Many major libraries have digital collections featuring images of their early printed books; in many cases, those images are available for reuse under licenses ranging from non-commercial to share-alike, and some provide their images as part of the public domain. Below is a brief list of some of the major collections of early printed books that are fairly easy to use and are openly accessible. (Licensing terms below refer primarily to early printed materials; as always, you should confirm all terms yourself). A longer, annotated list can be found on Wynken de Worde; you can also find search tips there for finding books. If you’re looking for images of a specific work, it might be better to start from one of the relevant union catalogs, since those often link to facsimiles.
- Biblioteca Nacional de España’s Biblioteca Digital Hispànica (CC BY-NC-SA)
- Bibliothèque nationale de France’s Gallica (non-commercial)
- Biodiversity Heritage Library (varies)
- Bodleian Library’s Digital Bodleian (non-commercial use only)
- Boston Public Library on Internet Archive (public domain)
- University of Cambridge’s Cambridge Digital Library (varies, but mostly non-commercial)
- English Broadside Ballad Archive (University of California Santa Barbara; CC BY-NC)
- Folger Shakespeare Library’s Folger Digital Image Collection (CC BY-SA)
- Universiteits Bibliotheek Gent’s digital collection (CC BY-SA)
- Library of Congress’s digital collection (public domain)
- Linda Hall Library’s LHL Digital (non-commercial)
- Das Münchener DigitalisierungsZentrum der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek (non-commercial)
- Newberry Library’s French Revolution Pamphlets (public domain)
- Primeros Libros de las Americas (varies)