epub to mobi conversion error

[perkin5]

I am trying to convert the attached file to mobi. Sigil FlightCrew shows no errors. The Calibre error log is as follows:

calibre, version 2.9.0 (win32, isfrozen: True)
Conversion Error: Failed: Convert book 1 of 1 (Devil's Charge)

Convert book 1 of 1 (Devil's Charge)
Resolved conversion options
calibre version: 2.9.0
{'asciiize': False,
'author_sort': None,
'authors': None,
'base_font_size': 0.0,
'book_producer': None,
'change_justification': u'original',
'chapter': u"//*[((name()='h1' or name()='h2') and re:test(., '\\s*((chapter|book|section|part)\\s+)|((prolog|pr ologue|epilogue)(\\s+|$))', 'i')) or @class = 'chapter']",
'chapter_mark': u'pagebreak',
'comments': None,
'cover': u'C:\\Users\\mike\\AppData\\Local\\Temp\\calibre_q ujrnh\\so5fj1.jpeg',
'debug_pipeline': None,
'dehyphenate': True,
'delete_blank_paragraphs': True,
'disable_font_rescaling': False,
'dont_compress': False,
'duplicate_links_in_toc': False,
'embed_all_fonts': False,
'embed_font_family': None,
'enable_heuristics': False,
'expand_css': False,
'extra_css': None,
'extract_to': None,
'filter_css': u'',
'fix_indents': True,
'font_size_mapping': None,
'format_scene_breaks': True,
'html_unwrap_factor': 0.4,
'input_encoding': None,
'input_profile': <calibre.customize.profiles.InputProfile object at 0x0000000004E587B8>,
'insert_blank_line': False,
'insert_blank_line_size': 0.5,
'insert_metadata': False,
'isbn': None,
'italicize_common_cases': True,
'keep_ligatures': False,
'language': None,
'level1_toc': None,
'level2_toc': None,
'level3_toc': None,
'line_height': 0.0,
'linearize_tables': False,
'margin_bottom': 5.0,
'margin_left': 5.0,
'margin_right': 5.0,
'margin_top': 5.0,
'markup_chapter_headings': True,
'max_toc_links': 50,
'minimum_line_height': 120.0,
'mobi_file_type': u'old',
'mobi_ignore_margins': False,
'mobi_keep_original_images': False,
'mobi_toc_at_start': False,
'no_chapters_in_toc': False,
'no_inline_navbars': False,
'no_inline_toc': False,
'output_profile': <calibre.customize.profiles.GenericEink object at 0x0000000004E58B38>,
'page_breaks_before': u'/',
'personal_doc': u'[PDOC]',
'prefer_author_sort': False,
'prefer_metadata_cover': False,
'pretty_print': False,
'pubdate': None,
'publisher': None,
'rating': None,
'read_metadata_from_opf': u'C:\\Users\\mike\\AppData\\Local\\Temp\\calibre_q ujrnh\\7j6qxr.opf',
'remove_fake_margins': True,
'remove_first_image': False,
'remove_paragraph_spacing': False,
'remove_paragraph_spacing_indent_size': 1.5,
'renumber_headings': True,
'replace_scene_breaks': u'',
'search_replace': '[]',
'series': None,
'series_index': None,
'share_not_sync': False,
'smarten_punctuation': False,
'sr1_replace': None,
'sr1_search': None,
'sr2_replace': None,
'sr2_search': None,
'sr3_replace': None,
'sr3_search': None,
'start_reading_at': None,
'subset_embedded_fonts': False,
'tags': None,
'timestamp': None,
'title': None,
'title_sort': None,
'toc_filter': None,
'toc_threshold': 6,
'toc_title': None,
'unsmarten_punctuation': False,
'unwrap_lines': True,
'use_auto_toc': False,
'verbose': 2}
InputFormatPlugin: EPUB Input running
on C:\Users\mike\AppData\Local\Temp\calibre_qujrnh\ex lpjy.epub
Found HTML cover OEBPS/Text/cover.xhtml
Parsing all content...
Python function terminated unexpectedly
Spine is empty (Error Code: 1)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "site.py", line 132, in main
File "site.py", line 109, in run_entry_point
File "site-packages\calibre\utils\ipc\worker.py", line 195, in main
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\convert\gui_conversion.py", line 31, in gui_convert_override
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\convert\gui_conversion.py", line 25, in gui_convert
File "site-packages\calibre\ebooks\conversion\plumber.py", line 1052, in run
File "site-packages\calibre\ebooks\conversion\plumber.py", line 1231, in create_oebbook
File "site-packages\calibre\ebooks\oeb\reader.py", line 71, in __call__
File "site-packages\calibre\ebooks\oeb\reader.py", line 696, in _all_from_opf
File "site-packages\calibre\ebooks\oeb\reader.py", line 343, in _spine_from_opf
OEBError: Spine is empty

Checking the epub with Calibre shows no manifest and no spine although these are in fact present in the content.opf file.

I am using calibre 2.9 64-bit with Windows 7.

I have successfully converted similar files so this one must have some unique error. Grateful for a fix.

[theducks]

© Michael Arnold 2011 removed

Moderator Notice
MR policy is firm on posting of copyrighted material. Don't do it.

[perkin5]

Oh sorry - the instructions for asking questions seemed to insist than all relevant files had to be supplied. I hope the log provides enough information.

[PeterT]

Well the How to ask a question about conversion problems actually says

1. The file you are trying to convert. If the file is copyrighted then create an extract/sample that shows the problem, or use the calibre bug report system to create a bug with the file attached.

[perkin5]

OK so what do you think might be wrong?

[PeterT]

I have NO idea. But if the file in question is COPYRIGHTED then open a BUG REPORT and attach the file there. What's so tough about that?

[PeterT]

But if you bothered to do a search here this might pop up:
Spine is empty from epub to mobi

[perkin5]

Well that is a little unkind. Of course I had searched and found that but it referred to the problem of non-standard characters in the file names and there are no non-standard characters in my file names. I created this book myself and the copyright actually belongs to me. However I accept that I should not have uploaded it.

[itimpi]

Originally Posted by perkin5

Well that is a little unkind. Of course I had searched and found that but it referred to the problem of non-standard characters in the file names and there are no non-standard characters in my file names. I created this book myself and the copyright actually belongs to me. However I accept that I should not have uploaded it.

I think if you had stated that you were the copyright owner then the upload may have been OK (although I could be wrong about that).

Talking about strange characters in the filenames it was not clear to me if you realised this is the filenames inside the .epub file (which is a ZIP file under the covers). I think any non-ASCII characters need special treatment.

[perkin5]

Yes I knew that but there are no non-standard characters. I have just found the error. In some way - and I cannot understand how this was missed by FlightCrew which gave it a clean bill of health - the last two metatags and the closing </metadata> tag had become moved to the end of the content.opf file just before the closing </package> tag. I had done no edits to the file which was produced automatically by Sigil. I cut/pasted them back into position and all the errors went away. A mystery.