Now that the crisis over parity and pricing has eased somewhat “ at least for the moment “ we can again turn our attention to a more pressing issue in books: how can we get them for free?

The easiest way to get free books is to work in publishing (or at, say, a publishing industry magazine), but there are millions and millions of readers “ or, at least, thousands and thousands “ out there who are not so lucky, and who are thus still paying money for books. And so, for them, here is the latest in free book news:

• HarperCollins will post free books on the web (The New York Times)
• Tor to give away e-books (Slashdot)
• Not free, but close: Random House U.S. will sell books online, chapter by chapter (The Wall Street Journal)
• But don’t forget: free books are rarely free (CNN Money.com)