What can you read at B1? Free books in 5 languages
Our table has 30 free books rated B1: 21 in English, 1 in Spanish, 3 in French, 4 in German, 1 in Italian. The easiest by vocabulary are Two Stories About the Letter X (B1, 1,279 words), The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (B1, 1,657 words) and The Masque of the Red Death (B1, 1,466 words). Each title links to its own page with word counts, the opening lines and where to download it free.
Within each level the books are sorted by how many of their most frequent word forms cover 95% of the text, fewest first. That is a measure of how much vocabulary a book asks for, not of quality, and no book is placed higher because it is in our app. A level is a starting point: check any book with the one-page test, and if it is too hard, look one level down (A2 and B2).
English books at B1 21 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Two Stories About the Letter XCarl Sandburg | short story, adapted | 1,279 | 326 | 6–13 min |
| short story, adapted | 1,657 | 348 | 8–17 min | |
The Masque of the Red DeathEdgar Allan Poe | short story, adapted | 1,466 | 383 | 7–15 min |
LuckMark Twain | short story, adapted | 1,270 | 414 | 6–13 min |
The Black CatEdgar Allan Poe | short story, adapted | 1,515 | 422 | 8–15 min |
The Whirligig of LifeO. Henry | short story, adapted | 1,512 | 428 | 8–15 min |
The BirthmarkNathaniel Hawthorne | short story, adapted | 1,376 | 467 | 7–14 min |
Doctor Heidegger’s ExperimentNathaniel Hawthorne | short story, adapted | 1,475 | 471 | 7–15 min |
A Pair of Silk StockingsKate Chopin | short story, adapted | 1,509 | 502 | 8–15 min |
The Fall of the House of UsherEdgar Allan Poe | short story, adapted | 4,519 | 640 | under 1–1 h |
William WilsonEdgar Allan Poe | short story, adapted | 5,815 | 702 | under 1–1 h |
The Bride Comes to Yellow SkyStephen Crane | short story, adapted | 3,372 | 765 | 17–34 min |
Love of LifeJack London | short story, adapted | 7,643 | 920 | under 1–1.5 h |
Grimms’ Fairy TalesJacob and Wilhelm Grimm | fairy tales | 101,611 | 1,789 | 8.5–17 h |
Short Science FictionIsaac Asimov | short stories | 23,196 | 2,685 | 2–4 h |
My Life and WorkHenry Ford | memoir | 93,814 | 3,009 | 8–16 h |
The Picture of Dorian GrayOscar Wilde | novel | 79,464 | 3,269 | 6.5–13 h |
Short StoriesFyodor Dostoevsky | short stories | 81,223 | 3,309 | 7–14 h |
The Memoirs of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle | short stories | 95,934 | 3,431 | 8–16 h |
The Case-Book of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle | short stories | 83,631 | 3,565 | 7–14 h |
The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle | short stories | 104,993 | 3,576 | 8.5–17 h |
All levels: English books by level.
Spanish books at B1 1 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cuentos de amor, de locura y de muerteHoracio Quiroga | short stories | 49,907 | 5,691 | 4–8.5 h |
All levels: Spanish books by level.
French books at B1 3 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Riquet à la HouppeCharles Perrault | fairy tale | 2,196 | 508 | 11–22 min |
Le HorlaGuy de Maupassant | short stories | 41,691 | 4,435 | 3.5–7 h |
Boule de SuifGuy de Maupassant | short stories | 36,423 | 4,979 | 3–6 h |
All levels: French books by level.
German books at B1 4 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Der StruwwelpeterHeinrich Hoffmann | children’s verse | 2,988 | 966 | 15–30 min |
Das UrteilFranz Kafka | short story | 4,060 | 1,090 | 20–41 min |
In der StrafkolonieFranz Kafka | short story | 10,321 | 1,822 | 1–1.5 h |
ImmenseeTheodor Storm | novella | 9,744 | 1,976 | 1–1.5 h |
All levels: German books by level.
Italian books at B1 1 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Le avventure di PinocchioCarlo Collodi | children’s novel | 41,398 | 3,929 | 3.5–7 h |
All levels: Italian books by level.