Quick Reads
Under 30 minutes or so. Short pamphlets and single issues, like the Alligator and the Grip cartoons, fit here.
Reading Tracker
Choose a book, record where you are, and set a daily goal. Your progress is stored in localStorage in this browser; it is not uploaded to a user account.
No sign-up required
Stored in your browser
Estimated time remaining
Choose a book
If the EPUB has no fixed print pagination, the tool starts with an estimated page count and lets you replace it with the page total shown by your own reader.
Reading progress
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Remaining
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Estimated time left
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At your daily goal
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Stored locally
Reading history
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How the progress estimate works
The Reading Time tool provides estimates based on each book's word count. The median word count in this catalog is about 68,000, which at a typical reading speed takes roughly five hours.
Use the time filters—quick, steady, immersive, marathon—to find books that match the time you have. Remember, these are estimates; your actual pace may differ.
Steady Reads
A few hours, suitable for an evening or two. Examples include Annie Besant's Case for India or the Sinn Féin essays.
Marathon Reads
Ten hours or more. Major tomes like Theodore Roosevelt's addresses or the Party Battles demand a longer commitment.
Planning a Page-by-Page Journey
The Reading Tracker is built around a simple idea: progress happens one page at a time. It records your current page, total pages, and a daily page goal. For books without a fixed page count, the tracker estimates pages based on 250 words per page. That estimate is a starting point—you can replace it with the total page count from your own edition or reading app.
This approach works well for the long titles in this library. Many political texts run well over 100,000 words, and a page goal makes them feel manageable. The tracker also calculates estimated remaining time and finish days, so you always know where you stand.
Setting a realistic daily goal
The default daily goal is 20 pages, but you can adjust it to fit your schedule. For a book like The Political Future of India — Story, Setting & Ideas (id 268), with about 78,338 words, the estimated page count is roughly 313 pages (78,338 / 250). At 20 pages a day, that's about 16 days. If you can only read 10 pages a day, it becomes 32 days—still a reasonable plan.
The tracker's estimated remaining time is proportional: it takes the estimated minutes and scales by the fraction of pages remaining. So if you're halfway through a book, the tracker will show roughly half the total estimated minutes. This is a useful way to see if you're on track.
Adjusting the total page count
The initial page estimate assumes 250 words per page, but your edition might differ. If you're reading an ebook with a different layout, the page count could be higher or lower. The tracker lets you enter the total pages from your reading app, which makes the estimate more accurate.
For example, if your edition of The Political Future of India shows 400 pages, you can enter that. The estimated remaining time will adjust accordingly. This is especially useful for books with illustrations, footnotes, or other elements that affect page count.
Using the tracker for long-term projects
The tracker is particularly helpful for marathon reads. A book like Native Life in South Africa (id 214) has an estimated 137,439 words and 598 minutes. At 250 words per page, that's about 550 pages. At 20 pages a day, that's 28 days. Knowing that from the start can help you commit.
Progress history is stored in your browser, so you can pick up where you left off without an account. That also means the data is tied to that browser—if you switch devices, you'll start fresh. But for a single reading project, it's a convenient way to keep a record.