On a computer it goes to your Downloads folder. On an iPhone or iPad it goes to the Files app, usually under Downloads. On an Android phone it goes to your Downloads folder, reachable through the Files or My Files app.

If you're downloading directly on the device you intend to read on, you may not need to move it anywhere - jump to the section for your device below.

Apple Books is built into every iPhone and iPad and reads EPUB files without any setup.

• Download the file using the button above
• Tap it when the download finishes, or find it later in the Files app
• Choose Books if you're asked what to open it with

The guide opens straight away and stays in your Books library. If you use iCloud, it will appear on your other Apple devices too.

To make it comfortable, tap the middle of the screen while reading and look for the type controls - you can change the size, the typeface, and the page colour. The contents button takes you to any section directly, and there's a search that covers the whole guide.

Android doesn't include an EPUB reader, so you'll need a free app. Any of these work well:

• Google Play Books - already on most Android phones, and syncs across your devices
• Moon+ Reader - the most adjustable, if you like to fine-tune how a page looks
• Lithium - plain and quick, with nothing to configure

Install whichever appeals, then open your Downloads folder and tap the EPUB. Android will ask which app should handle it; choose your reader and it will import the guide into its library.

With Google Play Books you can also upload the file from a computer at books.google.com, and it will appear on your phone automatically.

Kindles handle EPUB differently from everything else, and it catches people out. A Kindle can't open an EPUB from its own storage - but Amazon will convert one for you automatically when you send it across. The result reads perfectly.

The easy way - Amazon's web uploader

Go to Amazon's Send to Kindle page in any browser and sign in with your usual Amazon account. Drag the EPUB onto the page, choose which Kindle should receive it, and send. It arrives over Wi-Fi within a few minutes.

By email

Every Kindle has its own email address, and anything you send there is delivered to the device. Before it will work you need to tell Amazon which address you'll be sending from - otherwise your email is silently discarded.

• Find both addresses in your Amazon account, under Manage Your Content and Devices, then Preferences, then Personal Document Settings
• Add your own email address to the approved senders list on that page
• Email the EPUB as an attachment to your Kindle's address, from that approved address

Leave the Kindle awake and on Wi-Fi and the guide will appear in your library shortly.

Using the Send to Kindle app

Amazon also offers a free Send to Kindle app for Windows and Mac, which skips the email setup entirely - drag the file onto it and choose your device.

Kobo readers understand EPUB directly, with no conversion, which makes this the most straightforward device of all.

With the USB cable

• Connect the Kobo to your computer with its cable and tap Connect on the Kobo when it asks
• Open the KOBOeReader drive that appears on your computer
• Drag the EPUB into it, anywhere in the top level of the drive
• Eject the drive properly, then unplug the cable

The Kobo shows "Importing content" for a moment, after which the guide is waiting in My Books.

Over Wi-Fi, with Dropbox or Google Drive

Newer Kobos can pull files from Dropbox or Google Drive without a cable. In your Kobo's settings, link the cloud account you use, then put the EPUB into the folder the Kobo creates for itself and sync.

This needs Kobo software version 4.18 or later, and is available on the Libra Colour, Sage, Forma, and Elipsa models. If you don't see the option in settings, use the cable instead - it works on every Kobo.

• Mac - Apple Books is already installed; double-click the file
• Windows - try Thorium Reader, which is free and does one job well
• Any computer - Calibre is free, reads EPUB, and manages a whole library

Calibre is also the tool of choice if you ever need to move books between devices or convert between formats. It's more than most people need for a single guide, but it's worth knowing about.

However you read it, a few things are true of every EPUB reader:

• Set the type to suit you - size, typeface, spacing and margins are all yours to change, and nothing is lost by making the text bigger
• Use the contents - the guide is arranged in ten parts, and every article is listed, so you can go straight to what you need
• Search the whole guide - quicker than hunting through the contents when you know roughly what you're after
• Bookmark and highlight - most readers let you mark a passage and come back to it
• Read in the dark - a night or sepia mode is easier on the eyes late on

Your place is remembered automatically, so you can dip in and out without losing your spot.

The file won't open

Almost always this means the device has no app that reads EPUB. On Android install one of the readers suggested above; on a computer install Thorium or Calibre.

It never arrived on my Kindle

Check that the address you sent from is on Amazon's approved senders list - this is much the commonest cause. Then make sure the Kindle is awake and connected to Wi-Fi, and give it a few minutes.

My Kobo can't see it

Make sure the file went into the top level of the KOBOeReader drive rather than into a folder, and that you ejected the drive properly before unplugging.

The text looks wrong

Try changing the font or size in your reader's settings - that clears up most oddities. Failing that, the PDF shows the guide exactly as designed.