Convert FB2 to CSV

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FB2 vs CSV Format Comparison

Aspect	FB2 (Source Format)	CSV (Target Format)
Format Overview	FB2 FictionBook 2.0 XML-based ebook format developed in Russia. Designed specifically for fiction and literature with rich metadata support. Extremely popular in Eastern Europe and CIS countries. Stores complete book structure including chapters, annotations, and cover images in a single XML file. Ebook Format XML-Based	CSV Comma-Separated Values Simple, universal data format that stores tabular data in plain text. Each line represents a row, with values separated by commas. Widely supported by spreadsheet applications, databases, and programming languages. The de facto standard for data exchange and import/export operations. Data Format Plain Text
Technical Specifications	Structure: XML document Encoding: UTF-8 Format: Text-based XML Compression: Optional (ZIP as .fb2.zip) Extensions: .fb2, .fb2.zip	Structure: Tabular rows and columns Encoding: UTF-8, ASCII, Windows-1252 Format: Plain text Compression: None Extensions: .csv
Syntax Examples	FB2 uses XML structure: <FictionBook> <description> <title-info> <book-title>My Book</book-title> <author>John Doe</author> </title-info> </description> <body> <section> <title>Chapter 1</title> <p>Text content...</p> </section> </body> </FictionBook>	CSV uses comma-separated values: Type,Content,Author,Title Metadata,My Book,John Doe,Book Title Chapter,Chapter 1,John Doe, Paragraph,Text content...,John Doe, Paragraph,More text...,John Doe,
Content Support	Rich book metadata (author, title, genre) Cover images (embedded Base64) Chapters and sections Annotations and epigraphs Footnotes and comments Poems and citations Tables (basic) Internal links Multiple bodies (main + notes)	Column headers Text data in cells Numeric values Quoted strings (with commas/newlines) Delimiter customization (comma, semicolon, tab) Large datasets (millions of rows) UTF-8 special characters Empty fields
Advantages	Excellent for fiction/literature Rich metadata support Single file contains everything Widely supported by ebook readers Free and open format Good compression ratio (.fb2.zip)	Universal compatibility Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, etc. Simple and lightweight Easy to parse programmatically Human-readable Works with databases No proprietary software needed
Disadvantages	Limited outside Eastern Europe Not supported by Amazon Kindle Complex XML structure Not ideal for technical docs Manual editing is difficult	No formatting (bold, italic) No images or media No hierarchical structure No data types (all text) Inconsistent standards (RFC 4180) Delimiter confusion (comma vs semicolon)
Common Uses	Fiction and literature ebooks Digital libraries (Flibusta, etc.) Ebook distribution in CIS Personal ebook collections Ebook reader apps	Data exchange between systems Spreadsheet imports/exports Database dumps and imports Configuration files Log files and reports Contact lists and inventories
Best For	Reading fiction on devices Ebook library management Sharing books in CIS region Structured fiction content	Data analysis and statistics Spreadsheet applications Database imports Simple data storage
Version History	Introduced: 2004 (Russia) Current Version: FB2.1 Status: Stable, widely used Evolution: FB3 in development	Introduced: Early 1970s Current Version: RFC 4180 (2005) Status: Universal standard Evolution: Stable, no major changes
Software Support	Calibre: Full support FBReader: Native format Cool Reader: Full support Other: Moon+ Reader, AlReader	Excel: Native support Google Sheets: Full support LibreOffice Calc: Native support Other: All databases, Python, R

Why Convert FB2 to CSV?

Converting FB2 ebooks to CSV format is useful for data analysis, metadata extraction, and text mining applications. While FB2 is designed for reading fiction, CSV provides a tabular structure perfect for analyzing book content, extracting statistics, or importing into spreadsheet applications for further processing.

FB2 (FictionBook 2) is an XML-based ebook format extremely popular in Russia and Eastern Europe. It excels at storing fiction with rich metadata including author information, cover images, annotations, and structured chapters. However, FB2's hierarchical XML structure is not ideal for data analysis or statistical processing.

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is the universal format for tabular data. By converting FB2 to CSV, you can extract book metadata, chapter titles, and text content into rows and columns that can be easily analyzed in Excel, Google Sheets, or data analysis tools like Python pandas, R, or SQL databases. This is particularly useful for literary analysis, content cataloging, or building book databases.

Key Benefits of Converting FB2 to CSV:

Metadata Extraction: Extract author, title, genre, and publication info into structured columns
Content Analysis: Analyze chapter structure, word counts, and text statistics
Spreadsheet Compatibility: Open in Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc
Database Import: Import into MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite for queries
Text Mining: Process with Python pandas, R data.table for analysis
Bulk Processing: Extract data from multiple books for comparison
Simple Format: Plain text that works everywhere

Practical Examples

Example 1: Metadata Extraction

Input FB2 file (book.fb2):

<description>
  <title-info>
    <book-title>The Great Adventure</book-title>
    <author>
      <first-name>John</first-name>
      <last-name>Smith</last-name>
    </author>
    <genre>Science Fiction</genre>
    <date>2024</date>
  </title-info>
</description>

Output CSV file (book.csv):

Field,Value
Title,The Great Adventure
Author,John Smith
Genre,Science Fiction
Publication Year,2024

Example 2: Chapter Structure

Input FB2 chapters:

<body>
  <section>
    <title>Chapter 1: The Beginning</title>
    <p>It was a dark and stormy night.</p>
  </section>
  <section>
    <title>Chapter 2: The Journey</title>
    <p>The hero set out on a quest.</p>
  </section>
</body>

Output CSV with structure:

Type,Level,Title,Content
Chapter,1,Chapter 1: The Beginning,
Paragraph,2,,It was a dark and stormy night.
Chapter,1,Chapter 2: The Journey,
Paragraph,2,,The hero set out on a quest.

Example 3: Text Content Extraction

Input FB2 with formatting:

<p>This is <strong>bold</strong> text.</p>
<p>This is <emphasis>italic</emphasis> text.</p>

Output CSV (formatting stripped):

Type,Content
Paragraph,This is bold text.
Paragraph,This is italic text.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is FB2 format?

A: FB2 (FictionBook 2) is an XML-based ebook format created in Russia in 2004. It's designed for storing fiction with rich metadata including author info, genres, cover images, and structured content. FB2 is extremely popular in Eastern Europe and CIS countries, supported by readers like FBReader, Cool Reader, and Calibre.

Q: What is CSV format?

A: CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a universal plain text format for storing tabular data. Each line represents a row, with values separated by commas. CSV is supported by all spreadsheet applications (Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc), databases, and programming languages. It's the standard format for data exchange.

Q: What data is extracted in the CSV?

A: The conversion extracts book metadata (title, author, genre, publication date), chapter titles, section headers, and text content. Each element is placed in a row with columns indicating the type (metadata, chapter, paragraph), level, title, and content. This creates a structured dataset for analysis.

Q: Is text formatting preserved?

A: No, CSV is plain text and doesn't support formatting like bold, italic, or underlining. All formatting is stripped during conversion, leaving only the raw text content. This is intentional, as CSV is designed for data analysis rather than document presentation.

Q: What happens to images in FB2?

A: Images cannot be stored in CSV files. During conversion, image information may be noted (filename or reference), but the actual image data is not included. CSV is a text-only format suitable for tabular data, not multimedia content.

Q: Can I analyze the CSV in Excel or Google Sheets?

A: Yes! CSV files open natively in Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc. You can sort, filter, create pivot tables, run formulas, and perform statistical analysis on the extracted book data. This is one of the main reasons to convert FB2 to CSV.

Q: How is the chapter structure represented?

A: The CSV typically includes columns for element type (chapter, section, paragraph), hierarchical level, title, and content. This allows you to reconstruct the book's structure and analyze chapter lengths, organization, and content distribution.

Q: Can I convert CSV back to FB2?

A: Theoretically yes, but it requires custom scripting. You would need to parse the CSV and reconstruct the XML structure, add metadata tags, and format it according to FB2 specifications. This is complex and not commonly done. CSV is a one-way extraction format for analysis purposes.