I built this tool a year ago but I feel like Mastodon folks would like it
The "Weird Old Book Finder"
Type in a search query, and it'll find one randomly-chosen public-domain book that matches the query -- and present it for immediate reading: https://weird-old-book-finder.glitch.me
Why only one book? To prevent the paradox of choice! Just *start readin'*
Can't promise every book will be weird, but most are
A longer essay on how/why I developed it: https://debugger.medium.com/a-search-engine-that-finds-you-weird-old-books-3a74fbb5f3d4
This was a search for "mastodon"
@clive weird as promised!
@ilen That is fabulous!
What on earth is that book about??
@clive it’s a report/how-to book from the dept of labor on a coordinated week-long campaign focusing on baby care and health in the US in 1914-1916. Weirdly compelling! I foresee my problem with weird old book finder will be not getting sucked in to random new obsessions…
@ilen That book sounds fascinating!
Yeah, when I first made this thing I lost like a solid week to reading 100 incredibly strange but compelling old books