The Project Gutenberg RST Manual

This manual walks readers through the essentials of turning Project Gutenberg’s plain‑text releases into modern ebook formats. Starting with step‑by‑step installation of the EpubMaker converter, it covers everything from getting Python and its toolset on Windows, Debian and other systems to configuring auxiliary programs like Groff, TeX Live and HTML Tidy. Clear commands and example URLs let listeners verify each stage as they go, making the process approachable even for those new to command‑line tools.

The guide then delves into the PG‑RST markup language, explaining the dozens of classes that control typography, structure and metadata. Inline classes such as italics, bold, small‑caps and monospaced are described alongside block‑level directives for pagination, footnotes and drop caps. Sample tables, truth‑value charts and metadata mappings illustrate how to produce consistent, well‑formatted outputs across HTML, EPUB, PDF and plain text.

Throughout, practical tips on environment variables, common pitfalls and best‑practice conventions help volunteers maintain clean, portable source files. The manual’s systematic layout and real‑world examples make it a handy reference for anyone contributing to digital book preservation.