Where to Find the AI Engineering From Scratch Book Series: Complete Download & Build Guide

The AI Engineering From Scratch book series is available as pre-built EPUB and PDF files attached to every GitHub release, or you can compile the six volumes locally using the build_book.py script.

The AI Engineering From Scratch curriculum is maintained in the rohitg00/ai-engineering-from-scratch repository as a comprehensive six-volume book series. According to the source code analysis, these books are generated automatically from the core lesson sources and distributed through the project's continuous integration pipeline.

Downloading the Pre-Built Books from GitHub Releases

The simplest way to obtain the AI Engineering From Scratch book series is through the GitHub releases page. The CI pipeline defined in .github/workflows/build-book.yml compiles every volume into both EPUB and PDF formats on every push and release.

Direct Download Links for Each Volume

The latest release assets contain downloadable files following the naming convention aiefs-vol{number}-{topic}.{format}. You can retrieve them using these URL patterns:

• Volume 1 – Foundations:
  EPUB · PDF

• Volume 2 – Deep Learning:
  EPUB · PDF

• Volumes 3–6: Available on the Releases page following the same naming pattern.

To download a specific volume via command line:

curl -L -o aiefs-vol4-llms.epub \
  https://github.com/rohitg00/ai-engineering-from-scratch/releases/latest/download/aiefs-vol4-llms.epub

Building the Books Locally from Source

If you need custom builds or want to generate books from the latest unpublished changes, the repository provides a Python-based build system located in scripts/build_book.py.

Prerequisites

Local compilation requires Python 3 and Pandoc installed on your system. For PDF generation, you must also have XeLaTeX available.

Running the Build Script

The build script reads the volume definitions from book/volumes.json, which maps volume numbers to specific phase ranges in the curriculum. It then stitches together the markdown sources from the phases/ directory.

Build all volumes as EPUB files:

python3 scripts/build_book.py

Generate both EPUB and PDF formats:

python3 scripts/build_book.py --pdf

Build a specific volume (for example, Volume 3 covering the Language phase):

python3 scripts/build_book.py --volume language

After execution, compiled files appear in the dist/book/ directory:

ls dist/book/

# → aiefs-vol1-foundations.epub  aiefs-vol1-foundations.pdf  … aiefs-vol6-production.pdf

Understanding the Book Generation Pipeline

The automated pipeline documented in book/README.md coordinates the conversion of lesson markdown into publication-ready formats. Each volume corresponds to a specific block of learning phases defined in volumes.json.

The CI job build-book.yml triggers on every repository push and release, ensuring the GitHub releases page always contains the latest compiled versions. This workflow calls the same scripts/build_book.py utility used for local builds, maintaining consistency between official releases and manual compilations.

The source material originates from the phases/ directory structure, where individual lesson markdown files (such as phases/01-math-foundations/01-linear-algebra-intuition/docs/en.md) serve as the raw content for the book compiler.

Summary

• The AI Engineering From Scratch book series comprises six volumes covering Foundations, Deep Learning, Language, LLMs, Systems, and Production.
• Pre-built EPUB and PDF files are automatically attached to every GitHub release by the build-book.yml CI workflow.
• Local compilation is available via python3 scripts/build_book.py, which reads volumes.json and sources content from phases/.
• PDF generation requires XeLaTeX, while EPUB builds only need Pandoc.
• Output files are written to the dist/book/ directory when building locally.

Frequently Asked Questions

What file formats are available for the AI Engineering From Scratch book series?

The CI pipeline generates both EPUB and PDF formats for every volume. EPUB files are suitable for e-readers and mobile devices, while PDFs provide a fixed-layout document for desktop reading or printing. Both formats are attached to every GitHub release and can be generated locally using the build script.

How do I build only a specific volume instead of all six?

Pass the --volume flag to scripts/build_book.py with the volume identifier from volumes.json. For example, python3 scripts/build_book.py --volume language compiles only Volume 3. This saves time when you need to review or distribute a single section of the curriculum.

Do I need LaTeX installed to generate PDF files?

Yes, PDF generation requires XeLaTeX installed on your system. The --pdf flag triggers LaTeX compilation through Pandoc. If you only need EPUB files, standard Pandoc without LaTeX is sufficient.

Where does the book content source material come from?

The content originates from the phases/ directory, which contains the markdown lesson files for each curriculum phase. The volumes.json configuration file defines which phases belong to which volume, and scripts/build_book.py aggregates these markdown sources into the final book structure.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}