Many Internet users are active readers of books of various genres. With the development of technology, paper publications fade into the background, giving way to digital analogues. This is due not only to progress in the industrial field, but also to their mobility, compactness and ease of reading.

E-books can always be downloaded from the Internet or read online on the websites of specialized libraries. But in Lately increasingly common earlier unknown format files with epub extension.

Epub files and their structure

The epub extension was developed by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). Electronic books with a similar format are archived files (zip archive). It contains various folders containing various information:

• description of the publication in the form of an XML file;
• the text of the book itself in one of the formats: (x)HTML or PDF;
• connected fonts;
• in catalogs with graphic information contains: pictures, photographs and other images;
• CSS files are stored in the styles directory.

This structure e-books allows the publishing house to design and implement the same functionality and display type on computers and gadgets running different operating systems.

Attention! The EPUB extension provides copyright control and protection.

How to open EPUB files

Due to its flexible implementation and configuration system, epub electronic books are becoming increasingly popular and in demand. You can use several methods to open such files:

• online mode;
• installation necessary programs or applications.

When viewing on personal computer, devices under Android control or iOS, you can use two ways to read books in digital format. To implement such operations, you can use the following software or install the necessary browser extensions:

• Windows OS - Software: Caliber, Adobe Digital Editions, Universal, Viewer or FBRreader, browser extension: EpubReader.
• Mac OS – Software: Caliber, FBRreader or CoolRreader, EpubReader extension is used to open in a browser window.
• OS Linux programmatic method: FBRreader, Caliber or CoolRreader, when using a browser you must install the EpubReader add-on;
• Android devices – applications: FBRreader or CoolRreader.
• OS iOS – iBooks ( system application), BookMate, Stanza or i2Reader.

The high popularity and demand of the format contributed to the development of “readers”, software for viewing and editing, and a wide range of browser extensions. In this regard, you can choose a program for epub files depending on the preferences and wishes of the user.

Advice. If you have constant access to the Internet, it is recommended to use online services or browser extensions that will provide fast access to the book database and will eliminate the need to load them into the device memory.

Adobe Digital Editions

Adobe software has free license and is freely distributed on the Internet. This software can be downloaded from the official website of the developer. It provides the user with the opportunity not only to view and read books in electronic format, as well as select and copy certain fragments text, make bookmarks and notes. You can also use it to search the text throughout the book or in a specific section and print required pages or sections of text and perform page-by-page navigation. In addition, depending on the selected font size, you can split the book into several columns.

Caliber

The Caliber program is specially designed for opening and editing electronic books with the epub extension. It can be downloaded for free from the developer's website. After installation, it provides the user with the following options for working with files in this format:

• catalog (sort or organize) all downloaded books in a single database (library) by author, year of publication, genre, title;
• perform the functions of a converter both into epub format from pdf, fb2, etc., and vice versa;
• provides the ability to flexibly configure literary and keyboard abbreviations;
• change appearance(interface, cover) of the program;
• provides all background information about the publication: book title, author's name, year of publication, genre, etc., and also available preview and annotation for the publication.

All these basic functions and settings greatly simplify working with the e-book, which can be customized for each user.

FBRreader

The FBRreader program differs from its analogues in its versatility. It is supported by almost all operating systems and devices. This fact testifies to its reliability, stability of opening and ease of reading books on any device and PC. It has all the functions and settings that are available in similar programs. In addition, the user is given the opportunity to view images and other illustrations in full screen format. Flexible adjustment of display brightness allows you to set the required mode depending on the ambient light level.

CoolReader

CoolRreader viewer is one of the popular and multifunctional programs for working with epub files. Its adaptation mechanism adjusts the book text (font size and style, font style) to suit the vision of each user. Thus, the strain on the reader's eyes is significantly reduced, which eliminates Negative influence on the eyeball while reading. The presence of a “talker” function and a large database of artificial voices allows you to select the required timbre and intonation of the virtual narrator. Such program features completely relieve the user of the need to read publications.

EpubReader

The EpubReader application is supported by the main ones that most Internet users use: Google Chrome, IE and Firefox. For installation this extension you need to go to the add-on store of your specific browser and enter the name in the search bar. After installation, to read books, you need to click on the application icon and select the required edition from the library.

In addition to the main and most popular programs and add-ons for opening epub files, there are many viewers, editors, etc. Each user chooses the appropriate option that will meet all his requirements.

Caliber review: video

Wednesday, April 09, 2014 15:54 + to quote book

Over time epub format is gaining more and more popularity. More and more e-books are appearing on the Internet in this format. Therefore, there is a need for a program that could open format epub on computer

You can install a program for epub reading or The easiest option is to read the book directly from your computer's browser!

This is what the program interface looks like with a file open in it epub format:

Perhaps the design will remind someone e-reader, after all epub format supported by many electronic readers. On the left and right there are buttons for turning pages open book. At the bottom of the SumatraPDF program is a page counter. In the screenshot we see that the first page of two thousand and five pages is open. That is, the book has two thousand five pages. And this book opened quickly in our program: it took less than one minute.

To navigate through open document Hot keys are provided. For example, to quickly get to last page open book press key End, and if you want to see the first page of the book, click Home. You can turn pages not only with mice, but also with keys with left and right arrows. Let's look at the screenshot:

There are no other interesting features in this program yet. And this is understandable, because it is intended to open epub format. We also note the ability to customize the page layout. By clicking “settings/parameters...” a window will open in which you can set the layout page by page, two pages, spread, etc. More details in the screenshot.

Electronic Publication This is the full name of the currently popular e-book format – ePub. This file is a zip archive that contains XML descriptions of the book itself and its publication, as well as the text itself, which is in the format (x)HTML or . The archive may also contain other folders. They store graphic materials, images and photographs, as well as built-in fonts, style sheets, etc. Due to this, publishers can easily ensure the same display of the e-book on any device and through any viewer for .epub files.

Fortunately, now there is something to open this format, and you can easily read books by famous authors on almost any modern device. Let's start with desktop computers.

Systems Windows family have the following programs in their arsenal, allowing you to read the .epub format:

Caliber (Suitable not only for viewing, but also for conversion);

ICEReader (also allows you to convert the format);
- STDU Viewer.

As for the no less famous operating system MacOS, things with her are somewhat more modest. However, there is a choice: the powerful and multifunctional Caliber and the very convenient FBReader.

Linux-like systems are also of particular variety software don't stand out, the user can choose from the same Caliber, FBReader and the very good CoolReader.

If you need to create your own book and want to do it in .epub format, you have the right to use the following software: Sigil, Jutoh, eCub.

As for mobile platforms, there is also something to roam around here.

Reliable iOS can offer users the following applications:

IBooks (native application installed by the standard);
- BookMate (which has its own personal online library);
- i2Reader;
- Stanza.

Android boasts several other “readers”: mobile FBReader and CoolReader, as well as Aldiko Book Reader.

We can draw the following conclusion– there are a considerable number of programs for reading e-books in ePub format. But if you use third party software- problem, you can get by with a regular browser.

For connoisseurs, there is the following extension - EPUBReader, whose purpose is to introduce ePub and your browser. Once you install this extension, your browser will have a new button on the toolbar. With its help, you can open a book catalog that contains a couple of sections. In one section we can observe a number free books from popular sites (Archive.org and Feedbook.com). The other section is for your personal books.

There are several ways to add a book to your extension's own library. The first way is to add from online resources by clicking on any link of a book in ePub format, it will be added to the library. The second method involves adding books from your hard drive or removable media, you will need to follow the File->Open[i].

This online “Reader” is not without a number of useful options, which allows you to customize the display of text, increase the font, change the background and much more. In addition, all previously added books will be accessible to the user even in the absence of an Internet connection.

The multimillion-dollar army of fans also has a good extension called MagicScroll. This extension places its own icon in the application tab when creating new page browser. After the first launch of the application, we will be able to add books to our own library.

By clicking on the cover of a book from the list, you will immediately open it. The upper left corner has become the corner of a row of buttons that will help us select one of the text styles and call up the table of contents of the book. Since by default the text is displayed in the Reader as a one-page text, it is advisable to switch to multi-screen reading mode; there is a special button for this.

The smart (automatic) scrolling function deserves special attention, so you can adjust the speed of automatic page scrolling to suit the pace of your reading.

Using one of these extensions you get the wonderful opportunity to read any books in ePub format directly in your own browser window, without the need for installation third party programs. At the same time, reading will also be available offline.

So we have looked at a number of applications that can help you read your favorite books in a popular electronic format. All you have to do is choose that one application or browser extension, brew some strong tea, wrap yourself in a warm blanket and you are guaranteed a pleasant evening!