Tip - You can still get epub ebook readers compatible with 1st, 2nd generation iPods for Project Gutenberg etc.

Here's an update to my last post I tried out a second epub reader called iDCL Reader. It is very similar to the BeyondPrint Reader. Both are versions of the Bluefire reader.

I was very curious to see if it could open epub files from my local library, the County of Los Angeles Public Library. They use a popular system called Overdrive, and the current version of their iPod app is not compatible with iOS 4.2.1. So after making sure that my old, working version of the Overdrive app was backed up, I deleted it from my iPod and launched Safari. I navigated too the Library's website, logged in to the Overdrive section and checked out a book (Homage to Catalonia, by George Orwell).

Sadly, it did not give me a pop-up window for downloading as the Gutenberg site did. Just a nasty error message. On to the next step.

I went to my Windows PC, and downloaded the book, which opened in Adobe Digital Editions, the reader app for deaktop machines. Then I opened iTunes and dragged the epub file to the file transfer area of the iDCL Reader. Then Synced the iPod.

And yes, it worked! You can read Adobe DRM-protected library eBooks without the official Overdrive app. Too bad it's not seamless the way it is with the Project Gutenberg books.

Update:

BeyondPrint Reader is no longer compatible with older devices. August 8, 2013. 😟

Overdrive is introducing a new web-based ebook reader for library books which might solve incompatibility issues with older devices. The new system is called Overdrive Read and is based on the software from the Bookish Reading Club which used to let you read entire books when you were at Starbucks.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the web-based ebook solution. It will cache the entire book on the device; something that wasn't done in the Starbucks version. I remember the introduction of a web-based Kindle reader (haven't kept up on it) but that wasn't available for older devices. Apple used to have an interesting Web App for the iPod Touch User Guide which was completely cached, but they later changed it to a non-cached version.

I tried the demo in the above link on my iPod Touch 2nd generation, and found it finicky. Fortunately, there is also an Overdrive Read Basic for truly old devices.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

Update:

As of November, 2013, 2nd generation iPods can download iBooks, Kindle and Overdrive using the "last compatible version" feature.

This feature has been available since Sept. 17, but I only now got around to verifying these titles. To download these apps, you need to use the app store on the iOS device itself, not on a Mac or PC. You will be given an option to download an iOS 4.2.1 compatible version.

This should also work with the iPhone 3G.