An electronic book (commonly abbreviated e-book) is a text and image-based publication which can be read on a computer or other digital devices such as an e-book reader.
Digital books are well established. Project Gutenberg, an online library of books that can be downloaded free of charge, has been expanding its collection since 1971. Almost its entire library consists of books that are available in the public domain, although there are a few copyright texts which are also included.
The popularity of digital e-books has been accelerated by a number of dedicated portable e-book readers. The various Amazon Kindle are extremely popular devices which have enabled readers to conveniently access a huge library of books, magazines and newspapers on the move. What is particularly noteworthy is that Linux is the operating system that runs the devices.
However, Linux is also an attractive way of reading e-books on a desktop computer or notebook. Linux has a good range of open source software which helps users to organize their e-book collection, catch up on a novel, or even to create and publish their own e-book.
This article showcases CLI ebook readers. Here’s our verdict captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-ratings chart. We only feature free and open source software here.
Let’s explore the 6 CLI ebook readers at hand. For each application we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, screenshots, together with links to relevant resources.
| CLI ebook readers | Event |
|---|---|
| Lue | Multi-format ebook reader with synchronized text-to-speech |
| Bookokrat | Vim-style EPUB, PDF and DJVU reader with annotations and images |
| baca | epy's sister with a sleek and contemporary appearance |
| epy | Fork of epr with added features |
| epr | Terminal/CLI Epub reader |
| hygg | Minimalist Vim-like document reader with search and bookmarks |
Bookokrat appears to be AI-heavy. We don’t normally recommend software developed extensively with generative LLMs, but the number of other open source options in this category is fairly limited.
This article has been revamped in line with our recent announcement.
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