This scraper downloads the whole Project Gutenberg library and packages it into a ZIM file, a clean and user-friendly format for storing content for offline usage.

The ZIM file includes a modern, responsive Vue.js interface with features like:

• Browse books by title, author, or Library of Congress Classification (LCC) shelves
• Advanced filtering by language, format, and more
• Full-text search across all content
• Multilingual support with automatic language detection
• Responsive design that works on desktop and mobile devices
• No-JavaScript fallback for maximum compatibility

The recommended way to use the Gutenberg scraper is with Docker, which includes all dependencies pre-installed.

Run the scraper:

docker run -v $(pwd)/output:/output ghcr.io/openzim/gutenberg gutenberg2zim

The -v $(pwd)/output:/output option mounts your local output folder to save the ZIM file.

Note: On Windows PowerShell, replace $(pwd) with ${PWD}. Alternatively, use the full path: -v C:\Users\YourName\output:/output

View available options:

docker run ghcr.io/openzim/gutenberg gutenberg2zim --help

Example with custom options:

docker run -v $(pwd)/output:/output ghcr.io/openzim/gutenberg \
  gutenberg2zim -l en,fr -f pdf --books 100-200 --lcc-shelves all

This downloads English and French books with IDs 100-200 in PDF format, including LCC shelf pages.

Alternatively, install from PyPI:

pip install gutenberg2zim
gutenberg2zim --help

Note: You'll need to install system dependencies (zim-tools) separately. See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

-h --help                            Display help message
-F --force                           Overwrite existing ZIM file

-l --languages=<list>                Comma-separated language codes (ISO 639-1 or ISO 639-3)
-f --formats=<list>                  Comma-separated formats (epub, html, pdf, all)

-z --zim-file=<file>                 ZIM file output path
--zim-name=<name>                    ZIM name (metadata)
-t --zim-title=<title>               ZIM title
-n --zim-desc=<description>          ZIM description
-L --zim-long-desc=<description>     ZIM long description
--zim-languages=<languages>          ZIM language metadata

-b --books=<ids>                     Specific book IDs (comma-separated or ranges with dashes)
-c --concurrency=<nb>                Number of concurrent workers (default: 16)

--no-index                           Skip full-text index creation
--lcc-shelves=<shelves>              LCC shelf codes (comma-separated or 'all')
--primary-color=<color>              Primary UI color (hex format, e.g., #1976D2)
--secondary-color=<color>            Secondary UI color (hex format, e.g., #424242)

--publisher=<publisher>              Custom publisher name (default: openZIM)
--mirror-url=<url>                   Custom Gutenberg mirror URL
--output=<folder>                    Output folder (default: ./output)
--debug                              Enable verbose output

• Modern Web Interface: Fast, responsive single-page application with smooth navigation
• Multiple View Modes: Switch between grid and list views for books
• Responsive Design: Optimized for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices
• Dark/Light Theme: Automatic theme switching based on system preferences
• Customizable Colors: Configure primary and secondary brand colors

• Browse by Books: View all books with cover images, titles, and authors
• Browse by Authors: Explore authors with their complete bibliographies
• LCC Shelves: Browse books by Library of Congress Classification categories
• Smart Pagination: Efficient navigation through large collections

• Full-Text Search: Search across all books, authors, and shelves
• Quick Filters: Find authors by name or shelves by code
• Rich Search Results: Search results include descriptions and metadata

• Language Filter: Filter books by language (supports all Gutenberg languages)
• Format Filter: Filter by available formats (EPUB, HTML, PDF, TXT, MOBI)
• Sort Options: Sort by popularity (download count) or title
• Sort Order: Toggle between ascending and descending order

• Comprehensive Metadata: Title, subtitle, author, description, languages, license
• Author Information: Author name with birth/death years and lifespan
• Popularity Rating: Star rating based on download statistics
• Download Counts: Formatted download statistics
• LCC Classification: Link to Library of Congress Classification shelf
• Multiple Formats: Download books in available formats (EPUB, HTML, PDF, etc.)
• Cover Images: High-quality book cover images where available

• Multiple Languages: Full UI translations for many languages
• Automatic Detection: Detects browser language and sets UI accordingly
• Language Switcher: Easy language selection from header menu
• RTL Support: Right-to-left layout support for Arabic, Hebrew, etc.

• No-JavaScript Fallback: Complete HTML-only version for browsers without JavaScript
• Semantic HTML: Proper heading hierarchy and ARIA labels
• Keyboard Navigation: Full keyboard accessibility
• Screen Reader Support: ARIA labels and descriptions throughout
• High Contrast: Readable text with proper color contrast ratios

• ZIM Format: Compressed, indexed format for offline usage
• Full-Text Indexing: Optional full-text search index within ZIM
• Concurrent Processing: Multi-threaded book processing for faster scraping
• Custom Mirrors: Support for custom Gutenberg mirror URLs
• Docker Support: Pre-built Docker images with all dependencies

We welcome contributions! Whether you want to:

• Add or improve UI translations
• Fix bugs or add features
• Improve documentation
• Develop the Vue.js interface

Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines on setting up the development environment, code style, testing, and the pull request process.

Main coding guidelines follow the openZIM Wiki.

GPLv3 or later, see LICENSE for more details.