Online Italian Club

Just what IS an e-book, anyway?

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An e-book is basically just a computer file, and can come in many file different formats according to where and how you intend to use it.

The simplest option is the .pdf (portable document format), which is used for all types of documents, not just e-books.

Let me explain.

Suppose I write a short story for learners of Italian, add a couple of exercises, some glossaries, answer keys, and so on. To make it look nice, I choose a font I like and style the headings. I even design a cover, just like a real book.

I do all this with LibreOffice Writer, which is a FREE alternative to the expensive Microsoft Office suite of applications (check it out here, we use it throughout our business and highly recommend it!)

I save the file in whichever format I prefer – Microsoft’s .doc is a common choice. But the default for LibreOffice Writer is .odt (stands for ‘open document text’), so I’ll use that.

Suppose further that I e-mail you my draft and say, ‘Hey! Take a look at my e-book, will you? And e-mail me your thoughts?’

When you click on the file attachment, your computer, tablet or phone will choose an application capable of assembling the data in the file into something you can read.

Good smart-phones or tablets usually have an application that can read document attachments, but it’s not guaranteed: you might just get an error message.

If you’re using a computer with Microsoft Office installed, you’ll find that you won’t be able to see my file either. That’s Microsoft being a deliberate pain-in-the-ass.

But let’s assume you manage to open my file. Whatever application opens it will interpret the code and display the results according to the resources it has available.

Not every computer has the same library of fonts, for example. So what you see might be very different from what I intended, which could in turn affect the way the pages display, the positioning of images, and so on.

Basically, my hard work in trying to make everything look professional is very likely to have been wasted. Unless you’re using the same sort of computer, and the same application as I am, what you see will be different from what I see.

Which is where the portable document format (.pdf) comes in.

As I finish my masterpiece, I save the file. But I don’t send it to you like that. First, I export my file into .pdf format  – it’s a bit like taking a photo of my file, so that everyone who looks at it will see it exactly as I intended.

Conclusion?

At its simplest, an e-book is just a computer file, which can be something specific to a certain type of device (like Amazon’s Kindle), or something more general, like a .pdf.

We use .pdf because just about EVERYONE can open a .pdf on whatever sort of device.

It’s far from being the fanciest option, but you can save, make backup copies, even print it, if you hate trees that much.

Got a question about e-books? Or just can’t figure out all this modern technology? Go ahead and leave a comment on this article and I’ll try to help.

But the best way to understand new things, as any child knows, is to have a play.

You’ll find plenty of examples in our our online shop. There’s usually a link to download a free sample chapter, which is an excellent way to find out

  1. if your tablet, smart-phone or computer will let you read it, and
  2. if the material is suitable for your level in Italian

Here are links to our simplified Italian readers. Click away!

P.S.

Comments, as always are welcome. Click this link to view this article on our website, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and complete the comments form.

So, what’s it to be?

Dead mashed tree? Or portable document format?

Can’t wait to hear your views!

Comments

  1. The ebooks are great, they are a great way to plan your daily Italian session, as much or as little as you want to commit. So much better to get a text at the right level than to struggle and get depressed spending more time in the dictionary than is healthy. They are also encouraging as you realise you are improving. just another great tool in the box, thank you

  2. Daniel
    here is another construct from left field

    Inglese –
    Mr.Rossi wants to make an SIP phone call but he has no tokens
    He asks his wife if she has any to which she replies no
    Italiano-
    Signor Rossi – scusa, hai un getone? Devo fare una telefonata
    Signora Rossi – mi dispiace, non ce l’ho

    My question is about “non ce l’ho”
    “non” easy
    “non L’ho” – I do not have it
    BUT why the ‘ce’
    I know that two object pronouns together change for example, “ ci lo ” becomes “ ce lo ”
    “ lo ” becomes “ l’ ”if followed by a vowel

    I understand the following,
    Inglese –
    Signor Rossi – I would like to speak to Marco
    Signora Rossi – Marco is not here
    Italiano
    Signor Rossi – vorrei parlare a Marco
    Signora Rossi – Marco non c’è
    In this instance c’ = ci means there / here

    I cannot be the only one asking such questions, comunque nobody else seems to ask them so there may not be that much interest, BUT if there are comments on this comment it would be good to find where we post such questions

    Maybe you could start off with a post “Questions for August” or the like and then any questions and comments on specific questions could be posted there With a spam beating capcha

    Or maybe I am talking rubbish, we will soon see

    Thanks again for all your effort Daniel
    Cheers
    John

    • Hi John,

      As you say, there don’t seem to be many questions from the 500 or so daily users of this site.

      But they’re always welcome.

      So, my Italian grammar consultant tells me that in ‘Non ce l’ho’ the ‘ce’ is used simply because it is – it’s one of those weird things with no obvious explanation. And the translation would simply be ‘I haven’t got it.’

      Wordreference.com gives a more technical explanation here. They say it’s a variation of the pronoun/adverbial ‘ci’ which you use before other pronouns such as lo la li le & ne.

      There are loads of forum discussions on the topic too. Follow the links at the bottom of the definition page.

  3. Daniel, don’t let Jan get to you. It’s impossible to please everybody – even Jesus Christ didn’t manage that. I’m sure lots of people, like me, find your articles, etc., really helpful, especially the listening. I look forward to receiving your emails. By the way, the past participle of mislead is misled. I think you unconsciously copied Jan’s mistake, probably because you were incavolato.
    Please keep going, we love what you’re doing.

    • You’re right, Nina. I even looked it up to be sure, then wrote it wrongly anyway…
      Thanks for the correction, and for the positive feedback about the site. I appreciate it.

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