Newbie question for Calibre: "Unknown Book Type" error

[rvdparis]

Calibre doesn't seem to be able to handle a few titles I downloaded from Amazon. I can't convert them nor can I view them in Calibre. For a couple, I get the DRM warning from Calibre, ok, stop.

But for the rest I get this "unknown book type" error. I googled it, and I checked the forums, but can't find the answer. It might be this topaz that everyone seems to be talking about, but i don't know how to check that either. It happens with at least 6 or 7 titles I have in my library. I thought Calibre might be 'broke' but I successfully converted a couple of Amazon books to epub format, so it works.

I am on a Mac OS X 10.5 and the iPhone is my ereader (for better or worse), and I have the latest Calibre 0.5.9.....Also, I think (that I have the right python version as well (2.6). Thanks for any help. Richard

Here's the error:

Unknown book type: ‡‡X¨Vš.‡

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/gui2/viewer/main.py", line 55, in run
Thread.run(self)
File "threading.pyo", line 477, in run
File "calibre/ebooks/epub/iterator.pyo", line 119, in __enter__
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/ebooks/epub/from_any.py", line 62, in mobi2opf
reader = MobiReader(path)
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/ebooks/mobi/reader.py", line 237, in __init__
raise MobiError('Unknown book type: %s'%self.ident)
MobiError: Unknown book type: ‡‡X¨Vš.‡

[kovidgoyal]

that error means the book file is not a valid MOBI file. Change the extension to tpz, in which case calibre should be able to recognize it as topaz

[rvdparis]

Thank you for your quick reply. I changed the extension, dragged that copy back to calibre, and then tried to convert it. Here's the error message

Job: **Convert book: B001078BO4_EBOK - Unknown copy.tpz.prc**
**tuple**: ('MobiError', u'Unknown book type: ;\ufffd\ufffd@\ufffd\x16')
**Traceback**:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/parallel.py", line 958, in worker
result = work(client_socket, func, args, kwdargs)
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/parallel.py", line 916, in work
res = func(*args, **kargs)
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/ebooks/epub/from_any.py", line 167, in any2epub
path = MAP[ext](path, tdir2, opts)
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/ebooks/epub/from_any.py", line 62, in mobi2opf
reader = MobiReader(path)
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/ebooks/mobi/reader.py", line 237, in __init__
raise MobiError('Unknown book type: %s'%self.ident)
MobiError: Unknown book type: ;��@�

**Log**:
Exploding MOBI file: /var/folders/K-/K-4f6cN5Hu0b5D4jpjmJmk+++TI/-Tmp-/calibre_0.5.9_ZOBbLm.prc
('MobiError', u'Unknown book type: ;\ufffd\ufffd@\ufffd\x16')
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/parallel.py", line 958, in worker
result = work(client_socket, func, args, kwdargs)
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/parallel.py", line 916, in work
res = func(*args, **kargs)
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/ebooks/epub/from_any.py", line 167, in any2epub
path = MAP[ext](path, tdir2, opts)
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/ebooks/epub/from_any.py", line 62, in mobi2opf
reader = MobiReader(path)
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/ebooks/mobi/reader.py", line 237, in __init__
raise MobiError('Unknown book type: %s'%self.ident)
MobiError: Unknown book type: ;��@�

I tried to then just view it, and here's the other message

Unknown book type: ;‡ì>*@“

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/gui2/viewer/main.py", line 55, in run
Thread.run(self)
File "threading.pyo", line 477, in run
File "calibre/ebooks/epub/iterator.pyo", line 119, in __enter__
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/ebooks/epub/from_any.py", line 62, in mobi2opf
reader = MobiReader(path)
File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/console.app/Contents/Resources/lib/python2.6/site-packages.zip/calibre/ebooks/mobi/reader.py", line 237, in __init__
raise MobiError('Unknown book type: %s'%self.ident)
MobiError: Unknown book type: ;‡ì>*@“


I tried the tpz method on other books, and it comes up always as 'unknown book type'. I should mention that I can read these books on the Kindle Reader for iPhone (so I don't THINK they are corrupt, but they could be).

Thanks again for this amazing program (it works for other books I have) and for your help
Richard

[kovidgoyal]

You didn't change the extension, you changed the name and added .tpz to it, the file still has the extension .prc You have to change a setting in windows to show file extensions before it will let you change the extension

[rvdparis]

Thanks again for your help. I'm using OS X, and I thought I could just change the extension by clicking twice on the name of the file, and then getting rid of the ending after the '.' and then typing 'tpz'. Yeah, and I noticed that calibre changes it back to .prc when I add the file to the library. SO, I need to figure out how to change the file so that calibre thinks it's tpz. Okay, thanks for your help.

[rvdparis]

Okay, I changed them to tpz from Get Info dialog in OS X...and when I drag them into calibre, calibre recognizes them as tpz, even gives them the correct metadata like author, title etc., which it didn't do before. When I try to view them, however, I get the spinning beach ball and nothing. When I try to convert them, an error: "Cannot Convert TITLE as this title has no supported formats" Thanks for your help, R

[sirbruce]

AFAIK, Calibre recognizes Topaz, but it can't convert them.

[kovidgoyal]

topaz is DRMed, calibre doesn not convert DRMed files as that would be illegal in a bunch of regressive countries

[rvdparis]

Didn't know that topaz was DRMed. In France, I don't know the DRM situation. Thanks for your help, and I still love calibre!