Programs for reading e-books on a computer. FB2 - how to open and how to work with this e-book format

Those who are familiar with e-books and often download them on the Internet are already familiar with this format. But for those who accidentally downloaded a file of this format, this will be a slight surprise. Especially if you encountered it for the first time and it turned out to be impossible to open it just like that. What if there is some important information there? That’s exactly why I wrote this article, to dot all the i’s and find out what kind of file fb2 is (and there is also fb3), how to open it and how to edit it.

First of all, let's figure it out
What kind of file is fb2 format?

FB2 (FictionBook) is a format for presenting electronic versions of books in the form of XML documents, where each element of the book is described by its own tags. The standard is designed to ensure compatibility with any devices and formats. XML makes it easy to create documents that are ready for immediate use and software processing (conversion, storage, management) in any environment.
Documents, usually with the .fb2 extension, may contain structural markup of the main elements of the text, some information about the book, and may also contain attachments with binary files that may contain illustrations or the cover.

To put it simply, this is one of the most convenient formats for reading e-books (which is gaining popularity), especially since the software for opening it also exists not only for a Windows computer, but also for other distributions (operating systems) and for smartphones (also different OSes) ).

There is also fb3 format. Dry characteristics from the office. site what is the difference between fb3 and fb2 hidden under spoiler
Main differences from fb2 are not in the field of ideology, but in the field of technological solutions.

An Fb3 file is now essentially a zip archive in which meta information, pictures and text are packaged as separate files.
- Requirements for the zip file format and conventions for file naming, placement and organization are described in the ECMA-376 Part 2 standard
- Meta information is placed in a separate file, the body of the book and footnotes are placed in another file
- All pictures are taken from XML and are, ultimately, files in the archive
- Documents are linked to files not through xlink, but in accordance with the Relationships mechanism described in OPF
- In addition to a number of minor innovations in formatting (space, underlining), a fundamentally new “block” object is added, which falls out of the general flow of the document and draws up an arbitrary fragment of the book in the form of a quadrangle, which can have a border, be embedded in the text with a flow around it, and have some other placement features .
- Some tags that have semantic analogues in HTML will be renamed, for example, emphasis will turn into em.

How (how) to open a fb2 file?

There are several programs for opening. this format. Although they are not intended specifically for it, they simply support opening the same format. These programs can be used as a convenient “reader” for reading books (tuftology turned out). I will consider only the most popular and worth attention.

FBReader- the main program for opening and reading fb2 and fb3 files.

Have you looked? Have you downloaded it? Well done...
Here are a couple of options for curious perverts:

1) You can open this file with regular Word (since it is an XML document), if you don’t like the tags, save as RTF-document, and then into a regular one DOC. Click on the document and select from the Word list. Or right-click on it and select To open with... and select Word.
The disadvantages of such a conversion will be:
1- if pictures were inserted into *.fb2, they will NOT be displayed in Word;
2- most likely you will want (but this is optional) to format the text because it turns out... ummm... like a bunch of lines and sentences. Not so nice overall.

2) You can simply rename the file extension from fb2 on htm or doc or rtf, and then open this file using the same Word (if rtf or doc) or using your browser (in the case of the htm extension). The disadvantages are the same as in the previous version.

It will be easier, you don’t need to download programs, but you will only get black text on a white background. In general, it’s up to you to choose how to open the fb2 format.

How to edit a file in fb2 format?

You can use the same AlReader as presented above or ICE Book Reader Professional.

You can use a special utility FictionBook Editor.

Developer: Hose, KVS (LitRes) ()
Program status: For administrative use
Interface: Russian English
Version: 2.6 (build 05 Oct 2010)
System: Windows 2K/XP/Vista/7
Format: FB2

The archive contains instructions and the program itself.

How to convert to FB2 file format?
It will be useful for those who want to create their own book in fb2 format.

Despite the fact that epub and mobi formats are becoming increasingly popular on mobile devices, it is still too early to bury fb2 (FictionBook). Today we will look under our microscope at the best fb2 reading programs that provide maximum comfort for the eyes and without unnecessary frills. These applications should not only open e-books, but also be highly customizable.

The list of mobile fb2 readers for Android includes the following free applications:

All applications are available for download on Google Play, links to them are available next to the description of each fb2 reader. So, let's start testing.

FBReader - a cute fb2 reader for Android

Perhaps not a single review is complete without mentioning. If you don’t know how to open a fb2 file, then this is the application that first comes to mind, regardless of the platform. The fact is that FBReader is available everywhere:

• for desktop OS (Windows / Mac OS / Linux)
• mobile phones and tablets (Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry 10)

Only iOS is missing from this list - but, of course, there are quite a few “native” reader applications for reading in this mobile OS.

In addition to fb2, the FBreader application for Android successfully opens the following document formats: ePub, azw3, Word documents, HTML, simple text documents, PDF and (via the module). True, the last of these are available after installing the plugins, which are available for free download on the application website.

Let's see why the FBReader project was developed, what are the main features of the reader and why it should be used to read books on Android? Let's list the three main features of the reader (highlighted in bold).

Synchronizing books on your phone using a network library. FBReader provides a cloud service for storing books. You can (follow the link - a list of electronic libraries) easily upload documents and books in fb2 format (they can be compressed into a zip archive) to the cloud, and then access and read them on any device. The position (where you are in the document) will be saved. By the way, synchronization can be configured in a couple of clicks; by default it is disabled.

How to open fb2 using FBReader?

In addition to your own library, you can connect additional online catalogs and bookstores. As for me, I don’t use the network functions of the FBReader reader at all, I just download books from popular online libraries to my Android in fb2 format. This is a standard way to download books, which works like a charm.

Setting up the display of fb2 books. In addition to the fact that FBReader has a pleasant user interface, it is nice to be able to fine-tune the display of text in the book. In this regard, it is necessary to note color schemes, night and day reading modes, screen brightness, changing the background background, text color, font size and typeface. You can download your favorite fonts to Android in TrueType or OpenType format and specify them in the reader settings.

Finally, the third feature of this fb2 reading program for Android will appeal to those who read books in foreign languages ​​- namely, the easy connection of dictionaries to translate words in the text of books. Take the same Kindle: there you can connect an English-Russian dictionary and quickly find out the translation of a particular word when you highlight it. This feature is often not available on Android readers, but FBReader is a pleasant exception. You add ColorDict, Fora Dictionary, FreeDictionary.org dictionaries to your phone, tell FBReader where to get the words from - and you can read FictionBook books and .

AlReader - old fb2 reader with good functionality

AlReader is a fairly old reader for fb2, which appeared at the dawn of the heyday of mobile phones. When opening the application, there is even a feeling of nostalgia: AlReader is too reminiscent of its earlier versions. That is, the interface has not changed much since then. This can be approached in two ways: on the one hand, if you have already opened books in FB Reader and similar readers, then you most likely will not like the interface of the AlReader application. On the other hand, we advise you to still evaluate other aspects of this mobile application.

The AlReader application boasts support not only for the Fb2 format, but also for reading books in epub, mobi, doc, including from archives. You can use a local or online library to navigate your document. Actually, inside the book you can also navigate through sections (one of fb2’s features, by the way), create bookmarks and notes as you read. The app recognizes many gestures, which makes sense. primarily for adjusting brightness and navigation.

The appearance and style of displaying the book on the phone screen is conveniently customizable: indents, background and font color, typeface size, flipping effects - in general, everything that can be found in any developed program for reading e-books on Android.

In short, we would advise you to pay attention to the AlReader mobile reader simply because it is a proven reader among users not only of Android, but also of other mobile platforms. And the unsightly shell is partly compensated by skins and excellent functionality.

Moon+ Reader - fb2 “lunar” reader for night owls

"Lunar Reader" is not much inferior to the same FBReader; it can be used with the same success for reading books in FB2 format, not only. The list of supported book formats includes popular mobile formats epub, txt, html, pdf, mobi, fb2 and others. Books can be packaged in rar and zip archives and opened without problems on Android via Moon+ Reader.

Similar to the FBReader reader, Moon Reader has the ability to connect online libraries with books. You can also download e-books in the above formats to an SD card or internal memory, and then open them in the application.

Reading convenience is excellent: adjusting font sizes, colors, backgrounds, indents, shadows, transparency and other beauties that in one way or another affect the perception of color. Returning to the name of the application - Moon Reader - yes, reading at night in this reader is quite convenient, there are a dozen design themes, as well as night and day reading modes.

When reading, it is worth noting the following features: auto-scrolling, smooth scrolling of text, adjusting screen brightness when sliding, optimization for long reading, flipping effects, adjusting text alignment, hyphenation, display modes for both tablets and small screens of Android devices.

If we talk about the unique features of the fb2 program, then this is an unusually wide support for gestures. You can customize literally any command by assigning a specific gesture for its execution. And if Kindle or another e-ink reader beats the screen in terms of reading pleasure, then in terms of gestures Android is ahead of the rest. You can configure actions for taps, volume control buttons, search, camera button and others. You have 24 operations at your disposal that you can assign these gestures to.

Good news for lovers of foreign literature and for attentive readers who like to scribble in the margins: Moon Reader is very convenient for highlighting fragments of text, you can connect dictionaries to translate text, popular translator dictionaries ColorDict, Fora, ABBYY Lingvo and others are supported. In this aspect, Moon Reader surpasses even the authoritative reader FBReader.

Prestigio Reader - a good phone reader for book formats

Prestigio Reader can open many book formats, but primarily focuses on mobile ones: these are FB2, ePub, DjVU, etc. If you prefer to listen to audiobooks, then the reader will satisfy these needs without any problems.

Prestigio Reader is a truly “prestigious” program for reading fb2 books

Prestigio Reader is, frankly, a very pleasant discovery for us. At the first steps, when working with the reader, everything is intuitive. First, the guide illustrates where and what elements should be used in the application.

Fb2 books are added to the library automatically through intelligent search. Which is incredibly convenient, because... you don’t need to search for files on your phone yourself, although Prestigio Reader has a file manager for these purposes. In addition, more than 5 thousand books are available for download in the online library.

The interface of the Prestigio Reader application is very pleasant and fresh. By default, everything should be fine, but in any case, you can customize the design of the fb2 book to suit you. In quick settings - font sizes, indents, typeface. By going to the advanced settings, you will see settings for styles, colors, panels, animations - even more than what the user needs when reading files in fb2 format.

PocketBook - FB2 and PDF reader for Android

The PocketBook program is designed for reading fb2 books on a mobile device on the Android platform. It’s hardly worth listing the book formats this reader works with - it covers all popular extensions, essentially duplicating both Moon Reader and FBReader.

Hand on heart, we have to admit that among fb2 readers for Android there are not so many pleasant programs in which a) the interface looks modern b) it’s pleasant to read books. Unfortunately, on Google Play there are pdf and fb2 readers with a frankly poor shell. You open them and think: well, all hope is that the pages in the book will look normal, at least the program won’t let you down in this regard. But no, and the fonts match the interface.

As for the PocketBook application for Android, the opposite is true: it is one of the most successful applications for reading books in the FictionBook format. The developers achieved this through convenient navigation through the library and the implementation of a radial menu.

At first, such a device for the main menu in PocketBook requires some getting used to, which is understandable: it’s rare to see such know-how in any mobile fb2 reader. But then it becomes clear that through this menu you can carry out almost all the necessary actions: change font sizes, adjust brightness, go to the menu, etc. In the main menu of the application, a standard set of parameters is available for customizing the display of text in the book: indents, colors, themes.

In a word, the developers of the PocketBook application tried their best and released a high-quality product for reading on Android. Interestingly, the same team is developing e-books using e-ink ink and related accessories.

EBookDroid - FB2 and PDF reader

The EBookDroid reader focuses on two book formats - PDF and Deja Vu, but fb2 books can also be read with the same convenience on a phone or tablet. However, what about this very convenience?

After a quick test of the EBookDroid, the feeling is twofold. On the one hand, all the basic reading functions are in place. You can open books, navigate between pages and sections, leave bookmarks and comment in a variety of ways, customize the display of fonts, and even add your own typefaces.

However, as for the shell itself, it is not very pleasing to the eye. Although the EBookDroid application is updated quite regularly, these innovations affect the visual shell to a small extent. The FictionBook reading application looks as if the year is not 2016, but 2006.

We hope that soon we will be able to download the fb2 program in material design version. And this is not a matter of taste, but a simple requirement from most Android OS users.

Cool Reader - old-fashioned reader for Android

The free old-school fb2 reader for Android called Cool Reader supports almost all popular e-book formats (PDF, MOBI, RTF, FictionBook itself, etc.), although, for example, DOC and AZW3 are not on the list.

Old school - because the interface, as in the previous case, is a little outdated. This creates certain inconveniences: firstly, the bookshelf is not as effective as in the case of PocketBook (it could simply be replaced with a simple list); secondly, you immediately have to rearrange everything “to suit you”: background, color, font size and alignment.

If you close your eyes to the user shell, then, as the developer notes on the program description page, Cool Reader at the same time has similarities with FBReader, Aldiko, AlReader, Moon reader and other representatives of fb2-readers for Android. Therefore, the list of functions is similar to all of the above.

Summary. We have mentioned, in our opinion, the best fb2 readers for Android. As you can see, there is always something to open both fb2 and pdf, epub, mobi. The following reviews will look at these mobile formats for storing books on your phone. Good luck!

Despite the fact that mobile e-books have appeared, replacing traditional paper sources of information for readers, it is advisable to have a book reader on your own computer. It may be needed, for example, for reading technical, scientific and fiction literature, as well as for viewing drawings that are now created in book format.
There are a lot of programs for reading books on a computer. Below is a selection of readers that have managed to prove themselves from the best side.

Cool Reader

The features of the computer reader are as follows:

• automatic page turning. The function can be disabled if you need to spend significant time familiarizing yourself with the data on the page;
• adjusting the background and font brightness in accordance with the user's wishes;
• viewing the contents of books in archives without unpacking them.

ALReader

The main feature of the reader is its many settings. But the average user is unlikely to have to change anything, and he can easily get by with the default settings. ALReader supports a lot of formats, including ODT and FB2. It is precisely thanks to the ability to view the last two formats that the reader has become in demand.

It is noteworthy that when creating the program, the creators paid special attention to its design. Having opened ALReader, the user will be surprised to see a book on printed newspaper sheets in front of him. To use the reader there is no need to install it. Immediately after downloading it can be used in full mode.

FBReader

It has a simple and intuitive interface that is easy to customize if desired. All open book files are classified according to characteristics - title, genre and author.

There is no need to move e-books to a shared folder - FBReader automatically creates links to their location in the computer's memory. The program has one drawback - a two-page mode is not provided.

Adobe Reader

Documents in PDF format can also pose a threat to your computer. Attackers inject malicious scripts into them, and therefore, before opening anything, you should check the file in an antivirus program.

The same problem applies to other programs where you can open books and documents in PDF. To minimize risks, you should use only the latest versions of the reader. The program takes up a lot of space in the computer's memory and takes much longer to install than other software products with similar purposes.

DjVuViwer

The advantages of the program are as follows:

• opening documents in other formats besides .djvu;
• you can scroll through all the pages, rather than flipping through them two at a time, which happens in the vast majority of programs;
• creating bookmarks in a simple and convenient way;
• fast speed of opening books.

Foxit Reader

The program menu is presented in several languages. The application operates primarily on computers running Windows. But, recently, versions have appeared that can run on PCs running Windows OS.

ICE Book Reader Professional

The program includes two modules of equal importance - a library and a reader. You can choose one-page or two-page mode to view documents.

Often the mode is selected in accordance with the user's preferences and the size of the monitor screen. Each mode has its own set of settings.

The advantage and at the same time the disadvantage (due to the increase in data space occupied) of the reader is that it automatically downloads all books to the library in full. So the file can be deleted from the main location at a later time.

If the amount of data storage space is small, then you should go to the settings and adjust the compression level.

ICE Book Reader Professional has the following features:

• support for files in various formats. Exception - .pdf;
• The entered settings are remembered by the reader automatically. The next time you turn it on, you will not need to change the parameters again;
• data can be opened from archives without involving one or another archiver. Information can be viewed in archives in the following formats: .zip, .rar and others.

STDU Viewer

The most important advantage is multi-format. With it you can open documents in .pdf format.

Conclusion

FBReader is a free computer program for reading e-books in various formats. The program works in the operating systems Android, Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, BlackBerry OS and others. FBReader is open source software.

FBReader was originally written to run on the Sharp Zaurus, and was later ported to many platforms, including Siemens SIMpad, Archos PMA430, Motorola (E680i, A780, A1200, E8/Em30, Zn5, u9), Nokia Internet Tablet, Familiar, Microsoft Windows XP and Linux on computers and e-readers. The desktop version uses libraries (version 3 or 4) or to create the user interface.

The FBReader program can create virtual libraries in which you can group books into thematic sections. The advantage of such libraries is that there is no need to wander through the file system directories in search of the desired publication.

FBReader supports most common e-book formats: ePub, FB2 (not containing tables), PalmDoc, zTXT, TCR, TXT. Version 1.6.1 (Android) introduced support for the Microsoft Word doc format. Support for HTML, CHM and RTF is declared. PDF and DjVu formats are not supported. FBReader can open book files inside zip, tar, and . A distinctive feature of the program is the lack of support for tables for all formats.

There is no traditional menu, only a toolbar with buttons is presented. At the bottom of the window, by default, an indicator is displayed showing the total number of pages and the current page, as well as the system time. Customization options include control over text formatting and page turning, the ability to mark text, and set the amount of text indentation from the edge.

Main features of FBReader

• Working with texts inside zip, tar, .
• Encoding support:

UTF-8, US-ASCII, Windows-1251, Windows-1252, KOI8-R, IBM866, ISO 8859, Big5, GBK.

• Hyperlink support.
• Remembers the last opened book.
• List of recently opened files.
• Text search.
• Full screen mode.
• Rotate the screen 90°, 180° and 270° degrees.

FBReader supported formats

• FictionBook (.fb2 .fb2.zip)
• plucker (.pdb)
• Palmdoc/AportisDoc (.doc.prc)
• OpenReader
• Unprotected DRM mobipocket format
• Simple text

If you read e-books, the fb2 file format is definitely familiar to you.

If you have never encountered such formats before, and you don’t know how to open it on your device, this article is for you.

What is FB2?

Fb2 is one of the most common e-book formats. Its essence is to group XML tags for each file attribute.

This allows you to create a universal document format that is displayed identically on all devices, regardless of the operating system and software used.

How to open FB2 in Windows?

Ebook Reader is another good program for Windows that can work with books in fb2 and epub format.

The developer has implemented two versions of the program: a free and PRO version.

The application is supported on Windows 10. The main feature of the utility is the speed of operation and simplicity of the interface, which does not distract the user from the process of reading the document.

Also, for comfortable interaction, you can select your native language from more than 20 available.

How to open FB2 on Mac OS?

Caliber– a free utility for the Mac OS operating system, with which you can quickly open electronic files in fb2, mobi, epub formats.

In addition to standard functions, users can also create their own rating of the books they read.

Thanks to the synchronization function with the largest digital libraries, you can access Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

The utility also supports conversion of all e-book formats.

Online services for working with fb2:

Service Magazon very easy to use. All that is required from the user is to select the desired book on your computer and upload it to the server.

It will automatically open in a new browser window:

BooksGid– with this service you can access a library with more than 200,000 books completely free of charge. All works are divided by genres and subjects.

Also, all users have the right to independently upload a file in fb2 format to the service and read it.

To add a file, select the appropriate item in the service menu:

Cool Reader is a popular program in the Play Market that supports almost all electronic document formats, including fb2. You can download the program for free.

The application includes support for styles, illustrations, adjustment of several reading modes (day or night), the ability to customize the background, add bookmarks and create your own bookshelf.

The turning of pages is very realistic, and reminds us as much as possible of real book pages.

Easy Reader– another good free reader with a simple interface.

Users have access to the ability to save bookmarks, quickly change text size, and instantly scroll through the entire book.

Easy Reader also automatically finds all files with supported formats on your phone.

Rice. 12 – appearance of the Easy Reader utility on Android