What can you read at C1? Free books in 5 languages

Our table has 35 free books rated C1: 11 in English, 6 in Spanish, 7 in French, 6 in German, 5 in Italian. The easiest by vocabulary are Romancero gitano (C1, 5,332 words), Fables de La Fontaine, Tome premier (C1, 6,910 words) and Philosophical Works (C1, 96,801 words). Each title links to its own page with word counts, the opening lines and where to download it free.

By the Readlang Mobile team (an independent app, not affiliated with readlang.com). Updated 31 October 2026.

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 (B2 and C2).

English books at C1 11 books

Free English books at C1, fewest forms for 95% first.
Book	Form	Words	Forms for 95%	Reading time
Philosophical WorksRené Descartes	philosophy	96,801	1,962	8–16 h
MeditationsMarcus Aurelius	philosophy	49,641	2,198	4–8.5 h
The PrinceNiccolò Machiavelli	non-fiction	36,421	2,401	3–6 h
The Wealth of NationsAdam Smith	non-fiction	427,445	3,061	36–71 h
The Story of My Experiments with TruthMahatma Gandhi	autobiography	173,864	4,476	14–29 h
Beyond Good and EvilFriedrich Nietzsche	philosophy	63,710	4,633	5.5–11 h
Napoleon’s Letters to Josephine, 1796–1812Napoleon Bonaparte	letters	91,618	4,737	7.5–15 h
The End of the WorldGeoffrey Dennis	non-fiction	39,220	5,265	3.5–6.5 h
Notre-Dame de ParisVictor Hugo	novel	185,410	6,219	15–31 h
The Bābur-nāma in English (Memoirs of Bābur)Babur	memoir	416,383	8,202	35–69 h
The Civilisation of the Renaissance in ItalyJacob Burckhardt	history	211,395	8,675	18–35 h

All levels: English books by level.

Spanish books at C1 6 books

Free Spanish books at C1, fewest forms for 95% first.
Book	Form	Words	Forms for 95%	Reading time
Romancero gitanoFederico García Lorca	poetry	5,332	1,477	under 1–1 h
Libro de poemasFederico García Lorca	poetry	15,045	2,656	1.5–2.5 h
Del sentimiento trágico de la vidaMiguel de Unamuno	philosophy	100,338	6,495	8.5–17 h
Novelas ejemplaresMiguel de Cervantes	novellas	188,535	6,913	16–31 h
El estudiante de SalamancaJosé de Espronceda	narrative poem	48,386	8,578	4–8 h
Facundo: Civilización y barbarieDomingo Faustino Sarmiento	non-fiction	101,153	8,673	8.5–17 h

All levels: Spanish books by level.

French books at C1 7 books

Free French books at C1, fewest forms for 95% first.
Book	Form	Words	Forms for 95%	Reading time
Fables de La Fontaine, Tome premierJean de La Fontaine	fables in verse	6,910	1,617	under 1–1 h
Les Rêveries du promeneur solitaireJean-Jacques Rousseau	essays	41,944	3,773	3.5–7 h
Les Fleurs du MalCharles Baudelaire	poetry	24,839	4,594	2–4 h
Le Rouge et le NoirStendhal	novel	175,589	5,122	15–29 h
GerminalÉmile Zola	novel	166,686	6,604	14–28 h
Madame BovaryGustave Flaubert	novel	112,892	7,494	9.5–19 h
Notre-Dame de ParisVictor Hugo	novel	175,812	8,142	15–29 h

All levels: French books by level.

German books at C1 6 books

Free German books at C1, fewest forms for 95% first.
Book	Form	Words	Forms for 95%	Reading time
Faust: Der Tragödie erster TeilJohann Wolfgang von Goethe	play in verse	30,693	4,774	2.5–5 h
Also sprach ZarathustraFriedrich Nietzsche	philosophy	84,321	5,233	7–14 h
Die WahlverwandtschaftenJohann Wolfgang von Goethe	novel	79,204	6,939	6.5–13 h
Jenseits von Gut und BöseFriedrich Nietzsche	philosophy	57,811	7,006	5–9.5 h
Der UntertanHeinrich Mann	novel	130,662	9,019	11–22 h
BuddenbrooksThomas Mann	novel	228,586	13,558	19–38 h

All levels: German books by level.

Italian books at C1 5 books

Free Italian books at C1, fewest forms for 95% first.
Book	Form	Words	Forms for 95%	Reading time
Enrico IVLuigi Pirandello	play	18,998	2,518	1.5–3 h
La mandragola · La Clizia · BelfagorNiccolò Machiavelli	plays and a novella	29,244	3,353	2.5–5 h
I CantiGiacomo Leopardi	poetry	25,789	4,856	2–4.5 h
L’umorismoLuigi Pirandello	essay	51,514	6,438	4.5–8.5 h
I promessi sposiAlessandro Manzoni	novel	230,062	10,406	19–38 h

All levels: Italian books by level.