How To Download Book from The Lending Library, Read on Android Phone
October 8, 2024 7:50 AM
First time using The Lending Library here. It gives me options to download 4 different formats (listed below). One of these files (can't remember which!) will kind of open with Adobe Digital Editions - it crashes, then on restart the book's in my Library - but when I then select it from the Library, there's just a white screen and the only response I can get is to pull up for the Android navigation buttons. What am I doing wrong?
I also tried this yesterday, and at some point managed to get to a screen which looked liked a scan of a page from the book, but it was super-blurry/ unreadable, and I couldn't navigate any further and had to quit the Adobe Digital Editions app.
Here's what The Lending Library says the download options are and the associated downloaded file types:
"Get LCP PDF: PDF files contain high quality images of pages.
Downloaded file: *BookTitle*.lcpl
Get LCP ePub: ePub files are smaller in size, but may contain errors.
Downloaded file: *BookTitle*.lcpl
Get PDF: PDF files contain high quality images of pages.
Downloaded file: URLLink.acsm
Get ePub: ePub files are smaller in size, but may contain errors.
Downloaded file: URLLink.acsm
For LCP downloads, make sure you have SimplyE or Aldiko Next installed on mobile or Thorium on desktop."
I don't fully understand the relationship here between the file types, Adobe Digital Editions, and the above recommended apps (I have installed SimplyE, Moon+, Lithium and ReadEra - I don't see Aldiko Next in the Play Store).
Am I maybe wrong to think this should be easier, or is this process as wonky as it seems? I don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water if it's simple and I'm just missing a few steps or facts, but on the other hand if this is not yet a refined process, I'd prefer not to invest too much more time in it.
I'm using a new-ish, premium-ish phone with Android 14.
I also tried this yesterday, and at some point managed to get to a screen which looked liked a scan of a page from the book, but it was super-blurry/ unreadable, and I couldn't navigate any further and had to quit the Adobe Digital Editions app.
Here's what The Lending Library says the download options are and the associated downloaded file types:
"Get LCP PDF: PDF files contain high quality images of pages.
Downloaded file: *BookTitle*.lcpl
Get LCP ePub: ePub files are smaller in size, but may contain errors.
Downloaded file: *BookTitle*.lcpl
Get PDF: PDF files contain high quality images of pages.
Downloaded file: URLLink.acsm
Get ePub: ePub files are smaller in size, but may contain errors.
Downloaded file: URLLink.acsm
For LCP downloads, make sure you have SimplyE or Aldiko Next installed on mobile or Thorium on desktop."
I don't fully understand the relationship here between the file types, Adobe Digital Editions, and the above recommended apps (I have installed SimplyE, Moon+, Lithium and ReadEra - I don't see Aldiko Next in the Play Store).
Am I maybe wrong to think this should be easier, or is this process as wonky as it seems? I don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water if it's simple and I'm just missing a few steps or facts, but on the other hand if this is not yet a refined process, I'd prefer not to invest too much more time in it.
I'm using a new-ish, premium-ish phone with Android 14.
@anadem: sure, and thanks - the book is from openlibrary.org. This is the link to the actual book: when I was having trouble I searched for help and found the following page entitled "BORROWING FROM THE LENDING LIBRARY" so I've assumed it's called that, but maybe OpenLibrary.org or Internet Archive or archive.org is more accurate - I really don't know (this is my first venture into this world - in terms of online lending, I'm strictly a Libby person).
Note: it's pretty late where I am, so I won't be able to provide feedback for much longer.
posted by 4th Matryoshka Doll at 9:39 AM on October 8
Note: it's pretty late where I am, so I won't be able to provide feedback for much longer.
posted by 4th Matryoshka Doll at 9:39 AM on October 8
Looks like it's called Open Library. :)
ePub is a file type for digital books and PDFs are digital documents. LCP is a digital rights management solution. So there are really only two file types being offered, but one version with LCP and one without. LCP probably has some extra stuff added to keep you from sharing the file with others. I'm not sure why they offer with and without LCP options, but that's what they mean.
It sounds like Adobe Digital Editions is an app specifically meant for ebooks, but that doesn't mean that you have to use it.
If you download a regular (non-LCP) PDF, you should be able to read it without whatever PDF app you have on your phone.
posted by anotheraccount at 11:27 AM on October 8
ePub is a file type for digital books and PDFs are digital documents. LCP is a digital rights management solution. So there are really only two file types being offered, but one version with LCP and one without. LCP probably has some extra stuff added to keep you from sharing the file with others. I'm not sure why they offer with and without LCP options, but that's what they mean.
It sounds like Adobe Digital Editions is an app specifically meant for ebooks, but that doesn't mean that you have to use it.
If you download a regular (non-LCP) PDF, you should be able to read it without whatever PDF app you have on your phone.
posted by anotheraccount at 11:27 AM on October 8
You are unlikely to be happy with any PDF, since (as it says) it contains images of the pages, as opposed to "reflowable" text that can be displayed on a small screen with adjustable type sizes; the PDF will probably be too small to read comfortably.
I've not tried to fool around with Adobe Digital Editions on a phone, only for books downloaded to read on my Kobo e-reader. It appears that the non-LCF ePub must be the Adobe Digital Editions version, and it seems to me the one time I used it I had to download Abobe Digital Editions to my laptop (Mac in my case, but Windows will work as well), sign into my existing (free) Adobe account, download the book to the laptop, then register the book in the Adobe software. After that I was able to transfer the book to the Kobo, which apparently recognizes the Adobe DRM. This may work with your phone as long as you have reading software that is Adobe compatible. This seems unnecessarily complicated, but I think I had to do it because I was in a situation like yours, where I couldn't download the file from an e-bookstore or from a library using Libby.
posted by lhauser at 5:09 PM on October 8
I've not tried to fool around with Adobe Digital Editions on a phone, only for books downloaded to read on my Kobo e-reader. It appears that the non-LCF ePub must be the Adobe Digital Editions version, and it seems to me the one time I used it I had to download Abobe Digital Editions to my laptop (Mac in my case, but Windows will work as well), sign into my existing (free) Adobe account, download the book to the laptop, then register the book in the Adobe software. After that I was able to transfer the book to the Kobo, which apparently recognizes the Adobe DRM. This may work with your phone as long as you have reading software that is Adobe compatible. This seems unnecessarily complicated, but I think I had to do it because I was in a situation like yours, where I couldn't download the file from an e-bookstore or from a library using Libby.
posted by lhauser at 5:09 PM on October 8
Thanks @lhauser for this info, and for confirming that I'm not crazy! You're right that a better route is to install ADE on my laptop and use that to unlock the downloaded file (it's the Get PDF file which works). I should've included that all the downloaded files are either 2 or 3KB in size: unlocking the Get PDF file results in a 13MB pdf in my My Digital Editions folder. This opens fine in the Windows ADE app (these are scanned pages of the book arranged in vertical order).
However: if I transfer the pdf to my phone and open it in the ADE app (or PockeBook app, once I've signed in to Adobe), the book is there (there's lots of white pages at the beginning, which is probably why I thought I was only getting a white screen - you can't tell you're actually navigating between multiple plain white screens) but the pages are showing as super-blurry in both apps (as previously described), so I can only assume that the file needs some sort of optimization for mobile use and that hasn't been included?
Additional detail: the ADE app gets 1.8 stars in the Play Store and the reviews confirm that this is truly a horrible app for Android, and others have experienced the crashing I detailed above.
Post Mortem: this is more trouble than it's worth. TBH I'd just buy the hard copy, but I'm travelling overseas, which is a case where downloadable books really shine. Maybe I'll just try to read it on my laptop/ maybe I shouldn't be complaining that this doesn't work on Android when it's still great that I can access it for free in Windows. Still: good to know not to waste more time on this going forward.
posted by 4th Matryoshka Doll at 9:27 PM on October 8
However: if I transfer the pdf to my phone and open it in the ADE app (or PockeBook app, once I've signed in to Adobe), the book is there (there's lots of white pages at the beginning, which is probably why I thought I was only getting a white screen - you can't tell you're actually navigating between multiple plain white screens) but the pages are showing as super-blurry in both apps (as previously described), so I can only assume that the file needs some sort of optimization for mobile use and that hasn't been included?
Additional detail: the ADE app gets 1.8 stars in the Play Store and the reviews confirm that this is truly a horrible app for Android, and others have experienced the crashing I detailed above.
Post Mortem: this is more trouble than it's worth. TBH I'd just buy the hard copy, but I'm travelling overseas, which is a case where downloadable books really shine. Maybe I'll just try to read it on my laptop/ maybe I shouldn't be complaining that this doesn't work on Android when it's still great that I can access it for free in Windows. Still: good to know not to waste more time on this going forward.
posted by 4th Matryoshka Doll at 9:27 PM on October 8
« Older How to dump Amazon for digital books? | Books with an unnamed narrator or main character Newer »
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by anadem at 9:16 AM on October 8