The Edit Metadata "view format" action is identical in nature to the Alt+V "View Format" action, and is buried within the EM widget which itself is a built-in plugin, so, no.
If you want to strictly view books with no chance of updating them in any way, including last-viewed, use CalibreSpy.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=310103
CalibreSpy was designed from the start to be read-only.
Use CalibreSpy in CLI mode (run from a .bat file), not from the Calibre GUI, to avoid the Calibre Edit Metadata modal window from hiding it, since running CS directly from its icon in the Calibre GUI makes it subservient to Calibre.
See the CalibreSpy Original Post for .bat files for you to download and use.
I highly recommend the "pre-filtering" version of the .bat file if you are looking for something special, metadata-wise.
CS has functionality from several of my plugins "built in", and you can have multiple CS windows open in the same and/or different Libraries simultaneously.
DaltonST