Reading classic works of fiction is one of life's great pleasures. And for true bibliophiles, it's a pleasure that can rapidly deplete your bank account.

Fortunately, copyright laws being what they are, there's a gold mine of classics that have outlasted their authors just long enough to be downloaded completely free of charge. So if you want to read more books without spending any money, this list is made for you.

There's a treasure trove of free, out-of-copyright books available on the web to download to your Kindle right now. Here are some great choices to consider.

Children's Books

1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll)

Alice eagerly delves into a rabbit hole of imagination, meeting some of the quirkiest characters in literature, from the Mad Hatter to the Queen of Hearts. This is Carroll's parody of Victorian society and the complications of children growing up. If you don't feel like reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is also a free audiobook you should listen to.

2. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)

Be transported back to the Mississippi towns of Twain's own childhood. The exciting adventures of Tom Sawyer are full of nostalgia for an innocent childhood, mixed with the tension of a worldly reality of poverty, superstition, and slavery.

3. Grimm's Fairy Stories (Jacob Grimm)

This classic children's book is home to the world's most famous fairy tales. From Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella to Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood, among many more.

4. Peter and Wendy (J. M. Barrie)

Barrie's imagination has brought joy to millions of children around the world. His tales of the boy who never grew up, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, and, of course, Wendy offer a perfect world to escape.

While many of these books are available on Amazon, you'll find Peter and Wendy on the Project Gutenberg website. But don't worry; you can easily learn how to upload free books to your Kindle. Doing so is a breeze and opens up many new novels to read.

5. Gulliver's Travels (Jonathan Swift)

When Lemuel Gulliver is cast adrift, he has to fight for his survival against a number of groups of strange and surreal societies. With these societies, Swift holds a mirror up to ourselves, our principles and values, and our own crude behaviors.

Literary Classics

6. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)

A twisting and complex tale of London and Paris during the period of the French Revolution. This is a novel intertwined with sly humor, masterful prose, and a gang of Dickens' most loved characters.

7. Les Misérables (Victor Hugo)

An instantly popular novel showcasing the dark underbelly of 19th-century Paris. Hugo makes clear his criticisms of the French political system throughout this dense web of larger-than-life characters and plot twists.

8. David Copperfield (Charles Dickens)

This tragi-comic novel was the novel Dickens' was most proud of. This is a story of a lowly peasant on a mission to become a successful novelist, passing through the lives of innumerable fascinating characters on the way.

9. Dracula (Bram Stoker)

There are many websites with free eBooks that don't suck, but if you don't know how to get started, then Stoker's Dracula is the best way to go. A renowned Gothic horror, in which Stoker sets the benchmark for what vampires should be for modern authors. This is a tale of Count Dracula's migration from Transylvania to England in search of fresh blood.

10. The Call of The Wild (Jack London)

Based on London's philosophy about life's struggles and nature's power, The Call of The Wild is an enduring masterpiece. Follow Buck, the central canine character, on his journey from luxury to slavery as he is passed between masters to endure conditions he could never have imagined.

11. The Iliad (Homer)

Written over 2000 years ago, The Iliad is one of the greatest war stories ever told. Through this sprawling epic, Greek mythology is interwoven with intense character development as the Greeks make a final attack on Troy.

12. The Odyssey (Homer)

The Odyssey is, in effect, the sequel to The Iliad. This is an epic poem following the moral and physical endurance of Odysseus after the Trojan War on his adventurous journey home.

13. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)

Pip's desire to become a wealthy gentleman sees him caught up in crime, guilt, revenge, love, and "great expectations." This is not only a story of rags to riches but also one of moral redemption.

14. Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)

This dark, exciting allegory tells the story of seaman Marlow as he searches through the heart of Africa for the infamous ivory trader Kurtz. Shining a glaring light on how Western civilization gained its power, this short novel forces us to question our values and principles in a fundamental way.

15. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Ulysses is a modernist novel telling the story of Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus in Dublin in 1904. Not for the faint-hearted, this is a book that is as elusive and difficult as it is rewarding.

16. Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra)

Known as the "first modern novel," this is an experimental tale of the adventures and misadventures of knight-errant Don Quixote and his squire. Influential to hoards of great writers, this 1000-page novel is well worth the effort.

17. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

A witty tale of love, fortune, and flirting between the ever-popular Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, as the latter struggles with the manners and morality of the early 19th-century landed gentry.

18. Robinson Crusoe (Daniel Defoe)

Shipwrecked on an uninhabited island, Robinson Crusoe must learn to survive with just his pipe, tobacco, and knife as tools. This is more than just a survival tale, with contemplation (and a Christian message) at the center.

19. Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)

On a voyage to a faraway island, Jim is searching for his fortune. Along his journey, as he becomes a man, his friendship with his shipmates explores the complex relationship between good and evil.

20. Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë)

Another option from one of the best free eBook download sites, Wuthering Heights, is a timeless classic.

The subject of this original English novel is the intense love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw. Unfortunately, that love is far from simple, destroying not just the lovers but also those close to them.

21. The Thirty-Nine Steps (John Buchan)

Set in World War I, this is an espionage thriller that's unremittingly popular. From boredom in London to hiding from the Germans in Scotland, this is a tale loved so much that it's been adapted to film many times over.

22. Moby Dick (Herman Melville)

With a deep exploration into the human mind and faith, Captain Ahab is on a quest against an allusive, terrifying creature. Packed with metaphors about life and society, this is a book that truly stands the test of time.

23. The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)

Dorian Gray sells his soul so that his portrait will age rather than himself. Free to act in as many sinful and hedonistic ways as possible, the only way Dorian can see the state of his soul is to gather the courage to make eye contact with that fateful painting.

24. The Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde)

This satirical look at the social conventions of Victorian London tells a light-hearted story of mistaken identities and secret romances. An essential if you've ever looked for little-known places to download unique free eBooks.

25. Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus (Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

As life is given to the lifeless, a cautionary tale is told of the "progress" of science. Frankenstein is a being created from stolen body parts. A being that rapidly descends from innocence to evil to enact violent revenge on his creator.

26. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A series of short stories, these detective tales show nothing but story-telling genius. Each tale keeps you hooked from the outset as Sherlock Holmes solves one complex case after another.

27. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

Much more than a novel, this is an allegory of the American Dream. You'll be transported to the decadent Jazz age of 1920s America as Jay Gatsby does all he can to win the affection of Daisy Buchanan.

28. The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne)

An essential in all digital libraries where you can download eBooks for free, this novel introduces you to the first-ever heroine of American literature: Hester Prynne, as she struggles with an illegitimate birth. It's this birth that causes two sides of Hester's self to clash, provoking a fascinating look at the relationship one has with oneself.

29. Three Men in a Boat (Jerome Klapka)

This hilarious story of (you guessed it) three men in a boat is full of quips that'll leave you in stitches, even today. What's meant to be an enjoyable jaunt up the River Thames soon turns into a series of comic misadventures.

Sci-Fi

30. The Time Machine (H. G. Wells)

A dystopian novella from 1895, this isn't just the novel that popularized the idea of time travel. It also earned H.G. Wells the title of "The Father of Science Fiction." This book is a must for any sci-fi geek.

31. The Iron Heel (Jack London)

London's critique of capitalist society is told alongside the struggles of a socialist revolution spearheaded by the infamous "Brotherhood of Man."

32. Around The World in 80 Days (Jules Verne)

Follow the misadventures of Phileas Fogg after he bets a friend that he can travel around the world in 80 days or less by any means possible (including elephant). This fast-paced voyage has gripped readers ever since the book was first published in 1872.

33. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson)

This Gothic horror is known as one of the most original pieces of fiction ever written. A potion developed by Dr. Jekyll serves to transform the polite gentleman into something twisted and sinister. Something perhaps resembling the real self of Dr. Jekyll?

34. The Coming Race (Edward Bulwer-Lytton)

Another great novel to add to your already out-of-control reading list, this novel takes a dystopian view of a future world, with inspiration from Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. A future world where subterranean populations show an imaginary future where technological progress and physical perfection are raised above all else.

35. The Lost World (Arthur Conan Doyle)

This mysterious island, home to prehistoric creatures, hasn't only inspired readers' imaginations since 1912. It's also the direct inspiration for the Jurassic Park movies. In a location that evolution has barely touched, follow journalist Malone and Professor Challenger as they explore this untouched land.

Which Will You Read First?

The number of books that are out of copyright (and therefore available freely) is constantly increasing. This means that new free books will always be available for you to add to your Kindle.

Of course, once you do that, it can be difficult to keep your Kindle organized and readable, but that's a pretty good problem to have as far as problems go.