Friends Library is a recently launched website that is dedicated to the “the preservation and free distribution of early Quaker writings.” At present, 106 books are available for free download in multiple editions and digital formats with a number also recorded as audio books.
Short essays describe the rise of Quakers in the 17th century and clarify some key concepts, such as the Light Within and perfection; practices, such as customs, language, and silent meetings; and circumstances, such as the persecution they endured.
Publications are available in different editions: original, unedited; modernized; and updated. Characteristics of each form are identified, and examples are provided to assist the reader in choosing which edition is most suitable for him- or herself.
There is a Spanish version of the site, and currently 14 books have been translated.
The website is attractive and easy to use with clear instructions at every turn. Friends Library promises to be a major resource for familiarizing oneself with and accessing this valuable material.
Abiding Quaker 
Thank you for bringing this to my attention! I’ve already read Walk in the Spirit and a couple writings from Isaac Penington (which I’ve been wanting to do for a while now).
I’m surprised at the work that has gone into it. The diversity of the editions and ease and helpfulness is the website.
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Hi Craig! I’m glad you’re finding the Friends Library website useful. It’s largely the work of two brothers – Jason Henderson and Jared Henderson – who have been working on the project for the past four years. They each live near Akron, Ohio, and are members of a community named Market Street Fellowship. If you look in the blog roll, you can find a link to that website, which has some of the early work that has now been included in their new site, Friends Library.
Good to hear that you’re reading Penington! The Scriptures, Penington, and Fox have mostly been my reading diet since the mid-’80s – major sources for feeding my mind and soul! No other writers come close, it seems to me, to having such nutritional impact!
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