Create eBooks from Wikipedia Articles - A Simple Guide
Creating eBooks from Wikipedia Articles
Wikipedia serves as a comprehensive repository of knowledge, offering a wealth of information on diverse subjects. Beyond simply reading articles online, it’s possible to compile custom eBooks from Wikipedia content. This allows for offline access on mobile devices, eliminating the need for a data or Wi-Fi connection.
Initiating eBook Creation
To begin, locate a Wikipedia article of interest. Then, click on the “Print/export” option, found within the list of choices on the left-hand side of the page.
Within the “Print/export” menu, select the “Create a book” link.
The Book creator page will then appear. Initiate the process by clicking “Start book creator.”
Adding Articles to Your eBook
A Book creator box will become visible at the top of the article page. To include the current article in your eBook, click the “Add this page to your book” link.
Related articles can be added in several ways. Hovering your mouse over a link within the current article will reveal a popup box containing an “Add linked wiki page to your book” link. Clicking this link adds the corresponding Wikipedia article to your eBook. Later, we will cover reordering and grouping these articles.
Alternatively, click the “Suggest pages” link within the Book creator box.
The “Suggested pages for your book” page will display. Add articles to your eBook by clicking the green plus button next to each suggestion. As you add articles, they are removed from the suggestion list, and new suggestions are presented.
Note: If you wish to preview an article before adding it, click the article link to the right of the green plus button. You can also perform a search for specific articles. The Book creator box will appear at the top of any article you view, allowing you to add it to your eBook. Use your browser’s “Back” button to return to the “Suggested pages” list.
Managing and Downloading Your eBook
Once all desired pages have been added, click the “show” link in the “Your book” box on the right side of the page.
You can also use the “Show book” link located within the Book creator box at the top of the page.
The “Manage your book” page will appear, enabling you to modify the article order, organize them into chapters, and ultimately download the completed eBook.
Articles are listed in a box on the left. To remove an article, click the trash icon. To view an article, click the icon with lines next to the trash icon.
Reorder articles by dragging and dropping them within the box.
Chapters can be created by clicking the “Create chapter” link above the article list.
A dialog box will appear. Enter the chapter name and click “OK.”
New chapters are added to the end of the eBook. Drag pages under the chapter name to assign them. Add as many chapters as needed and arrange articles accordingly. Rename chapters using the “Rename” link.
Before downloading, select your desired format from the “Format” drop-down list in the “Download” box. Supported formats include PDF, OpenDocument, OpenZIM, and EPUB.
Click “Download” to initiate the download process.
A “Rendering” screen will display the conversion progress.
Once rendering is complete, click the “Download the file” link.
Your browser may open the file directly if it supports the selected format. If this occurs, use the appropriate button or link to save the file to your hard drive.
Alternatively, right-click the “Download the file” link and select “Save Link As” from the menu.
You will now have an eBook file on your computer.
Transfer the eBook to a compatible mobile device to enjoy the information offline.