Hi Glenn, Formatting of PDF eBooks can vary a lot. However, if there is a table of contents, you may be able to use it to navigate. Once you have selected your book in your iBooks library and opened it, flick through the page controls that are at the top of the screen. Next to the "Library" button in the top left corner, you may flick right to a "Table of Contents" button. If there is a "Table of Contents" button, try double tapping it. After you double tap it, you may have to flick further right through the top page controls and find button options for "grid view"', "list view", and "bookmarks view". You'll want to select "list view" by double tapping that button. If there is no "list view", which will be the case if a table of,contents that you can use to navigate the book wasn't created (for example, if you opened a PDF document that was just a letter or short report and stored it in your iBooks library), then flick left back to the "resume" button that will now be the button to the right of "Library" and double tap.
If there is a table of contents that you can use for navigation, once you are in "list view" display mode, you should be able to flick right from the top set of page control buttons to the active page area. You can also run your finger vertically down through the contents instead of flicking. When you get to a chapter item that you want to read, double tap, and you may be automatically taken to that chapter and start your reading. At a later time, if you need to go back to the table of contents to jump to a different section of the book, double tap the "Table of Contents" button that is just to the right of the "Library" button in the top left corner. You should still have list view configured if you have not exited the book and moved back to your library. In some PDF books there are embedded links in the text. The text may say something like "we discuss this topic in chapter 4.3" or "on page 54", and the actual reference to chapter or page will contain links that will, if double tapped, jump you to that page or chapter section. This is not usually the case, but it is may be a feature of some eBooks. You can also use the page chooser at the bottom of the screen, but it is likely that you'll have an easier time using the table of contents. HTH. Cheers, Esther On Dec 11, 2013, at 7:09 PM, Glenn wrote: > Hi Esther, > Thanks, yes, there is a table of contents, I figured that it was just for > reading through, I didn't know I could navigate from there. > I will try your other suggestions too. > Thanks again. > Glenn > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Esther" <[email protected]> > To: "OS X & iOS Accessibility" <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 10:26 PM > Subject: Re: using iBook on IOS > > > Hi Glenn, > > I'll start with your last comment first (the part about where you're hoping > there is a better app than iBooks for reading PDFs). My preferred app for > reading PDFs is Voice Dream Reader. But that's because I like the options > for keeping track of my reading position, voice selection (and language), > and preferred speech rate remembered and customized for each book or > document. And I also like the Neospeech voice options, and I personally > found it very annoying that VoiceOver wouldn't read accented letters > correctly when reading PDFs in iBooks (although these were OK in ePub > versions) if I were reading in languages other than English which also used > accented characters (e.g., French). > > However, many people who only read in English won't care about that last > point. Apart from that, all eBook reading apps are going to be better at > navigation and control of content if you are using ePub format rather than > PDF, but there are certainly some steps you can take to make things easier > for yourself. > > iBooks can display books in either portrait or landscape orientation. For > any apps that can use either orientation, I prefer to lock my screen > orientation. If you are using iOS 7, bring up Control Center and there > should be a lock orientation button you can double tap. Do you know whether > your PDF contains embedded links for its Table of Contents? If so, there > may be an alternate way to navigate through the book, although this is not > standard practice with VoiceOver. You can also use the search function to > position yourslef in a section of the book, although that will only take you > to the page that the searched phrase is on -- not the specific location on > the page. > > Try locking your orientation. If I use the page chooser, I'll touch the > screen in the center and then do a two finger flick to start reading from > the start of the page. > > And you can always try VoiceDream Reader if you really can't get along in > iBooks. > > HTH. Cheers, > > Esther > > On Dec 11, 2013, at 5:36 PM, Glenn wrote: > >> Hi, >> So far, I'm not having much fun reading a PDF eBook with the iBook app. >> I did put the voice rate into the rotor, and slowed it down for reading. >> But I swipe until I get to page selector, and it keeps putting me on a >> page >> around the middle of the book. >> I did a two-finger flick up, and it started reading after I just got back >> to >> page one, and when the screen orientation switched from portrait, it quit >> reading, so I go down to the page selector at the bottom of the screen, >> and >> it has me in the middle of the book again. >> THERE'S GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY! >> If it wasn't a book well over 400 pages, I'd attempt it on a Braille >> display, but I'm not a fast enough Braille reader. >> I'm hoping I'm just missing a command, or there is a better app for this. >> >> Glenn > <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> To reply to this post, please address your message to [email protected] You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at either the list's own dedicated web archive: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> or at the public Mail Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/>. 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