Scrape e-book highlights

To “scrape e-book highlights,” you’re likely referring to extracting highlights and notes from digital books. The method depends on the platform or device used for reading. Here’s a breakdown of common options:

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1. Kindle Highlights

Via Amazon’s Your Notes & Highlights:

• Go to: https://read.amazon.com/notebook

• Sign in with your Amazon account.

• Select the book to see all highlights and notes.

• Copy-paste manually or use browser extensions or scripts to automate.

With Kindle App (Mobile/Desktop):

• Open the book and go to the “Notebook” section to view highlights.

• Sync and export highlights using Kindle’s export feature (if available).

Using Clipping File (Kindle Devices):

• Connect Kindle via USB.

• Open My Clippings.txt located in the root directory.

• Copy the text for parsing or automation.

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2. Apple Books (iBooks)

Manual Export:

• Open the book in Apple Books.

• Use the “Notes” section to view highlights.

• Copy manually or export (on macOS, go to File > Export Notes).

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3. Google Play Books

• Go to https://play.google.com/books

• Open a book and navigate to “Notes” from the side menu.

• Manually copy highlights or use developer tools to inspect the content for automation.

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4. Kobo

• Use the Kobo desktop app or eReader.

• Highlights are saved locally; some can be exported depending on the device.

• On Kobo eReaders, you can use Kobo Utilities plugin in Calibre for extraction.

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5. Using Readwise (Cross-Platform)

• Syncs highlights from Kindle, Apple Books (via manual upload), Instapaper, Pocket, and more.

• Offers export to CSV, Markdown, Notion, etc.

• Website: https://readwise.io

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6. Using Calibre (Open Source)

• Import ePub/Mobi/AZW files.

• Use plugins or built-in viewer to access highlights (if embedded).

• Combine with third-party scripts to automate extraction.

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7. Python-Based Extraction (Advanced)

Kindle Clippings Parser:

python
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with open("My Clippings.txt", "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
    data = f.read().split("==========")
    highlights = [entry.strip() for entry in data if "Highlight" in entry]
    for highlight in highlights:
        print(highlight)

For ePub Files:

Use ebooklib and BeautifulSoup:

python
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from ebooklib import epub
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

book = epub.read_epub('your_book.epub')
for item in book.get_items():
    if item.get_type() == epub.EpubHtml:
        soup = BeautifulSoup(item.get_content(), 'html.parser')
        # Process text or highlighted spans

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Conclusion

The best method depends on the device and platform. For the easiest cross-platform experience, Readwise is a solid recommendation. If you’re technically inclined, parsing local files or using Calibre can give full control.