Copy kindle contents to calibre

silverfox55 · 03-30-2013, 04:40 AM

Hi
Sometime ago I tried calibre to try and copy the contents of my kindle to calibre. It would not copy the books and collections over. I read somewhere about a plugin and installed that, still no joy.

Has Calibre been developed further where it is easy to copy the collections and books from a Kindle to Calibre. Or, do you still have to be a professor in computing to do it.

When I tried before I just uninstalled Calibre as it was not fit for purpose.

Mike L · 03-30-2013, 04:50 AM

I don't know if this is the recommended method, but I would first copy the books from the Kindle to a folder on the computer (how you do that depends on your system; in Windows, it's a straight drag-and-drop). Then drag the corresponding files from that folder into Calibre.

Of course, there might be DRM issues, but that's another matter.

As for Calibre not being fit for purpose, that depends on what you think its purpose is. I use it to keep track of my book collection, and also to edit the metadata and sometimes change the books' covers. For those purposes, it is extremely fit.

Mike

silverfox55 · 03-30-2013, 05:09 AM

That would be possible. It was however my understanding that Calibre was supposed to do this. Obviously not. I have seen comments about how wonderful Calibre was for transfering books etc.

It would seem that all the hype about Calibre is sheer bluster when it cannot copy books and collections over via its own interface. That is why i said it was not fit for purpose when it cannot do the simple things.

alanHd · 03-30-2013, 05:54 AM

Hi

To copy the books into Calibre. when the kindle is connected you select the device icon in calibre.

Select all the books you want to add then right click and select add to library.

If you want to transfer your collections, your kindle would have to be jailbroken and you would need the coolections manager installed on your kindle.

see the following thread for specific details.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=186305

soulfuldog · 03-30-2013, 06:36 AM

You should have posted this in the Calibre forum, and who knows, you might have picked up some useful information on how to use Calibre if you'd looked in that forum before posting. It seems Calibre is pretty wasted on you anyway?! Learn how to use it and what it can be used for and it's an incredibly useful bit of software - and it's free to boot!

silverfox55 · 03-30-2013, 07:20 AM

All I wanted was a simple way of copying my collections complete with books into Calibre. Given all the hype about Calibre I thought it was a simple process. Evidently it is far from it, and anything else for that matter.
Also the link provided is not for a K3 which I have.
So all in all the common advice here is
Dont bother as it is very time consuming and not for beginners.
Calibre is not for ordinary people
dont come to this forum for advice.

Thanks very much !!!!

alanHd · 03-30-2013, 07:33 AM

If you had actually stated which Kindle you had, in your profile in the first place!

If you took the time to explore calibre you would find what a great tool it is. Kovid and the other developers on here put a lot of Time and effort into making life easier for people, all for no reward.

If it bothers you so much get off your arse and code it yourself or pay for someone to do it for you.

You wont get anymore help from me I'm out of here

soulfuldog · 03-30-2013, 07:33 AM

You've been given some advice? It is very easy to copy your books from your Kindle into Calibre with a couple of clicks of your mouse as alanHd has already explained. Collections are a bit more complicated though and requires you to use a collections plug-in in Calibre (I *think*), and possibly jailbreaking your Kindle depending on what version you have.

Remember though, Calibre is the library management tool, not your Kindle so generally creating collections in Calibre, sorting your books into them and copying all of that across to your Kindle is the way to do it, not the other way around.

Try posting your query in the Calibre forum and you'll get more help regarding collections, but perhaps don't be so rude about the excellent free software and people will no doubt be happy to help.

But to sum it up, going on your last reply despite people trying to help, I'm with alan, enjoy your Kindle but if that last post is typical of how you respond......

Mike L · 03-30-2013, 11:58 AM

Silverfox,

If you don't want to use Calibre, that's entirely up to you. But I wouldn't write it off just because it cannot perform one particular task (copying collections). If you take the time to explore it, you'll find that it is an incredibly useful piece of software. It wouldn't have such a huge user base if it wasn't.

As for your remark about not coming to this forum for advice, I can only say that I have had several problems with my Kindle over the years, and the advice I've received here has always been excellent. I'm not a technical expert in these matters, but I've always been able to solve my problems with the help of the regulars in this forum (who, by the way, all give their time freely and without personal reward).

Mike

Shopaholic · 03-30-2013, 08:38 PM

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.....

silverfox55 · 03-31-2013, 06:47 AM

Looks like you have just confirmed and backed up my comment

Stingo · 03-31-2013, 07:24 AM

Wow silverfox55. Has anyone ever mentioned that you have communication problems. I suggest Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence people" for your e-reader. The people on this forum are your best source of kindle information so try not to piss them off.

Calibre is a general purpose e-book library program. It is not Kindle specific although it works great with Kindle. You can transfer non-drm'd books back to your kindle as described above by choosing the device tab, selecting the books and adding back to library. DRM books are another process.

If you fill out your profile correctly and go over to the Calibre forum, Kovid is always receptive to upgrade requests. Ultimately if Calibre does not do what you want you are going to have a very hard time finding any other program that does. Happy Easter.

Shopaholic · 03-31-2013, 01:32 PM

That was very nice of you to continue to try helping him Stingo but sadly there is no cure for Grumpy Old Man syndrome.

OP doesn't want to listen so there's no point. They came here PO'd with a closed mind. There's nothing anyone could have done but simply say goodbye.

pidgeon92 · 03-31-2013, 06:42 PM

Calibre is for managing ebooks, not managing Kindles or other ebook readers. That it is constantly updated to allow interfacing with various devices is a nice plus, and must be a PITA for the developer. There is no application that is going to store your collections and backup your Kindle ebook library out-of-the-box.

I think it would be nice if Amazon offered a desktop solution (similar to iTunes) but they don't. Like most everyone these days, they are going with a cloud backup/storage solution.

Dr. Drib · 04-01-2013, 04:21 PM

silverfox55 was extremely rude to the members here who were trying to help him.

Since this forum is not for him - "Don't come to this forum for advice" - this thread is now closed.

Don
(Moderator)

03-30-2013, 04:40 AM	#1
silverfox55 Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2013 Device: Kindle	Copy kindle contents to calibre Hi Sometime ago I tried calibre to try and copy the contents of my kindle to calibre. It would not copy the books and collections over. I read somewhere about a plugin and installed that, still no joy. Has Calibre been developed further where it is easy to copy the collections and books from a Kindle to Calibre. Or, do you still have to be a professor in computing to do it. When I tried before I just uninstalled Calibre as it was not fit for purpose.

03-30-2013, 07:33 AM	#8
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	You've been given some advice? It is very easy to copy your books from your Kindle into Calibre with a couple of clicks of your mouse as alanHd has already explained. Collections are a bit more complicated though and requires you to use a collections plug-in in Calibre (I think), and possibly jailbreaking your Kindle depending on what version you have. Remember though, Calibre is the library management tool, not your Kindle so generally creating collections in Calibre, sorting your books into them and copying all of that across to your Kindle is the way to do it, not the other way around. Try posting your query in the Calibre forum and you'll get more help regarding collections, but perhaps don't be so rude about the excellent free software and people will no doubt be happy to help. But to sum it up, going on your last reply despite people trying to help, I'm with alan, enjoy your Kindle but if that last post is typical of how you respond...... Last edited by soulfuldog; 03-30-2013 at 07:36 AM.

03-31-2013, 07:24 AM	#12
Stingo Fanatic Posts: 559 Karma: 1334691 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Miami Device: KH2O, KPW2, KDXG, KPW1, K3, S505	Wow silverfox55. Has anyone ever mentioned that you have communication problems. I suggest Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence people" for your e-reader. The people on this forum are your best source of kindle information so try not to piss them off. Calibre is a general purpose e-book library program. It is not Kindle specific although it works great with Kindle. You can transfer non-drm'd books back to your kindle as described above by choosing the device tab, selecting the books and adding back to library. DRM books are another process. If you fill out your profile correctly and go over to the Calibre forum, Kovid is always receptive to upgrade requests. Ultimately if Calibre does not do what you want you are going to have a very hard time finding any other program that does. Happy Easter. Last edited by Stingo; 03-31-2013 at 01:38 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Error when trying to transfer contents to Calibre	kindlethefire	Devices	12	04-11-2012 07:04 AM
How to copy all settings from Calibre to Calibre Portable?	Joanna	Calibre	1	03-13-2012 02:17 PM
Calibre Conversion for Table of Contents	rewilkins8	Conversion	5	06-03-2011 10:50 AM
How to do Table of Contents in Calibre?	Killian	Conversion	29	05-09-2011 03:05 PM
Calibre can't read Kindle contents	AmandaReckonwith	Devices	3	03-26-2011 05:21 AM

03-30-2013, 04:50 AM	#2
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,479 Karma: 3846231 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy	I don't know if this is the recommended method, but I would first copy the books from the Kindle to a folder on the computer (how you do that depends on your system; in Windows, it's a straight drag-and-drop). Then drag the corresponding files from that folder into Calibre. Of course, there might be DRM issues, but that's another matter. As for Calibre not being fit for purpose, that depends on what you think its purpose is. I use it to keep track of my book collection, and also to edit the metadata and sometimes change the books' covers. For those purposes, it is extremely fit. Mike

03-30-2013, 05:09 AM	#3
silverfox55 Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2013 Device: Kindle	That would be possible. It was however my understanding that Calibre was supposed to do this. Obviously not. I have seen comments about how wonderful Calibre was for transfering books etc. It would seem that all the hype about Calibre is sheer bluster when it cannot copy books and collections over via its own interface. That is why i said it was not fit for purpose when it cannot do the simple things.

03-30-2013, 05:54 AM	#4
alanHd Addict Posts: 374 Karma: 1408579 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle Touch, Ipod Touch, Ipad Air	Hi To copy the books into Calibre. when the kindle is connected you select the device icon in calibre. Select all the books you want to add then right click and select add to library. If you want to transfer your collections, your kindle would have to be jailbroken and you would need the coolections manager installed on your kindle. see the following thread for specific details. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=186305

03-30-2013, 06:36 AM	#5
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	You should have posted this in the Calibre forum, and who knows, you might have picked up some useful information on how to use Calibre if you'd looked in that forum before posting. It seems Calibre is pretty wasted on you anyway?! Learn how to use it and what it can be used for and it's an incredibly useful bit of software - and it's free to boot!

03-30-2013, 07:20 AM	#6
silverfox55 Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2013 Device: Kindle	All I wanted was a simple way of copying my collections complete with books into Calibre. Given all the hype about Calibre I thought it was a simple process. Evidently it is far from it, and anything else for that matter. Also the link provided is not for a K3 which I have. So all in all the common advice here is Dont bother as it is very time consuming and not for beginners. Calibre is not for ordinary people dont come to this forum for advice. Thanks very much !!!!

03-30-2013, 11:58 AM	#9
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,479 Karma: 3846231 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy	Silverfox, If you don't want to use Calibre, that's entirely up to you. But I wouldn't write it off just because it cannot perform one particular task (copying collections). If you take the time to explore it, you'll find that it is an incredibly useful piece of software. It wouldn't have such a huge user base if it wasn't. As for your remark about not coming to this forum for advice, I can only say that I have had several problems with my Kindle over the years, and the advice I've received here has always been excellent. I'm not a technical expert in these matters, but I've always been able to solve my problems with the help of the regulars in this forum (who, by the way, all give their time freely and without personal reward). Mike

03-30-2013, 08:38 PM	#10
Shopaholic Cockatoo Mom! Posts: 1,509 Karma: 1812695 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: PW4, Kobo: A1, Clara, Libra 2, iPad Pro 11, iPad Mini	Don't let the door hit you on the way out.....

03-31-2013, 06:47 AM	#11
silverfox55 Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2013 Device: Kindle	Looks like you have just confirmed and backed up my comment

03-31-2013, 01:32 PM	#13
Shopaholic Cockatoo Mom! Posts: 1,509 Karma: 1812695 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: PW4, Kobo: A1, Clara, Libra 2, iPad Pro 11, iPad Mini	That was very nice of you to continue to try helping him Stingo but sadly there is no cure for Grumpy Old Man syndrome. OP doesn't want to listen so there's no point. They came here PO'd with a closed mind. There's nothing anyone could have done but simply say goodbye.

03-31-2013, 06:42 PM	#14
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	Calibre is for managing ebooks, not managing Kindles or other ebook readers. That it is constantly updated to allow interfacing with various devices is a nice plus, and must be a PITA for the developer. There is no application that is going to store your collections and backup your Kindle ebook library out-of-the-box. I think it would be nice if Amazon offered a desktop solution (similar to iTunes) but they don't. Like most everyone these days, they are going with a cloud backup/storage solution.

04-01-2013, 04:21 PM	#15
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 44,748 Karma: 55645321 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: Kindle: Oasis 3, Voyage WiFi; Kobo: Libra 2, Aura One	silverfox55 was extremely rude to the members here who were trying to help him. Since this forum is not for him - "Don't come to this forum for advice" - this thread is now closed. Don (Moderator)