How to download books from Open Library / Internet Archive

[workerbee]

An increasing number of non-digitized, out of print and hard-to-find books are available as scanned PDFs from Open Library / Internet Archive, both amazing non-profit ventures that are more than deserving of your charitable dollars.  There is a great deal of overlap between the two projects in terms of materials available but not infrequently a title is available on one but not the other. Always check both to be sure.

I get asked a lot how to use these resources so here is a brief review of the steps you should follow to download books

1. Create a free account on either site.

2. Download and install free copies of Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) and, if you don't already have one, a utility to remove DRM protection.  There are lots of such applications; my favorite happens to be De-DRM.

3. "Borrow" the ebook.  The text will open in the online reader.

4. At the top you'll see two options: "Return Book" and "PDF/ePub".  Click on "PDF/ePub" and then choose "Encrypted Adobe PDF".  (The formatting of the ePubs is all-but-unreadable in my opinion.)  The book will automatically download and open in ADE.

5. The file you've borrowed is still DRM-protected and will disappear from ADE, generally after 14-21 days or so, so you need to remove the DRM protection.  Run the de-DRM software.  Point it to the DRM'd book you've just downloaded and it will strip the protection, saving the file to a new folder of your choice.  You now have a copy of the PDF in perpetuity and can edit as you please.

6. You can now "return" the book you borrowed.  Go back to your browser and click on "Return Book".

I hope this helps.  If anyone has further questions, please post in this thread.

[darkblitz05]

Your guide is really helpful sir.
But I would like to ask help on how to download this one from opelibrary also

https://openlibrary.org/works/OL13302628...e_la_sposa

it is an italian book.

[workerbee]

But I would like to ask help on how to download this one from opelibrary also

https://openlibrary.org/works/OL13302628...e_la_sposa

If a book is available, it will be clearly marked as available to borrow or reserve on a wait list.  In this case, the book is merely listed in their database; no copies are available at present.

[darkblitz05]

thank you for the reply sir..
hmm if i provide you with another site that has this book is it possible? just reall wondering because its for my studies.. and i would really appreciate the help.

[workerbee]

You've created a Request thread elsewhere, which is where you should post any additional relevant info.

[LZA]

I got everything downloaded... And I got the book borrowed. I'm having an issue figuring out how to use the DRM removal software... Specifically, I can't find the app to launch it.

I half-assed read the readme's and am writing this hoping you can answer in 2 seconds what I may be missing. I have win 8.1. I can't find the launcher or when I go into the book, I can't find any selections for a plug in.

If I figure it out myself, I'll probably have to return the book before then.

[workerbee]

Sorry for the delayed response, LZA, but I haven't worked with Windows for years and don't know how to walk you through the process of setting apps up.  Perhaps someone else reading this thread can help the bitch lord?

[LZA]

NO need for apologies, thanks for responding. Every time I try to screw with it, I get pulled away. No worries, I think the hardest part is dedicating enough time to research...

---

2nd post... see.. started looking into it and bnow I have to leave...

[SectorVector]

On the 'Apprentice Alf' page, reading the following 2 sections will help i think.

1) "Do the tools work on books from Kobo?"
(This step of creating an adobe ID, is recommended but not mandatory as mentioned there. Note: Take care to install ADE 2.0.1 as mentioned in that section, not the latest version or anything else.)

2) "The DeDRM plugin for calibre"
(The DRM version of the book (epub/PDF) will be in "Documents/My Digital Editions". Give this to Calibre with the DeDRM plugin installed and you should have it)

So, to summarize,
a) Get the borrowed book to open in ADE. It should be readable.
b) Now, look for the epub/PDF in "Documents/My Digital Editions".
c) Ensure Calibre DeDRM is installed as given in AprenticeAlf's page.
d) Add the book from step (b) above to Calibre and the de-drm-ed file should be in your Calibre folder.
Open it with another viewer (SumatraPDF) to ensure DRM has been removed.

Did this long back. Hopefully i've gotten the steps right.

Take your time and hope you come back with a success story ! :-)

[Zenodotus_the_Ephesian]

I got everything downloaded... And I got the book borrowed. I'm having an issue figuring out how to use the DRM removal software... Specifically, I can't find the app to launch it.

I half-assed read the readme's and am writing this hoping you can answer in 2 seconds what I may be missing. I have win 8.1. I can't find the launcher or when I go into the book, I can't find any selections for a plug in.

If I figure it out myself, I'll probably have to return the book before then.

you should install the de-drm extension for calibre; then import the book into your calibre library. DRM will be removed automatically (at least from the copy in the calibre library).