[cybmole]

makes sense. I'll know now to try cp1250 in future, if I see those slanted opening quotes.

I'll postpone learning about utf8 until I 'm forced to :-)

my 2nd point was this:

convert from txt to epub with heuristics on cleaned up all of the flow issues
but convert zip to epub did not ( the zip being the result of open in word, save as filtered html etc...) probably because of what word did tot he file in the interim.

with source in notepad++ If I chose encode in UTF8, I see stuff that does not paste well to here. but you reckon calibre would have understood it ?
e.g. the test line would begin X93Wales ( with X93 bit in inverse video)..... youX92re.... miss me.x94