EPUB vs. HTML

rsbrux · 03-31-2024, 04:08 AM

When I first started downloading books from gutenberg.org (for my Sony PRS-300), I never considered any other format than EPUB. Meanwhile I have discovered that the EPUB files on Gutenberg are created from HTML. Since my current e-reader (an Onyx Booox Poke3) is capable of handling HTML, I am wondering whether I would be better off loading the Gutenberg books in HTML. Does anyone here have experience or tips concerning the tradeoffs?

Turtle91 · 03-31-2024, 05:43 AM

“ePub” is simply a standard used to distribute electronic books. It specifically packages all the book contents, images, styling, fonts, etc. plus a couple administrative documents into a .zip like folder with a .ePub file extension. You can easily confirm this by renaming and changing the file extension from .ePub to .zip. Then you can easily browse all the internal documents.

The contents of the book are indeed html… or, more accurately, xhtml - which is a stricter version of html.

It would be counterproductive to load individual html files into your reader. You would be missing all the other files necessary for a good reading experience. If your device can use the ePub format, then just use that.

Having said that, files on Gutenberg, especially older ones, can have atrocious coding in the html used. I, like many others here on MR, spend time cleaning up that html coding so it displays much better. Free ePub editors like Sigil or “Calibre Editor” allow easy access to the internal files while keeping the administrative files, and the overall ePub, standards compliant.

Quoth · 03-31-2024, 06:05 AM

The Gutenberg HTML versions are for web browsers. I used to download mobi before they called it old Kindle.
I download their epub and convert it to epub to automatically fix the dialogue/quote punctuation and change spaced paragraphs to indented.
Sometimes I need to fix them in the Calibre Editor.

The only thing less useful than HTML, and very much less useful, for ebooks is PDF.

If I need to seriously edit the format/style/layout then exporting mobo/azw3/epub/epub3 to docx or even RTF and then Save As odt in LO Writer. A final extra Save As in docx when done to import to Calibre and make an epub.

HTML & CSS only involved internally in the ebooks, which may need a slight edit in Calibre or Sigil at times.

03-31-2024, 04:08 AM	#1
rsbrux Enthusiast Posts: 34 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: PRS-300 replaced by Onyx Boox Poke 3	EPUB vs. HTML When I first started downloading books from gutenberg.org (for my Sony PRS-300), I never considered any other format than EPUB. Meanwhile I have discovered that the EPUB files on Gutenberg are created from HTML. Since my current e-reader (an Onyx Booox Poke3) is capable of handling HTML, I am wondering whether I would be better off loading the Gutenberg books in HTML. Does anyone here have experience or tips concerning the tradeoffs?

03-31-2024, 05:43 AM	#2
Turtle91 A Hairy Wizard Posts: 3,228 Karma: 19001261 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Charleston, SC today Device: iPhone 15/11/X/6/iPad 1,2,Air & Air Pro/Surface Pro/Kindle PW & Fire	“ePub” is simply a standard used to distribute electronic books. It specifically packages all the book contents, images, styling, fonts, etc. plus a couple administrative documents into a .zip like folder with a .ePub file extension. You can easily confirm this by renaming and changing the file extension from .ePub to .zip. Then you can easily browse all the internal documents. The contents of the book are indeed html… or, more accurately, xhtml - which is a stricter version of html. It would be counterproductive to load individual html files into your reader. You would be missing all the other files necessary for a good reading experience. If your device can use the ePub format, then just use that. Having said that, files on Gutenberg, especially older ones, can have atrocious coding in the html used. I, like many others here on MR, spend time cleaning up that html coding so it displays much better. Free ePub editors like Sigil or “Calibre Editor” allow easy access to the internal files while keeping the administrative files, and the overall ePub, standards compliant. Last edited by Turtle91; 03-31-2024 at 05:45 AM.

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03-31-2024, 06:05 AM	#3
Quoth the rook, bossing Never. Posts: 12,386 Karma: 92073397 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper11	The Gutenberg HTML versions are for web browsers. I used to download mobi before they called it old Kindle. I download their epub and convert it to epub to automatically fix the dialogue/quote punctuation and change spaced paragraphs to indented. Sometimes I need to fix them in the Calibre Editor. The only thing less useful than HTML, and very much less useful, for ebooks is PDF. If I need to seriously edit the format/style/layout then exporting mobo/azw3/epub/epub3 to docx or even RTF and then Save As odt in LO Writer. A final extra Save As in docx when done to import to Calibre and make an epub. HTML & CSS only involved internally in the ebooks, which may need a slight edit in Calibre or Sigil at times.

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