Sunflower ebooks

Although most users prefer our guides in printed paperback form, others are happier with ebooks. An ebook is a book that is available electronically. Various formats are used, but one of the most popular is Adobe Acrobat, since the pdf files produced by this software can be viewed using almost any e reader – such as the Kindle, Kobo or Nook – or on virtually any computer, including easily-carried netbooks or laptops and, of course, iPads and similar devices.

Ebooks can also be viewed on the more sophisticated mobile phones such as the iPhone (though you’ll need good eyesight as the screen size is so small). All of our titles are available as ebooks in a pdf version.

The advantages of Ebooks

• Are you in a hurry? Our pdf versions are available immediately – no waiting for the post. As soon as you place your order and pay, the download is available to you (and you’ll also receive an e-mail confirming the download instructions). You can download and save the file up to your device, the only proviso being that your downloads must be made within seven days of ordering.

• You can either print out a few selected pages – for example perhaps just the walks you plan to do) or the entire book. Moreover, if you prefer to print pages in a larger size than our normal book format you can do so – both text and maps will be as sharp as they are in the printed book. This is especially helpful when enlarging the maps: they are easier to read and you have space to annotate them if you wish. Within reason there is no limit to the size you can print them. (But to avoid ebook files becoming too large, all photographs are low-to-medium resolution – fine for viewing or printing in normal page size but less sharp if enlarged too much.)

• We allow you to print extra copies of walks to give to your walking companions – as long as you provide them free of charge and don’t attempt to sell them.

• You are permitted to install the pdf version on all the compatible devices you own – for example, on a computer, on a mobile phone and on an iPad or other portable device such as a netbook (but the file must not be installed on devices owned by anyone other than yourself).

• If you want to find the place in a book where a particular item or location is mentioned or described, Acrobat will search the entire text within a couple of seconds and take you to the appropriate page.

Want to try a free sample?

If you’d like to see how well our ebooks reproduce on your own device view some sample pages taken from Landscapes of Samos.

If you are downloading to an iPad, save the file as soon as it has downloaded. At the top right of the screen, options will appear as follows: “Open in iBooks” and “Open in”. Tap either of these to save the file – the iBooks option is ideal if you have that app on your iPad. If not, “Open in” will list any other apps into which the file can be saved, for example Kindle or Stanza. These options only appear momentarily but they will reappear if you tap the the screen.

Downloading to a computer, laptop or other tablet device, if downloaded files are not automatically saved, follow the maker’s instructions for saving downloaded files.

Which portable device do I choose?

Undoubtedly the displays on Apple’s iPad, iPad Mini and iPhone are among the best you will find on portable devices. But they are expensive. And the iPhone, like most smart phones, while light and easily portable, has a screen that is very small for viewing walking routes and maps. The iPad’s screen displays our pdfs superbly, but you are hardly going to carry an expensive and relatively heavy iPad on a walk.

Moreover, both devices are not at their best in full daylight, much less in bright sunshine. Most e-readers are visible in sunlight but are black and white only, so not ideal for viewing maps. The full colour Kindle Fire and other colour devices, like the iPad mini, are not at their best in daylight out of doors, though – if you can find some shade – combine light weight with a colour screen that is ideal for viewing maps.

In the end, most of our users prefer to carry printed books on a walk, using pdf versions on-screen for convenient armchair browsing of possible destinations and planning walks in advance of a holiday.

HOW TO DOWNLOAD

Sunflower assumes that purchasers of our pdf ebooks are familiar with how to use their devices. However, the following comments may be helpful to those who have only recently acquired a tablet device. If you need further help, we suggest you use a Google search on the web to find specific information about the device you own, or obtain one of the free user guides offered by the Apple iBooks store.

DOWNLOADING PDF VERSIONS TO APPLE IPADS

To download one of our ebooks to your iPad, there are two ways to do this. First, though, you need to have the iBooks app installed. If you don’t already have it, get it from Apple’s app store – it is free of charge. (It comes ready-installed on more recent models.)

If you have e-mail on your iPad, open the e-mail we send you on the iPad (not on your laptop or desktop computer). When the e-mail message from us opens, tap the URL we provide for download access. The download will take up to half a minute to download and you should then see the cover of the book on your iPad screen. At the top right of the screen you will see an option to open the book in iBooks. If you don’t see the box showing this, just tap the screen and it will appear. (But it only stays on the screen for a few seconds, so don’t delay tapping “Open in iBooks”.)

The book will then transfer to iBooks and it will be saved for permanent use.

If you do not have e-mail software on your iPad, copy the URL download link from our e-mail message and use Safari to open the file. Then follow the instructions above to transfer the file to iBooks.

DOWNLOADING PDF VERSIONS TO AMAZON KINDLES

There are so many versions of the Kindle and the method used for transferring pdf ebooks to your Kindle library depends on the specific model you own. In any case, you should have – or obtain from Amazon – the free user guide for the Kindle version you have. We strongly recommend that initially you download and save the ebook you have purchased to your desktop or laptop computer (you’ll need Adobe Acrobat Reader software, which is normally comes ready-installed on modern computers or, if not, can be downloaded free from the Adobe site). This ensures that you can access the original file at any time in the future.

The ideal way to transfer pdf files to more recent Kindle models is to use the USB lead that comes with your Kindle to connect it to your computer. A folder will appear on your computer desktop which contains everything that is already installed on your Kindle. One of the folders within the main folder will be “Documents”. Just drag the pdf file of the book you have bought and place it in the Documents folder.

Disconnect the Kindle from your computer using the method your computer recommends (e.g. on Apple computers you are told to drag the Kindle icon to the trash before disconnecting the USB lead). The pdf book can now be opened on your Kindle. If you don’t immediately see it displayed on the home screen, do a search for the destination and it should appear.

DOWNLOADING TO OTHER DEVICES

Because Kindles and iPads are the most frequently used devices, we have provided the above information. But there are many other devices, most of which are able to display pdf documents. Owners of Kobo, Nexus, Nook and other tablets should refer to the user manuals provided by the respective manufacturers for information on downloading pdf versions of books.