Try out this ePub sample?

[UniversalisPub]

I've just formatted my first ePub ebook & would welcome any comments that anyone has about formatting, presentation, etc. Can't do anything about the content, I'm afraid!

I've tried it on ADE on Windows, on Stanza on the iPod, and on Bookworm on the web. Bookworm ignores all the CSS, of course, but otherwise everything seems normal.

The basic question - whatever reader you're using - does this look like an ebook to you?

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by UniversalisPub

Bookworm ignores all the CSS, of course, but otherwise everything seems normal.

It shouldn't, Bookworm passes the CSS to the browser.

I note that you have some styles in your .xhtml that are not defined in the .css (MsoNormal, Verse), and the verse piece looks weird, I'd remove the "<br />" at the beginning and add top and bottom margins in the .css.

[UniversalisPub]

I've used View > Source and not a trace of my CSS makes its way to my browser through Bookworm. It's all in a linked stylesheet but I don't know if that makes a difference.

Thank you for the pointer about undefined styles. They're there in case I want to define CSS for them in the future.

I put in the "<br />" because Adobe Digital Editions insists on indenting every paragraph. I was afraid of using 'text-indent' because I suspected that Stanza would ignore it the way it ignores margins, but I was wrong: Stanza only ignores top and bottom margins, so 'text-indent' does work. (It doesn't in Bookworm, of course, but since Bookworm doesn't indent anyway this is not a problem).

I've uploaded a revised version. If the verse still looks 'weird', could you give me some idea how, and in what software, and on what device?

[JSWolf]

Where are the double quotes? There are single quotes in places that should be double quotes.

[Jellby]

I just open it in browser, but it's the same in Calibre.

I would definitely add bottom margin (or an additional <br/> at the end) and left margin.

[Abecedary]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Where are the double quotes? There are single quotes in places that should be double quotes.

Jon Jon Jon, you have a whole lot to learn about the world around you. It's common style in the UK (and elsewhere) to use single quotes to indicate spoken text. Actually, it's also not uncommon to see double quotes referred to as "American quotes". So, when it comes down to it, there really isn't any "should be"—it's all a matter of style. (As an aside, it's also common in the UK to use word-spaced en-dashes instead of flush em-dashes to indicate abrupt interruptions or changes of thought, like what was in my last sentence.)

[JSWolf]

Single quotes may be common in the UK, but they look off and make reading not as nice as it could be otherwise. If this book is to be sold in the US, then it really should conform to double quotes.

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Single quotes may be common in the UK, but they look off and make reading not as nice as it could be otherwise. If this book is to be sold in the US, then it really should conform to double quotes.

Whilst you're using somebody else's language, then stick to its rules and stop moaning about it.

It's called 'English' (note the single quotes there ), not 'American'. If you don't like it, learn Spanish or something!

[darkpoet]

[Sarcasm] Oi, Bwits always wank on about 'ow t'ey invented the language w'en t'ey cun't aven pwonunicate it cowwectly. W'y botha 'aving 26 lettas w'en you only use 24? [/Sarcasm]

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by darkpoet

[Sarcasm] Oi, Bwits always wank on about 'ow t'ey invented the language w'en t'ey cun't aven pwonunicate it cowwectly. W'y botha 'aving 26 lettas w'en you only use 24? [/Sarcasm]

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by darkpoet

[Sarcasm] Oi, Bwits always wank on about 'ow t'ey invented the language w'en t'ey cun't aven pwonunicate it cowwectly. W'y botha 'aving 26 lettas w'en you only use 24? [/Sarcasm]

Sarcasm truly is the lowest form of wit - proof at last!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Whilst you're using somebody else's language, then stick to its rules and stop moaning about it.

It's called 'English' (note the single quotes there ), not 'American'. If you don't like it, learn Spanish or something!

It's English we speak in America. And besides, the English spoken in the UK is not the original English that they originally spoke. All countries languages change over time and the English in the UK and the English in America have changed. Remember, English in America used to be the same as the English in the UK since America was started by mostly people from the UK. So saying UK English is correct and English in America is American is just so wrong. Both the UK and America speak English. It's just a different variation of English. So really, UK vs. American English is just so yesterday.

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's English we speak in America. And besides, the English spoken in the UK is not the original English that they originally spoke. All countries languages change over time and the English in the UK and the English in America have changed. Remember, English in America used to be the same as the English in the UK since America was started by mostly people from the UK. So saying UK English is correct and English in America is American is just so wrong. Both the UK and America speak English. It's just a different variation of English. So really, UK vs. American English is just so yesterday.

A fair point well made.

It doesn't explain, however, why 'we' should conform to the double quote convention any more than 'you' should conform to the single quote convention. The convention I have always used for quotes is that single quotes are used as in the previous sentence; double quotes are used to indicate somebody is/was speaking.

Are we, as George Bernard Shaw said, two nations "divided by a common language."?

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Are we, as George Bernard Shaw said, two nations "divided by a common language."?

Probably a fair assessment, and English is not even the 'official' language of the USA

I know wikipedia is a non-authoritative source, but it has a very long list of countries and non-sovereign entities where English is the 'official' language and the USA is not one of them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...icial_language

[Jellby]

As Wikipedia itself states (oops, pun unintended ):

English is the official language of at least 28 states—some sources give a higher figure, based on differing definitions of "official". English and Hawaiian are both official languages in the state of Hawaii.