Search engine giant, Google is to allow users to download classic books in a PDF format, this makes the books easy to print thereby extending current Google book services which only allow users to read the books online. This service only offers books no longer under copyright. Google’s book search tool will let users print classics such as Victor Hugo’s Le miserable or Aesop’s Fables and other books that are out of copyright.

This announcement was greeted with mixed feelings from the book publishing community. Vicky Collins of Harper Collins told Radio 4 Today programme that making books widely available on the Internet is a good thing but argues that Google should also make copyrighted books available for their users to buy.