# Marvin - Very Nice ePub Reading App for iPad



## Meemo

lauri-lu mentioned on one of the iPad Mini threads the "Marvin" app for reading ePubs. I hadn't heard of it but downloaded it yesterday and I'm already in love, or at least serious like.  It's only been out a few months and has had a couple of updates already, and a fairly significant one coming that's just been sent to Apple for approval & implementation. Nice interface, some nice fonts with more in the works, customizable background and font colors and the option now to create & save 3 different "themes" with different font & background colors. Also has a feature that sounds similar to Kindle's X-ray feature. Highlights, note-taking, search capability.

It's for non-DRMed ePubs only at this time, but it sounds like he's open to implementing ADE if it isn't cost-prohibitive. There's a review here: http://www.geekintheforest.com/marvin-review/

Marvin is free, by the way. http://marvinapp.com/ And he's planning an iPhone version as well.


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## MamaProfCrash

I just downloaded this app.I am going to convert my books tonight and put them on my IPad. I am interested to see how well the app works. It looks great. The creator seems to be receptive to peoples needs on the Mobile Read boards.


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## Meemo

It also comes with 10 or so public domain books you can choose to download to the library so you can play with it a bit to see what you think before you start adding your own books. 

And the 1.2 update will add the ability to download books from Gutenberg, Feedbooks, and your own Calibre Library directly from the app.


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## MamaProfCrash

Yeah the free books were a pleasant surprise. The ability to download from Gutenberg is cool. It would be nice if you could download from Mobile Reads because they do a great job with their proof reading.


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## MamaProfCrash

hmmmm converting 400 plus books is going to take a while, isn't it?


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## Toby

Yeah, I know. I was so excited to get the free books, that I took the chance & skipped the Tutorial when I first opened the app. Now, I can't seem to go back to read the tutorial after seeing the free books. I went to the help icon & saw the basic, how to use, but I still want to read the tutorial. Do they have a website or can you help me find the tutorial in the app?


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## Toby

Okay, found the website listed in the app on itunes. I figured out the how to change the warmth, etc. I have to try the snap, the deep....etc. now that I clicked on the appropiate boxes/place. This app is so cool! I am guessing that most library pub books probably have the DMR, right? I am still not sure how to get the books imported, lets say, from Gutenburg. Darn, I still wish I did not skip the tutorial. I did see it say that you can email a book to yourself & open the book in Marvin. I still don't know how, though. I wish they had this info. on their website. Anyway, I am very excited about this app & wanted to post here after my search.


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## Toby

I FOUND THE TUTORIAL! YAY!  I should be getting ready for bed, but.....


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## MamaProfCrash

I am moving books tomorrow. Probably not all of them but my favorites and to be reads.


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## Meemo

Besides the website, the developer and users are good about answering questions on mobileread http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198617. I must admit I didn't pay much attention to the tutorial either. I'm figuring it out as I go along, or trying to.  And I know I'll miss some features as a consequence.

Once the update comes along we'll be able to go to Gutenberg & Feedbooks & Calibre directly from the app. For now you could go there from Safari, select a book and download and when you do, you'd get the option to open in Marvin. Same with emailing to yourself - if you have a book on your computer, attach the file to an email addressed to yourself. Open the email on your iPad, and when you tap the attachment to open it, you get the option as to which app to use to open it. The default for epubs will be ibooks, bot the other appropriate apps (like Marvin) will also be options, and once you choose a different one it remembers your last choice and that will come up as your first choice. And yes, most Overdrive library books have DRM, but the ones listed as "Open" or "Open Source" aren't DRMed.

I finished my Prime loan book last night - next book will be read on Marvin.


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## MamaProfCrash

He has been halping me through moving books from Calibre to Marvin. I am hoping to move my favorite books there. I have yet to play with it enough but I am hoping that there is some sort of collections feature. 

The topic at Mobile Reads is excellent. You are more likely to get answers because there are more EPub users there, the developer posts there, and there are more people willing to move Kindle books to Epub there. Not a diss against KB, I love it here, but the folks who will be using Marvin are going to have to be really good at finding books without DRM or be willing to strip DRM. That tends not to be the typical KB user.


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## Meemo

Collections are coming - can't remember if it's part of the 1.2 update that's been submitted, or something he's working on now. Looking at the "What's coming in 1.2" though, it looks like Collections is coming in a future update. 

And yes, for ePub stuff, mobileread is more helpful in all the ways you suggest. ;-)


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## MamaProfCrash

I got it to work tonight. I had to save the books to disc in Calibre. I am liking Marvin now that I can play with it.


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## Toby

Thanks so much for the information, Meemo! I started to read 1 of the free books that Marvin gave today at work on my iPad Mini. I opened Marvin at home, with wifi on, on my Mini, hoping that it would sync my page of the book to my iPad 2. It didn't. If you learn or hear anything, let me know how to sync. I will go to the mobile read forums & take a look.


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## Meemo

As far as I know, no syncing.  I don't usually sync on my Kindles either - I just page forward, and on Marvin that's made easier because you can page forward five or 10 pages at a time, or jump ahead by chapters.


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## corkyb

MamaProfCrash said:


> I got it to work tonight. I had to save the books to disc in Calibre. I am liking Marvin now that I can play with it.


Did you have to plug in and sideload to get books into Marvin from Calibre? Or has CaLibre been integrated?

Paula


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## MamaProfCrash

Calibre will be integrated with the next update. You can email books to yourself and open them in Marvin, use drop box, or drop them into Marvin through Itunes.


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## Toby

That's what I did, Meemo. I paged forward 10 pages. That is a very cool feature. I wish I could do that on my kindles.


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## Meemo

MamaProfCrash said:


> Calibre will be integrated with the next update. You can email books to yourself and open them in Marvin, use drop box, or drop them into Marvin through Itunes.


Or you can access Calibre through Safari on your iPad. That's how I've been moving books from Calibre for a while now - on the iThings, and even at times on my Kindles if I only want to move a book or two. It will be even easier once Calibre is integrated with the 1.2 update. But even now, with being able to 4-finger swipe between Marvin and Safari, it's really easy. And faster for me than emailing or Dropboxing or iTuning.


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## corkyb

Meemo said:


> Or you can access Calibre through Safari on your iPad. That's how I've been moving books from Calibre for a while now - on the iThings, and even at times on my Kindles if I only want to move a book or two. It will be even easier once Calibre is integrated with the 1.2 update. But even now, with being able to 4-finger swipe between Marvin and Safari, it's really easy. And faster for me than emailing or Dropboxing or iTuning.


Splain please Meemo. How can I access Calibre on my ipad with Safari? And then how do I get it to Marvin? I'm lost on this one and curious minds need to know. Thanks


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## Meemo

corkyb said:


> Splain please Meemo. How can I access Calibre on my ipad with Safari? And then how do I get it to Marvin? I'm lost on this one and curious minds need to know. Thanks


Directions are in the Calibre FAQ: http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq.html#over-the-air

Directions were written pre-Marvin. If you want to use Marvin & ePubs, substitute "Marvin" for iBooks"...if you want to send to Kindle, modify the directions for 'preferred output', etc, accordingly... Once you get into Calibre and choose a book, you'll gt the choice of what app to open it with.

*"Over the air

The easiest way to browse your calibre collection on your Apple device (iPad/iPhone/iPod) is by using the calibre content server, which makes your collection available over the net. First perform the following steps in calibre

Set the Preferred Output Format in calibre to EPUB (The output format can be set under Preferences->Interface->Behavior)
Set the output profile to iPad (this will work for iPhone/iPods as well), under Preferences->Conversion->Common Options->Page Setup
Convert the books you want to read on your iPhone to EPUB format by selecting them and clicking the Convert button.
Turn on the Content Server in calibre's preferences and leave calibre running.

Now on your iPad/iPhone you have two choices, use either iBooks (version 1.2 and later) or Stanza (version 3.0 and later). Both are available free from the app store.
Using Stanza

Now you should be able to access your books on your iPhone by opening Stanza. Go to "Get Books" and then click the "Shared" tab. Under Shared you will see an entry "Books in calibre". If you don't, make sure your iPad/iPhone is connected using the WiFi network in your house, not 3G. If the calibre catalog is still not detected in Stanza, you can add it manually in Stanza. To do this, click the "Shared" tab, then click the "Edit" button and then click "Add book source" to add a new book source. In the Add Book Source screen enter whatever name you like and in the URL field, enter the following:

http://192.168.1.2:8080/

Replace 192.168.1.2 with the local IP address of the computer running calibre. If you have changed the port the calibre content server is running on, you will have to change 8080 as well to the new port. The local IP address is the IP address you computer is assigned on your home network. A quick Google search will tell you how to find out your local IP address. Now click "Save" and you are done.

If you get timeout errors while browsing the calibre catalog in Stanza, try increasing the connection timeout value in the stanza settings. Go to Info->Settings and increase the value of Download Timeout.
Using iBooks

Start the Safari browser and type in the IP address and port of the computer running the calibre server, like this:

http://192.168.1.2:8080/

Replace 192.168.1.2 with the local IP address of the computer running calibre. If you have changed the port the calibre content server is running on, you will have to change 8080 as well to the new port. The local IP address is the IP address you computer is assigned on your home network. A quick Google search will tell you how to find out your local IP address.

You will see a list of books in Safari, just click on the epub link for whichever book you want to read, Safari will then prompt you to open it with iBooks."
*

When the Marvin update is released, we'll be able to enter the IP:8080 number within Marvin, much like the Stanza procedure above, rather than going back & forth between Safari & Marvin.

ETA: The update is out. To add your Calibre library, from Library view, tap the icon that's a cloud with a magnifying glass in the bottom left corner. Then tap web browser. Type in your IP:8080 address. And remember this is over your wifi network so you have to be nearby, and Calibre has to be open and the computer on. You can do the Dropbox thing, or the OPDS thing if you want to access your Calibre library from anywhere. I haven't tried either yet - thr web browsing option has been enough for me up to now.


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## MamaProfCrash

Marvin 1.2 is out. Huge list of improvements.


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## Meemo

MamaProfCrash said:


> Marvin 1.2 is out. Huge list of improvements.


Yes! I updated this morning, just got my Calibre library link set up under the Web Browser and it's working nicely. Love that I can now switch between day & night theme by tapping the top center of the screen. I'll have to pull up the list of other changes and play a bit. Lots are kind of over my head for my personal use, but it's a great update. 
I rarely review or rate apps, but I need to make this one an exception.


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## corkyb

Meemo said:


> Directions are in the Calibre FAQ: http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq.html#over-the-air
> 
> Directions were written pre-Marvin. If you want to use Marvin & ePubs, substitute "Marvin" for iBooks"...if you want to send to Kindle, modify the directions for 'preferred output', etc, accordingly... Once you get into Calibre and choose a book, you'll gt the choice of what app to open it with.
> 
> *"Over the air
> 
> The easiest way to browse your calibre collection on your Apple device (iPad/iPhone/iPod) is by using the calibre content server, which makes your collection available over the net. First perform the following steps in calibre
> 
> Set the Preferred Output Format in calibre to EPUB (The output format can be set under Preferences->Interface->Behavior)
> Set the output profile to iPad (this will work for iPhone/iPods as well), under Preferences->Conversion->Common Options->Page Setup
> Convert the books you want to read on your iPhone to EPUB format by selecting them and clicking the Convert button.
> Turn on the Content Server in calibre's preferences and leave calibre running.
> 
> Now on your iPad/iPhone you have two choices, use either iBooks (version 1.2 and later) or Stanza (version 3.0 and later). Both are available free from the app store.
> Using Stanza
> 
> Now you should be able to access your books on your iPhone by opening Stanza. Go to "Get Books" and then click the "Shared" tab. Under Shared you will see an entry "Books in calibre". If you don't, make sure your iPad/iPhone is connected using the WiFi network in your house, not 3G. If the calibre catalog is still not detected in Stanza, you can add it manually in Stanza. To do this, click the "Shared" tab, then click the "Edit" button and then click "Add book source" to add a new book source. In the Add Book Source screen enter whatever name you like and in the URL field, enter the following:
> 
> http://192.168.1.2:8080/
> 
> Replace 192.168.1.2 with the local IP address of the computer running calibre. If you have changed the port the calibre content server is running on, you will have to change 8080 as well to the new port. The local IP address is the IP address you computer is assigned on your home network. A quick Google search will tell you how to find out your local IP address. Now click "Save" and you are done.
> 
> If you get timeout errors while browsing the calibre catalog in Stanza, try increasing the connection timeout value in the stanza settings. Go to Info->Settings and increase the value of Download Timeout.
> Using iBooks
> 
> Start the Safari browser and type in the IP address and port of the computer running the calibre server, like this:
> 
> http://192.168.1.2:8080/
> 
> Replace 192.168.1.2 with the local IP address of the computer running calibre. If you have changed the port the calibre content server is running on, you will have to change 8080 as well to the new port. The local IP address is the IP address you computer is assigned on your home network. A quick Google search will tell you how to find out your local IP address.
> 
> You will see a list of books in Safari, just click on the epub link for whichever book you want to read, Safari will then prompt you to open it with iBooks."
> *
> 
> When the Marvin update is released, we'll be able to enter the IP:8080 number within Marvin, much like the Stanza procedure above, rather than going back & forth between Safari & Marvin.
> 
> ETA: The update is out. To add your Calibre library, from Library view, tap the icon that's a cloud with a magnifying glass in the bottom left corner. Then tap web browser. Type in your IP:8080 address. And remember this is over your wifi network so you have to be nearby, and Calibre has to be open and the computer on. You can do the Dropbox thing, or the OPDS thing if you want to access your Calibre library from anywhere. I haven't tried either yet - thr web browsing option has been enough for me up to now.


Thank you so much, Meemo, for taking the time to write this out. Very helpful I may even be able to follow it.


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## Jen200

Thanks so much for the instructions.  I was able to get this set up and love it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## luvmy4brats

I just downloaded the app and linked it to my Dropbox. All of my Calibre books wind up there as it is. I don't know if I'll actually link Marvin to Calibre, but it's nice to know I have the option. 

I've only played with it for a few minutes, but I love the options already. I have a feeling I'll be spending quite a bit of time with this app.


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## luvmy4brats

Ok, I just discovered I can edit the metadata for the books in the app. This makes my OCD self very, very happy. 

Looks like it's time to start converting some of those Dropbox books to ePub.


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## Meemo

It's not always easy to find the directions for connecting via wifi in the Calibre FAQ. Luckily it lets you cut & paste now.  

I haven't tried the OPDS catalog, just the web browser link to my Calibre library. Im reading up on it and may try setting one up, although I've already got lots of books loaded into Marvin.  

And collections are coming in a future update!  I may never read on anything but my Mini again....

Oh and and another thing I love - the option to "Shuffle" your library. For those times I don't quite know what to read next. I've been known to let Calibre select a random book for me - now Marvin can do it.


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## MamaProfCrash

I asked over at mobile reads but not gotten a good answer. What is a OPDS catalog? Why should I care


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## Meemo

With the OPDS catalog, as I understand it, you can access your Calibre library wirelessly from anywhere. With the web-based option you need to be within range of your wifi and Calibre has to be open. 

If we did lots of traveling, I'd probably be more anxious to implement the OPDS option. As it is though, I'm happy enough accessing it via wifi.


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