FictionBook
FictionBook is an open XML-based e-book format which originated and gained popularity in Russia. FictionBook files have the .fb2 or .fb3 filename extension, regarding to their version. All FB2/FB3 capable readers also support ZIP-compressed FictionBook files (.fb2.zip or .fbz). FictionBook2 and FictionBook3 differ in two respects: FB2 consists of a single XML file, with pictures being embedded as base64-encoded "binary" blocks, thus removing the need for additional files. FB3 has a directory structure similar to that of the ePub format and incorporates the layout and embedding of multimedia content.
| Filename extension |
fb2 (zipped and raw), fb2.zip, fbz, .fb3 (zipped and raw) |
|---|---|
| Internet media type |
application/fictionbook2+zip, application/fictionbook3+zip |
| Developed by | Dmitry Gribov |
| Initial release | 2004 |
| Latest release | 2.21 16 January 2008 |
| Type of format | e-book file format |
| Container for | e-books |
| Extended from | XML |
| Extended to | FictionBook version 3 |
| Website | fictionbook.org |
The FictionBook2 format describes the eBook's structure, rather than defining its layout. For example, there are special tags for epigraphs, verses and quotations. All eBook metadata, such as author name, title, and publisher are also present in the eBook file. This makes the format convenient for automatic processing, indexing, ebook collection management and allows for easy automated conversion into other formats. FB3 adds layouting capabilities and removes the need to embed pictures as base64-encoded blocks, but for the most part stays true to the concept established with FB2.