lastbook: Build an Offline Survival Library for Desktop

Overview

Lastbook is an offline survival library for macOS, Windows, and Linux, built around a collection of practical guides, manuals, videos, encyclopedias, and maps. It is intended for people who need useful reference material without an internet connection, including during emergencies or when rebuilding practical skills. Its optional local AI runs on llama.cpp and answers questions with citations to library pages.

The desktop app brings these materials together with search, video playback, PDF reading, and offline address lookup. Users select and download a library pack and state map during setup, or provide an existing library. Lastbook also offers a browser-based library server for sharing the collection on a local Wi-Fi network, though that is separate from the desktop app's no-port design.

Key Features

• Curated short guides link to relevant library pages and identify topics curators could not find coverage for.
• Library packs bundle manuals, PDFs, videos, and offline encyclopedias, with options for different collection sizes.
• Offline maps include a world and US base map, with detailed maps and address search for a selected state.
• Chat can find relevant library pages without AI, or use optional local AI to generate answers with citations.
• Setup can download a chosen pack, state map, and compatible AI model, or use a library already on the computer.
• The desktop interface is built for macOS, Windows, and Linux, with platform-specific shells and no web-based build step.

Use Cases

• A household preparing a reference collection for periods when internet access may be unavailable.
• People looking up practical emergency or rebuilding guidance and following its citations into source manuals.
• Users who need offline maps and address lookup for a chosen US state.
• Community groups or families sharing an existing collection through the library server on local Wi-Fi.

Getting Started

For source use, Lastbook requires Python 3.11 or later and a data folder containing a library. The README describes how to obtain a data folder, install platform-specific requirements, and run the app:

.venv/bin/python app/main.py --data /path/to/LastbookData

For Linux installation, the README provides an Ubuntu 24.04 x86_64 .deb package and the apt command to install it. See the README for setup, platform-specific instructions, and build details.

Considerations

• The repository is marked new and is only days old in the supplied project-health data. It has recent commits, but no GitHub release recorded in the past year; the README separately describes live platform builds and their versions.
• There are two contributors, with work concentrated in one person. The supplied health data also shows no issues closed in the recent measurement period, so long-term maintenance and support are not yet well established.
• First-run use depends on obtaining a library pack and, optionally, a state map. The library itself is not included in the repository and contains third-party materials with their own terms.
• The optional Gemma 4 26B A4B model is about 17 GB and is offered only when Lastbook's fit check determines the computer can run it. Meaning-based search is available on Windows only; Mac uses keyword search.
• Linux support is specifically tested on Ubuntu 24.04 x86_64, and the README says native Linux GPU performance and other distributions have not been validated. Distributed bundles also include GPL-covered components with separate license obligations.