lee said:
Rarely is the alphabet alone sufficient to create an e-book. Usually, to provide the maximum reading experience a digital publication needs to include markup suggesting how the text should be presented, and may include non-textual items, such as illustrations or cover art. Additionally, it is helpful if a digital publication contains information _about_ the publication which is technically not part of the publication itself; this information is typically referred to as "metadata." The author's identity, publication date, rights assertions and even the Gutenberg boilerplate text are all examples of metadata.
almost all of this can be contentious. (except the part about illustrations...) enough said. the proof is in the pudding. and, speaking of pudding, happy holidays! -bowerbird