Reading Time Estimate
Each book lists an estimated reading time in minutes, calculated from word count. For example, a 20,000-word work might take around 90 minutes, while a 200,000-word volume could require 900 minutes or more.
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.
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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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Stored locally
Reading history
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How the progress estimate works
The Reading tool provides honest estimates of how long a book will take to read, based on its word count. It also gives insight into the book's structure through section counts and average sentence length.
These metrics are meant to help you prepare for the reading experience, not to judge the book's quality. A long book may be dense or sprawling, but that could be exactly what you seek.
Word Count Range
Books range from short pamphlets to multi-volume histories. The catalog counts 32 short, 25 medium, 15 long, and 26 epic titles.
Text Structure
View the number of text sections and average sentence length to anticipate the flow. Books with longer sentences may be more formal or complex.
Time Categories
Books are grouped into quick, steady, immersive, and marathon reads. Choose a category that matches your available time.
Making Steady Progress: A Page-Based Plan
The Reading Tracker is built around pages, not minutes or sections. You enter your current page and total pages, set a daily goal, and the tool estimates how many days remain. For most titles, the catalog does not have a fixed page count, so the tracker estimates total pages by dividing the word count by 250. You can replace that estimate with the total shown by your own reading app or edition.
This page-based approach works well for a book like Captains of Industry; or, Men of Business Who Did Something Besides Making Money — Reading Companion (id 224). With 95,350 words, the estimated total is 382 pages. If you set a daily goal of 20 pages, the tracker would estimate 20 days to finish. That concrete number turns a vague intention into a schedule.
Setting a Realistic Daily Goal
The default daily goal is 20 pages, but you can adjust it to fit your available reading time. For a book with 382 pages, a 20-page goal means about 19 days; a 30-page goal cuts that to 13 days. The trade-off is between finishing quickly and maintaining a sustainable pace. If you are new to long historical texts, a lower goal might be more realistic.
The tracker also calculates estimated remaining time proportionally: if you have read half the pages, you have roughly half the estimated minutes left. This is useful for planning around other commitments.
Adjusting the Page Total to Your Edition
The initial page estimate is based on 250 words per page, which is a common rough conversion. But your physical book or ebook may have different pagination. The tracker lets you enter the total pages from your specific edition, and the remaining time estimate adjusts accordingly. This is especially helpful for books with large print or many illustrations, where the page count can vary significantly.
For example, if your edition of Captains of Industry has 400 pages instead of the estimated 382, the daily goal of 20 pages would still finish in 20 days, but the remaining time estimate would be slightly higher. The tool's flexibility means you can track progress accurately regardless of edition.
Tracking Progress Without an Account
The Reading Tracker stores your progress in your browser's localStorage, so you do not need an account. This means your data stays on your device, and you can pick up where you left off as long as you use the same browser. It is a simple, private way to keep a reading log.
A note on what the tracker does not do: it does not record sections or minutes as progress. It is purely page-based. If you prefer to think in terms of chapters or time, you can mentally convert, but the tool's estimates are based on pages. For a book with many sections, like The exposition of 1851 — Context and Discussion (id 310) with 22 sections, you might find that a page goal of 20 aligns with roughly one section per day, but the tracker will not show that.