Legal

Terms of Service

Last updated 2026-05-04

These terms govern your use of The Horror Library (horrorlib.com), a free service operated by Obsidian Codex Press, based in Norway. By using the site, you agree to these terms. If you don’t agree, please don’t use the site.

What we offer

A free reading platform for classic weird fiction in the public domain. We provide reading access to public-domain stories with no paywall, optional free accounts for cross-device sync and bookmarks, and an admin-managed library that grows over time. The service is provided “as is.” We may add, change, or remove features without notice.

The price

The service is free. There is no paid tier, no subscription, no premium content. All features available to signed-in users are also available to anonymous users, except cross-device sync (which inherently requires an account).

We display occasional ads for Obsidian Codex Press (our parent imprint). We do not run third-party advertising or take payment for ad placement from anyone but ourselves.

Content licensing

The stories

All literary works on horrorlib.com are in the public domain. You’re free to read, share, copy, adapt, and reproduce them however you like. We claim no rights over the underlying texts.

Our editorial work

The site’s design, code, navigation structure, summaries, theme classifications, editorial commentary, and any original prose authored by us (e.g. the About page, this Terms page) are © Obsidian Codex Press, all rights reserved, except where explicitly licensed otherwise.

Your data

You own everything you create — your bookmarks, notes, saves. We hold it on your behalf only.

Accounts

Accounts are created via Google OAuth. By signing up, you confirm you’re at least 16 years old and authorised to use the Google account.

Don’t share your account, don’t use the service for illegal purposes, don’t try to break / scrape / abuse the platform, don’t attempt to access other users’ data. We keep your data secure (see Privacy Policy), provide the service as described, and honour your data rights under GDPR.

You can delete your account at any time from /settings. We can suspend accounts that violate these terms — in practice we’d reach out first unless the violation is severe.

Acceptable use

Don’t:

• Use automated tools to download the entire site (we’ll fix the rate limit if you have a legitimate research need — email us).
• Attempt to break authentication, the rate limiter, or the admin.
• Reverse engineer the platform with the intent to clone it commercially. The public-domain texts are free; our implementation is not.
• Submit content (in bookmark notes) that is illegal, harmful, or violates anyone’s rights.

We reserve the right to remove user-submitted content that violates the above and to suspend accounts that repeatedly do so.

Ads

Ads on the site promote Obsidian Codex Press editions. They:

• Are clearly marked “Sponsored” or “From Obsidian Codex Press.”
• Use rel="sponsored" on outbound links.
• Do not track you across other sites.
• Do not personalise based on your account data, beyond the story or author you’re currently viewing.

Disclaimers

The site is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. We make no guarantees about uptime, accuracy of metadata, completeness of the catalogue, or absence of bugs.

The literary works are public-domain originals. Some contain views, language, and content reflecting the prejudices of their era. We provide them as historical artefacts; we do not endorse the views expressed in them.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by Norwegian law, we are not liable for any indirect, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages arising from your use of the site. Our total liability for any direct damages will not exceed €100. This does not limit any rights you have as a consumer under Norwegian or EU law that cannot be waived.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. The “last updated” date at the top reflects the current version. Material changes will be announced via a notice on the /settings page for signed-in users at next login, with at least 14 days’ lead time before they take effect.

Governing law and disputes

Governed by Norwegian law, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Disputes are subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of Norwegian courts — meaning EU/EEA consumers can also bring suit in their country of residence per Article 18(2) of the Brussels I Regulation.

EU consumers can also use the European Commission’s online dispute resolution platform: ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

Contact

General: [email protected]
Privacy: [email protected]
Security: [email protected]