I received some share-worthy information recently through the TESL-L listserv, passed on by Jeremy Taylor, a writer and teacher trainer (and juggler) in the Czech Republic. (Thanks, Jeremy!)

 

The BBC/British Council are providing free downloads of titles focused on English language teaching issues on their TeachingEnglish site. Currently over two dozen e-books are included on their and it looks as though new ones are being added about once or twice a month. Brief descriptions of each title and ratings from readers are provided along with an index for quick scanning.

 

The latest title, added this week, is a directory of English language teaching-related research conducted in the United Kingdom between 2009-10. It includes over seven hundred research abstracts, contributed by over one hundred U.K. university departments and external research projects. In addition to the PDF copy, this particular directory can also be accessed as a searchable online database.

 

The great majority of these books (though not all) are focused on research and conference papers, advocacy, and/or professional development rather than being materials for the classroom. A few examples of titles that intrigued me: The benefits of the English language for individuals and societies; Developing an Association for Language Teachers and Running an Association for Language Teachers; Dreams and Realities: Developing Countries and the English Language; and Creative Ways (a "teaching pack" for starting to teach creative writing in the English language learning classroom.

 

Are there other good sources of free ELT books that you'd recommend? If so, please comment below.