Archive.org Downloader — Save Any Book as PDF Forever 📚

Tools & Scripts
1

Download Archive.org Books Permanently — Python Script

Turn 1-hour borrows into forever PDFs. Keep any book from Archive.org’s library.

:world_map: The Permanent Library Hack

Archive.org lets you borrow books for 1 hour to 14 days max. No download button. This script grabs the book as a PDF while you’re “borrowing” it. Borrow once, keep forever.

Why this matters:
Time limits disappear → read offline anytime → share with friends → build your own digital library from millions of books

What you’re getting:
✓ Any book from archive.org or openlibrary.org saved as PDF
✓ Choose image quality (highest resolution = near-original scan)
✓ Batch download multiple books at once
✓ Keep books permanently (not just 14-day borrow)
✓ Read offline, no internet needed after download
✓ Export as PDF or individual JPG images
✓ Free forever (open source script)

made-with-python

GitHub: https://github.com/MiniGlome/Archive.org-Downloader

What You Actually Need

Requirements (Be Real About This)

You need Python installed. This isn’t a click-and-go app — it’s a command-line script.

If you don’t code: Either learn basic Python (takes a weekend) or ask a tech-savvy friend to set this up for you once. After setup, it’s just copy-paste commands.

What to install:

  1. Python 3 — Download here
  2. Git (to download the script)
  3. Archive.org account (free signup at https://archive.org/)

Tech level: Beginner-friendly IF you can follow terminal commands. Not beginner-friendly if you’ve never opened a terminal before.

Installation (Copy-Paste These)

Step 1: Download the Script

Open terminal/command prompt and run:

git clone https://github.com/MiniGlome/Archive.org-Downloader.git
cd Archive.org-Downloader

This downloads the script to your computer.

Step 2: Install Required Modules

The script needs 3 Python modules. Install them all at once:

pip install -r requirements.txt

This installs: requests, tqdm, img2pdf

How to Use (Real Examples)

Basic Command Structure 
python3 archive-org-downloader.py -e YOUR_EMAIL -p YOUR_PASSWORD [OPTIONS]

Required every time:

Optional (but useful):

  • -u Book URL (can use multiple times for batch download)
  • -r Resolution (0 = highest quality, 10 = lowest) [default: 3]
  • -d Output folder (where PDFs save)
  • -j Save as JPG images instead of PDF
  • -m Save book metadata as JSON
  • -t Number of download threads [default: 50]
  • -f Text file with multiple book URLs (one per line)
Example 1: Download Single Book (Best Quality) 
python3 archive-org-downloader.py -e [email protected] -p MyPassword123 -r 0 -u https://archive.org/details/IntermediatePython

What this does:

  • Logs into archive.org with your credentials
  • Downloads “Intermediate Python” book
  • Resolution 0 (highest quality images)
  • Saves as PDF in current folder
Example 2: Download Multiple Books at Once 
python3 archive-org-downloader.py -e [email protected] -p MyPassword123 -r 0 -u https://archive.org/details/IntermediatePython -u https://archive.org/details/horrorgamispooky0000bidd_m7r1 -u https://archive.org/details/elblabladelosge00gaut

What this does:

  • Downloads 3 books in one command
  • Each -u flag = another book
  • All saved as PDFs
Example 3: Batch Download from Text File

Create a text file (e.g., books_to_download.txt) with one URL per line:

https://archive.org/details/book1
https://archive.org/details/book2
https://archive.org/details/book3

Then run:

python3 archive-org-downloader.py -e [email protected] -p MyPassword123 --file books_to_download.txt

Best for: Downloading 10+ books without typing each URL

Example 4: Save as Individual Images (Not PDF) 
python3 archive-org-downloader.py -e [email protected] -p MyPassword123 -u https://archive.org/details/BOOKURL --jpg

What this does:

  • Downloads book as separate JPG files (one per page)
  • Good if you want to edit images or prefer image format

All Command Options

Full Command Reference 
usage: archive-org-downloader.py [-h] -e EMAIL -p PASSWORD [-u URL] [-d DIR] 
                                  [-f FILE] [-r RESOLUTION] [-t THREADS] [-j] [-m]

Required:
  -e EMAIL           Your archive.org email
  -p PASSWORD        Your archive.org password

Optional:
  -u URL             Book URL (use multiple times for batch)
  -d DIR             Output directory
  -f FILE            Text file with book URLs (one per line)
  -r RESOLUTION      Image quality (0-10, 0 = best) [default: 3]
  -t THREADS         Download threads [default: 50]
  -j                 Save as JPG images instead of PDF
  -m                 Save book metadata to JSON file
  -h                 Show help message

How This Works (Behind the Scenes)

The Download Process
  1. Script logs into your archive.org account
  2. “Borrows” the book (like you would manually)
  3. While borrowed, downloads all page images
  4. Combines images into a single PDF
  5. Saves to your computer
  6. Book stays in your library forever

Time: Few minutes depending on page count and resolution choice

Quality: Resolution 0 = near-original scan quality (largest file size)

Pro Tips

Start with resolution 3: Test download speed first. If too slow, increase number (lower quality but faster). If quality isn’t good enough, use 0 for best.

Batch download overnight: Create text file with 50+ books, run command before bed, wake up to full library.

Archive.org has 28+ million books: Search for anything — textbooks, novels, research papers, comics, magazines.

Legal note: You’re accessing books you can already borrow. Script just saves the borrowed copy. Still respects archive.org’s lending system.

Borrow once. Keep forever. Build your permanent library. :fire:

Donation

If you want to support my work, you can send 2 or 3 Bitcoins :upside_down_face: to this address:

bc1q4nq8tjuezssy74d5amnrrq6ljvu7hd3l880m7l

bitcoin_address

7 Likes
2

Or you could just go to WeLib and get whatever you need :slight_smile:

3 Likes
3

Brother,

You methods are too complicated to use.
Not all people here know how to use python