what if he typed up the Declaration of Independence and shared it with everyone on the network? That single digital file became the seed for Project Gutenberg, his lifelong mission to create a huge library of free ebooks. The story follows his decades of painstaking work, typing and scanning books himself, facing skepticism, and slowly building a digital treasure chest that anyone with an internet connection could open.

Why You Should Read It

What grabbed me was the sheer stubborn optimism. Hart wasn't a billionaire or a big corporation. He was just a guy who believed information should be free, and he spent his life making it happen, one book at a time. AlHydar paints a clear picture of Hart's personality—driven, a bit eccentric, and completely dedicated. It makes you appreciate every classic novel or historical text you've ever downloaded for free. It’s a story about the power of a single, persistent idea.

Final Verdict

This is a perfect pick for anyone curious about the early days of the internet, lovers of books in any format, or people who enjoy stories about unsung heroes. It’s a short, inspiring read that connects the dots between a big dream in the 70s and the vast digital library we often take for granted today.