Harry Potter ebooks! Really! - Page 3

odiakkoh · 03-27-2012, 10:26 AM

I'm on my phone haven't tried going to the websites yet. So as a US resident, what languages do I have access to? Just the US English?

anamardoll · 03-27-2012, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Despite the high prices (sigh), my copy of "Harry Potter and the Unauthorised Ebook" has guilted me into buying the set.

Buying the set just gets you the individual ebooks on your pottermore bookshelf. It isn't an omnibus volume, but the seven separate books.

Good to know! Thank you!

Nyssa · 03-27-2012, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatgirl

Good grief, they're finally here: Harry Potter ebooks.

Anyone want to take the plunge and find out what this "watermarking" actually entails? As in, can I transfer my ebook to all 4 bazillion ereading devices I own (I have a problem) and will it break Calibre?

They are also now available on Amazon

ProfCrash · 03-27-2012, 10:40 AM

Trying to buy them. Very excited and happy today.

ProfCrash · 03-27-2012, 10:41 AM

Interesting, buying at Amazon takes you to Pottermore

And Pottermore is not responding. I swear if the site has already crashed I am going to be one hormonally challenged, grumpy pregnant lady.

(goes to find her chocolate fix)

emilikins · 03-27-2012, 10:42 AM

If I could get the UK versions, I'd buy them. But since I'm stuck with the Americanized versions, I'm not sure if I'll buy any ebooks. I have the UK & US versions in DTB, and I never read the American ones, those are my lend outs. The later books have less variation from the original UK editions, so that's not so bad, but I hate that soccer and other American tweaks are in the early books, because, you know, Americans can't stand something different.

Nyssa · 03-27-2012, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Interesting, buying at Amazon takes you to Pottermore

Ah. I didn't notice that. I don't plan to buy them in ebook format anytime soon, so I didn't go any further than the page I linked.

ProfCrash · 03-27-2012, 10:47 AM

Pottermore has crashed on me twice, time out messages both times. I am fine on every other freaking page on the internet.

Not happy

pdurrant · 03-27-2012, 10:48 AM

My books were the British language ones.

I've now downloaded the first ebook both as a direct ePub, and through my Amazon account, both as a 'old' mobipocket type ebook and a 'new' KF8 type ebook.

The directly downloaded ePub is without encryption. The Amazon downloads had the usual Amazon encryption.

The ePub is 826,599 bytes
The mobi is 1,015,284 bytes
The KF8 is 946,160 bytes

The mobi and KF8 are so big because they don't include text compression. Running the mobi version back through Kindlegen with compression turned on produces a file only 744,440 bytes long. I'm guessing that because of the volume of ebooks they expect to be processing that they aren't using the compression option in order to save time.

The cover picture in the mobi file is a decent 600x920pixels, and 111K. It's the cover from the UK signature edition, which is a little disappointing. I'd have preferred the original covers. Perhaps it's a compromise between the originals and the dreadful 'adult' covers.

The other images are the cover for the next book, the pottermore logo (250x59), and the Hogwarts coat of arms (250x207)

The exact same images are used in the KF8 version.

The ePub has the same images, but slightly less compressed. The cover images are still 600x920, but are around 240KB instead of 120KB. The other images are also the same pixel size as in the Kindle versions, but are PNGs rather than JPGs, and so are just a tiny bit sharper.

Really, though, there's not much in it when it comes to the images.

pdurrant · 03-27-2012, 10:49 AM

BTW, for those interested in the Amazon connection, buying at Pottermore allows you to 'send' the book to your Amazon account, for downloading from there to any of your Kindle devices. Even after sending it to your Amazon account, it is still available for direct download from your Pottermore bookshelf.

ProfCrash · 03-27-2012, 10:57 AM

That would first require getting the site to load.

I have been trying to learn how to be patient but I have failed miserably. I am on my fifth attempt at loading the freaking site and it is still timing out.

pdurrant · 03-27-2012, 10:59 AM

As far as the text goes (I've checked the first chapter), it is, unsurprisingly, identical between the versions. The KF8 and ePub versions are identical bar a few carriage returns between paragraph tags.

ProfCrash · 03-27-2012, 11:00 AM

Has anyone tried to liberate the books yet?

pdurrant · 03-27-2012, 11:00 AM

At the moment the Pottermore site is loading OK for me.

Yapyap · 03-27-2012, 11:02 AM

It timed out a few times for me now too when I was trying to download all the separate books to my computer, but a refresh has solved it every time. Fortunately I didn't have any issues earlier when I bought the full set.

Presumably everyone has now found out about them, so there's a LOT of traffic.

03-27-2012, 10:41 AM	#35
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Interesting, buying at Amazon takes you to Pottermore And Pottermore is not responding. I swear if the site has already crashed I am going to be one hormonally challenged, grumpy pregnant lady. (goes to find her chocolate fix) Last edited by ProfCrash; 03-27-2012 at 10:44 AM.

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03-27-2012, 10:26 AM	#31
odiakkoh Guru Posts: 823 Karma: 1818344 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: iPhone 5s	I'm on my phone haven't tried going to the websites yet. So as a US resident, what languages do I have access to? Just the US English?

03-27-2012, 10:40 AM	#34
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Trying to buy them. Very excited and happy today.

03-27-2012, 10:42 AM	#36
emilikins Short One in the Stacks Posts: 142 Karma: 198348 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Midwest Device: HTC Flyer; Kobo WiFi	If I could get the UK versions, I'd buy them. But since I'm stuck with the Americanized versions, I'm not sure if I'll buy any ebooks. I have the UK & US versions in DTB, and I never read the American ones, those are my lend outs. The later books have less variation from the original UK editions, so that's not so bad, but I hate that soccer and other American tweaks are in the early books, because, you know, Americans can't stand something different.

03-27-2012, 10:47 AM	#38
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Pottermore has crashed on me twice, time out messages both times. I am fine on every other freaking page on the internet. Not happy

03-27-2012, 10:48 AM	#39
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 73,948 Karma: 315160596 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	My books were the British language ones. I've now downloaded the first ebook both as a direct ePub, and through my Amazon account, both as a 'old' mobipocket type ebook and a 'new' KF8 type ebook. The directly downloaded ePub is without encryption. The Amazon downloads had the usual Amazon encryption. The ePub is 826,599 bytes The mobi is 1,015,284 bytes The KF8 is 946,160 bytes The mobi and KF8 are so big because they don't include text compression. Running the mobi version back through Kindlegen with compression turned on produces a file only 744,440 bytes long. I'm guessing that because of the volume of ebooks they expect to be processing that they aren't using the compression option in order to save time. The cover picture in the mobi file is a decent 600x920pixels, and 111K. It's the cover from the UK signature edition, which is a little disappointing. I'd have preferred the original covers. Perhaps it's a compromise between the originals and the dreadful 'adult' covers. The other images are the cover for the next book, the pottermore logo (250x59), and the Hogwarts coat of arms (250x207) The exact same images are used in the KF8 version. The ePub has the same images, but slightly less compressed. The cover images are still 600x920, but are around 240KB instead of 120KB. The other images are also the same pixel size as in the Kindle versions, but are PNGs rather than JPGs, and so are just a tiny bit sharper. Really, though, there's not much in it when it comes to the images.

03-27-2012, 10:49 AM	#40
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 73,948 Karma: 315160596 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	BTW, for those interested in the Amazon connection, buying at Pottermore allows you to 'send' the book to your Amazon account, for downloading from there to any of your Kindle devices. Even after sending it to your Amazon account, it is still available for direct download from your Pottermore bookshelf.

03-27-2012, 10:57 AM	#41
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	That would first require getting the site to load. I have been trying to learn how to be patient but I have failed miserably. I am on my fifth attempt at loading the freaking site and it is still timing out.

03-27-2012, 10:59 AM	#42
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 73,948 Karma: 315160596 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	As far as the text goes (I've checked the first chapter), it is, unsurprisingly, identical between the versions. The KF8 and ePub versions are identical bar a few carriage returns between paragraph tags.

03-27-2012, 11:00 AM	#43
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Has anyone tried to liberate the books yet?

03-27-2012, 11:02 AM	#45
Yapyap Guru Posts: 861 Karma: 3543721 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Estonia Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	It timed out a few times for me now too when I was trying to download all the separate books to my computer, but a refresh has solved it every time. Fortunately I didn't have any issues earlier when I bought the full set. Presumably everyone has now found out about them, so there's a LOT of traffic.