# What is EPUB landmarks?

Source: https://epubcc.com/glossary/landmarks/ (updated 2026-11-04)

Landmarks are an optional nav element in the EPUB 3 navigation document (epub:type="landmarks") that points to key places such as the cover, the table of contents and the start of the main text. Some reading apps use them for "Go to beginning" and similar commands.

## Why it matters when you convert a PDF to EPUB

A converter that knows where the body of the book starts can add a landmark for it, so a reader opens the book at chapter one instead of a title page. Landmarks replace the guide element of EPUB 2.

How EpubCC handles it: it does not write a landmarks nav today; its navigation document has only the table of contents. Reading apps that rely on landmarks then open the book at its first spine item, which for a converted PDF is usually the cover or the title page. A landmark for the start of the body needs the engine to know reliably where the body starts, which it does not detect yet.