# How to index Project Gutenberg catalog?



## Evenshade (Aug 12, 2009)

I got up the nerve to download The Magic Catalog of Project Gutenberg last night. Everything went well and all the book titles are there. I was able to choose a book and it "opened" with no problem.

However, I'd like to be able to search the contents. I must have missed a step somwhere. When I try to do a search, I get the following message. "Your search can not be comopleted as this book has not been indexed. Please try again later." It's a huge catalog...should it take more than 24 hours or is there something else I need to do to index it?

I'm new at this....be gentle. 

Pam


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Hi Pam. Welcome to KindleBoards. Since it is a large catalog, it will take some time to index, especially if you have a Klassic Kindle. (K1) It may take a couple of days to get it to where you can search. Be sure you keep it charged, indexing can use up the battery.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Thought I would give you an answer, then post my traditional greeting.
We are so glad you found KindleBoards, Pam! We have many areas that you probably will like. Have you been to The Book Corner yet? That's the area for discussions about books (naturally). That's also where you will find threads about books Recommended by our Members and a list of additional sites for Book Lovers.
Then there is the Book Bazaar where our member/authors post about their books and hold discussions about writing, publishing and many other topics. That is also where you will find Bargain Books and even Free Books threads where you can find reading material at low or no cost!
If you have a question about your Kindle or it's usage, check out the FAQ or the forum about Tips, Tricks and Trouble Shooting . Or, just ask your question. We have many helpful and knowledgeable people here at KB and we feel there is no such thing as a "dumb" question.
Another popular place is Let's Talk Kindle, where all things in the Kindle world are posted about. Be sure and check out the Photo Gallery, where pictures of members, pets, flowers, landscapes or just almost anything interesting can be found.
Have you been to the Accessories area? There you will see information about covers, skins, lights, bags, stands and many other items to allow you to personalize your Kindle.
Looking to just kill some time while you are waiting for your Kindle or if you have your kindle, want to try something different? Try INFINITY Game - Word Association or The "INFINITY" Thread: KEEP POSTING...Ready, Set,... GO!!! in the Not Quite Kindle area.
Sorry for the long post, but there is just so much to do, learn and like about KindleBoards that I just get carried away.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Evenshade,

welcome to KindleBoards and congratulations on your first post!

When you get a chance, be sure to head over to Introductions and tell us a little bit about yourself!

Our official greeter, Intinst, has given you all the good stuff, so I'll just reiterate that yes, it can take a really long time to index a huge catalog.  Keep your K1 plugged in overnight until you're sure it is indexed.

Betsy


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## Evenshade (Aug 12, 2009)

Thank you for the warm welcome! I've had my kindle for about a month.  I'd been lurking for a while now and am glad to have jumped in.  

Mine is the K2, but I will certainly give it some more time and see how it goes.  Thank you for your help.

I'm enjoying the boards and have learned a lot.
Pam


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Evenshade, let us know how it turns out!

Betsy


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## Evenshade (Aug 12, 2009)

Hi everyone, 
I've been checking daily to see if the Gutenberg Catalog has been indexed and it hasn't.  Does anyone have any ideas?  Do you think it can be indexed after the fact or am I stuck with paging through?  

Pam


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I'm sorry, I don't have the answer to your question.
I just wanted to welcome you to the Boards.  Also, just so you know, we're always gentle 
when questions are asked.  No matter how many times they're asked you'll find a kind answer
and a point in the right direction.
Looking forward to more of your posts.
deb


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Evenshade said:


> Hi everyone,
> I've been checking daily to see if the Gutenberg Catalog has been indexed and it hasn't. Does anyone have any ideas? Do you think it can be indexed after the fact or am I stuck with paging through?
> 
> Pam


Welcome Pam, 
I suspect that you have a copy with a bad spot in the file.

I just downloaded "The Magic Catalog of Project Gutenberg E-Books (MOBI Edition)" to my computer and then put it on my Kindle. My K2 currently has 433 items, all of which are indexed except for this one. I did this and checked the time so that I could check to see how long the book would take to index. It took less than 7 minutes to index.

I checked that all of my items were indexed by doing a search from the Home page for a word that I knew was in at least one of my books. Since I have _Through the Looking Glass_ on my K2, brillig is a good search word for me as it is only in two books currently on my Kindle. (When doing a test I always use a word I know exists as once I searched for a random string of letters while my Kindle was indexing and it locked up. I have not tried that since.) If there are any unindexed books on the Kindle, there will be an entry at the end of the search list saying how many unindexed items there are. Selecting that entry and clicking the 5-way (at least on a K2 or KDX) will bring up a list of unindexed items. When I did this soon after copying the file to my Kindle, the Magic Catalog was the only item that was unindexed. The next time I checked, there were no unindexed items. I then did a few searches from within the Magic Catalog (Kipling and Shakespeare) and the searches were successful.

Do you have any other items that are not indexed? That should not make a difference as I had 17 unindexed items on my Kindle for a long time and that did not stop new books from being indexed. However I have since removed all of those items from my Kindle so that I could download better copies of those books again.

I have learned recently that books or items with corrupt locations will not index. Since it has been more than a day that you have had the book on your Kindle, I would recommend deleting your current copy of the Magic Catalog and downloading a new copy. If you downloaded your current copy using the Wireless connection, you might want to try downloading to a computer first instead if you currently have access to a computer. Otherwise, if it is necessary for you to download the Magic Catalog using your Kindle Wireless connection, I recommend that you make sure that the Wireless is on before you start and that the connection is a strong one (4 or 5 bars of either 3G or 1X).

Let us know if that works or not.

Anna


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## Evenshade (Aug 12, 2009)

Analog,
I'm sorry to be so long in getting back.  I just wanted to say thank you. You have solved my problem.  I just got up the courage to plug in the kindle to the computer, download and transfer the catalog and it has indexed.    I did a couple of searches and it brought up results for both.  I think the problem must have been the Whispernet signal strength as you suggested.  I seem to be borderline and rarely get 5 bars...usually 3-4 but other books have had no problem.  Perhaps it is the size of the Catalog file?

To answer your questions...I don't have any other items that aren't indexed.

Everyone is so helpful on these forums.  Thanks again...and isn't the Kindle a marvelous thing. 
Pam


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Hi Evenshade. Welcome to the wonderful world of Kindlboards. A fellow member, Instint, has a great 'getting started' post. As I've gone along, [In addition to Instint's great 'getting started' post, as I've gone along,] I've found a couple of extra ways to keep up with freebies & bargains for the Kindle:

(1) I've got Kindleboards' The Book Bazaar bookmarked on my FireFox 'Bookmarks Toolbar' (that way it's *front & center* *all the time* for a quick one-click. Then anytime of day I can click there & *see immediately* whether there have been any new posts to the current months' "*Free E-books: <name of current month> 200x*" and "*Bargain Book Finds: <name of current month> 200x*"

(2) I also use RSS to feed several blogs into my Google Reader (with a special folder just for ebooks) that are known for trolling for free books; I check these through the Reader several times a day (just a quick glance can tell me whether there is anything new to take a look at (many of these are mentioned in Intint's list of additional sites for Book Lovers:
*Books on The Knob*
*Finding Free eBooks*
*Free Books Plus*
*Suvudu Free First Book Library*

(3) and *the post "Free & under $1 books available from Amazon"*

I sure hope you enjoy Kindleboards as much as I do.


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## Evenshade (Aug 12, 2009)

Thanks for the nice welcome and all the info CegAbq!


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Evenshade said:


> ...and isn't the Kindle a marvelous thing.
> Pam


Indeed it is.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Evenshade--glad to hear you were able to resolve your problem with Annalog's help!

And the Kindle is indeed a marvelous thing, with the members here at KindleBoards a close second!

Betsy


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Evenshade said:


> Everyone is so helpful on these forums. Thanks again...and isn't the Kindle a marvelous thing.
> Pam


Pam, you are very welcome. I am glad the problem is solved. People on this forum helped me when I first got my Kindle; I am glad I could help as well.
Happy reading,
Anna


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