General EPUB issues
EPUBs for Go Books are available in two flavors: interactive and static. The static versions are more compatible with different reading devices and apps.
The interactive EPUBs of Go Books support replay of diagrams as well as interactive solving of problems. However, EPUB reading apps differ in how well they support this; reading apps not supporting JavaScript may display diagrams as static images, or just fail.
As each go book has a sample chapter you can download as an EPUB, please download that first and see how it works with your EPUB reader. If it works well (or well enough), the full book should work too. If it doesn't work well, try the static version of the EPUB.
Recommended EPUB readers
The following are the apps that seem to work best with interactive Go Books EPUB files; please let me know if you find any other good apps. Also, please tell the authors of these EPUB reading apps about any issues you run into.
Android
Reasily
Reasily currently seems to be the best Android app for reading Go Books. I recommend turning off 'Tap left/right to turn pages'. Continuous reading mode works pretty well (except for problems).
Adobe Digital Editions
Adobe Digital Editions works pretty well with Go Books; I’ve run into some problems with images not showing up properly. Please let me know what your experience with that app is.
Lithium
Lithium would be good except for a bug where tapping to go to the next/previous move keeps turning the UI on and off.
Gitden
I can no longer recommend Gitden, as it has some bugs, and is no longer being updated.
Windows
Readium Desktop / Thorium Reader
The Readium Desktop seems to be the best Windows app for Go Books. Thorium Reader v1.5 works well.
calibre
Layout has improved a bit in recent versions of calibre, but diagram replay is not working well.
Linux
Readium Desktop / Thorium Reader
Users have reported that Thorium Reader v1.5 works well for Go Books on Linux.
iOS, macOS
Apple Books (formerly iBooks)
On iOS and Mac, you can also use the Go Books app, which provides better layout and extra features. However, you may enjoy Apple Books for some features like Search that are not in Go Books.
EPUB FAQs
Are all books available as EPUB?
All currently sold books are available as EPUB. (The 7 books from Hinoki Press that have been removed from sale are not available as EPUB.)
Can I read EPUB on Kindle?
Some of the static EPUBs work well on Kindle. You can use amazon.com/sendtokindle to send the EPUB to your Kindle. However, very large books (Invincible and Essential Go Proverbs, for example) currently fail when trying to transfer them to the Kindle.
Do the EPUB files include DRM?
No, our EPUB files are not encumbered by DRM (Digital Rights Management). DRM would reduce your choice of EPUB reader and add unnecessary complications. We trust you to respect that the EPUB file is for your personal use only.
What about books I’ve already bought?
You can download EPUB files for the books you’ve previously bought (assuming you’ve associated them with your email), so you can enjoy those books again on a different device. Enter your email below and you’ll receive a link to a list of your books, including download links for EPUB.
Will the EPUB files be updated over time?
Yes, as I find ways to support new features or improve existing features, or simply fix typos, the EPUB files will be updated. For example, inline diagrams are not supported in the initial version, but I hope to add that in the future.
What about multi-lingual books?
In the Go Books app, you can switch the language of a multi-lingual book on the fly. I have not found a good way to support that in EPUB; instead, you’ll download a separate EPUB for each language.
Solution of problems is not hidden?
With EPUB readers that show two pages, you might see the solution for a problem right next to the problem. Workaround: Switch the app to single-page mode, or hold the device in portrait mode, so that you only see one page at a time. Unfortunately, even this workaround doesn’t work for all EPUB readers, as they’re not respecting page breaks correctly.
Price in app is different from website?
Each book is priced the same in US dollars in the Go Books app and on the gobooks.com website. Apple converts the in-app price to your local currency and rounds it to a nice number, which may or may not be in your favor.