Short reads
For a quick session, consider books under 50,000 words. 'Monumentum Ancyranum' is 32,862 words (143 minutes), and 'On The Structure of Greek Tribal Society' is 43,607 words (190 minutes).
Reading Tracker
Choose a book, record where you are, and set a daily goal. Your progress is stored in localStorage in this browser; it is not uploaded to a user account.
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Estimated time remaining
Choose a book
If the EPUB has no fixed print pagination, the tool starts with an estimated page count and lets you replace it with the page total shown by your own reader.
Reading progress
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Remaining
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Stored locally
Reading history
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How the progress estimate works
Reading time estimates are based on the median word count of the catalog: 108,269 words, which at a typical reading pace takes about 471 minutes, or roughly 7.8 hours. These are estimates, not guarantees.
The catalog categorizes books by length: short (11), medium (13), long (18), and epic (53). Similarly, reading time is grouped into quick (less than 4 hours), steady (4-6 hours), immersive (6-10 hours), and marathon (over 10 hours). Use these to plan your sessions.
Medium and long
Medium books range from about 50,000 to 100,000 words, like 'Anabasis' (97,975 words). Long books exceed 100,000 words, such as 'Cicero and his friends' (133,094 words).
Epic marathons
If you have time, epic works like Gibbon's 'Decline and Fall' volumes are over 170,000 words. You might break them into multiple sessions, tracking your progress through the text sections.
Sustainable Page-Based Progress
The Reading Tracker records progress in pages, not minutes or sections. It asks for your current page, the total pages, and a daily page goal. If the catalog does not provide a fixed page count, the tracker estimates one by dividing the word count by 250 words per page—a standard assumption you can override with the total from your own reading app.
This page-based approach works well for ancient history titles, which often have irregular chapter lengths and dense prose. By focusing on pages, you can set a steady daily goal without worrying about how many sections you finish.
Setting a Daily Page Goal
The default daily goal is 20 pages, but you can adjust it to fit your schedule. For a long book like History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 3 — Key Ideas to Explore (id 213), which has 172,074 words and an estimated 689 pages (at 250 words per page), a 20-page goal would take about 35 days. If you prefer a lighter pace, 10 pages a day extends that to 69 days.
The tracker calculates estimated finish days as ceil(remaining_pages / daily_page_goal). This gives you a concrete date to aim for, which can be motivating. It also shows estimated remaining time, proportional to your progress, so you always know how much longer the book will take.
Adjusting the Page Count
The initial page estimate assumes 250 words per page, but your edition may differ. If you are reading on an e-reader or in a print edition with a different layout, you can replace the total page count with the number shown by your reading app. This ensures the tracker's estimates match your actual reading experience.
For example, if your edition of Decline and Fall Volume 3 has 800 pages instead of 689, the tracker will recalculate remaining time and finish days accordingly. This flexibility is essential for long books where page counts vary widely between editions.
Tracking Without an Account
Progress history is stored in localStorage in your current browser, so no account is required. This means your data stays on your device, and you can start tracking immediately without any setup. The trade-off is that progress is tied to the browser you use; if you switch devices, you will need to enter your current page manually.
The tracker does not record sections or minutes as progress—only pages. This keeps the system simple and reliable. For a book like Decline and Fall Volume 3, with 18 text sections, the page-based approach is more granular, allowing you to see progress within a section. Use the tracker to build a daily habit, and the pages will add up.