Manning eBooks

Innovation in electronic books since 2000

In Spring 2000 Manning was the first publisher to offer unprotected PDF eBooks and remained the only one to do so for several years. No longer did customers have to hassle with DRM schemes, nor wait for books to ship or have to make a trip to the bookstore -- a first step toward what proved to be a large shift in publishing was taken. The eBooks were sold from our website only, until we began offering ePubs for sale in Apple's iBookstore in November 2010.

Unprotected PDF is also the format we used to launch our groundbreaking MEAP program, starting with Eclipse in Action in 2003. The first MEAPs were offered to the public after the manuscripts were developed, edited and typeset—that is, when they were nearly complete. Even though that gave our readers access to the content many months before publication, because our books are on cutting-edge topics they wanted even earlier access to them. Currently, the MEAP program gives readers unprotected PDFs of chapters as they are written.

In May 2010, Manning began offering eBooks in ePub format as well as PDF. We were slow to adopt this new mobile format, thinking readers would not want to read technical books on screens as small as the iPhone's, but we recognized that we were wrong and have since embraced the mobile reading medium. We now include all available formats in the purchase of a Manning eBook.

What is liveBook?

liveBook is our free online reading platform, offering instant access to all Manning books from any device. You can read the books you own in full and search the complete content of our entire library. liveBook also includes handy features such as bookmarks, commenting, one-click code copy, in-line exercises, and options for sharing content with other readers. Discover more on our About liveBook page.

Why buy a Manning eBook?

Exclusivity ---Our eBooks are only available on manning.com, in the Apple iBookstore, and at Safari Books Online. Books in MEAP are available ONLY from manning.com.

Portability ---Why carry a printed copy, when you are already carrying your laptop, reading, or mobile device? Get a Manning eBook and add zero weight. You can download it many times, and you can put it on different devices.

FREE eBook ---We believe that when you buy an eBook from Manning, you are buying the content, not the format. That's why we include all available electronic formats—PDF and ePub—at no extra cost. Buying the pBook anyway? We include the eBook for free, even if you purchased the pBook elsewhere!

Search, Copy, Paste, Print ---You can search in it. You can copy source code easily from the book and paste it into your application quickly. Print only what you need and save trees!

Inexpensive Upgrade ---If you want the pBook of an eBook you own you can upgrade to the pBook without having to pay for content you already own. See details below.

Why buy from Manning.com?

pBook Upgrade! If you own a Manning eBook you can upgrade to the pBook at any time for only $12 + shipping. Simply write to support with your order number if you still have it. If not, no problem: just tell us which email address you used to purchase the eBook and we will send you an upgrade code. Upgrades are only available to original customers who purchased the eBook at manning.com, and cannot be combined with discount offers.

Free eBook With Every pBook! If you are an owner of a Manning pBook you can get a free eBook at any time easily from your account. If you prefer NOT to have a Manning account no problem, we won't be offended: we will send you a one-time download link after purchasing the pBook at manning.com. If you did not buy the pBook from manning.com, you can still get the free eBook in all available formats by setting up a Manning account, and registering your copy.

Amazing Discounts! We offer great discounts on a regular basis. Sign up for our weekly mailer or our Deal of the Day alerts and you may never pay full price for a Manning book again.