diff --git a/gramps/gen/plug/report/_book.py b/gramps/gen/plug/report/_book.py
index 38342751d..36b6d457a 100644
--- a/gramps/gen/plug/report/_book.py
+++ b/gramps/gen/plug/report/_book.py
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ from xml.sax.saxutils import escape
 
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 #
-# gramps modules
+# Gramps modules
 #
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 from ...const import GRAMPS_LOCALE as glocale
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ class BookItem:
     def __init__(self, dbase, name):
         """
         Create a new empty BookItem.
+        TODO: it should be possible to make a non-empty BookItem, a copy
 
         name:   the book item is retrieved
                 from the book item registry using name for lookup
@@ -153,15 +154,21 @@ class Book:
     Interface into the user-defined Book -- a collection of book items.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, obj=None):
+    def __init__(self, obj=None, exact_copy=True):
         """
         Create a new empty Book.
 
-        obj:    if not None, creates the Book from the values in
-                obj, instead of creating an empty Book.
+        @param obj:         if not None, creates the Book from obj, from the
+                            items in obj, instead of creating an empty Book.
+        @type obj:          a :class:`.Book` instance
+        @param exact_copy:  if True (and obj is not None) the exact same
+                            BookItem objects will be in the new Book;
+                            if False (and obj is not None) the same number
+                            and same type of BookItem objects will be created
+        @type exact_copy:   boolean
         """
 
-        self.name = ""
+        self.name = "" # this is tested for, in several places
         self.dbname = ""
         self.paper_name = None
         self.paper_orientation = None
@@ -170,10 +177,14 @@ class Book:
         self.paper_margins = None
         self.paper_format = None
         self.paper_output = None
+        self.item_list = []
         if obj:
-            self.item_list = obj.item_list
-        else:
-            self.item_list = []
+            if exact_copy:
+                self.item_list = obj.item_list
+            else:
+                for item in obj.get_item_list():
+                    self.item_list.append(BookItem(item.dbase,
+                                                   item.get_name()))
 
     def set_name(self, name):
         """
@@ -481,8 +492,8 @@ class BookList:
             for name in sorted(self.bookmap): # enable a diff of archived copies
                 book = self.get_book(name)
                 dbname = book.get_dbname()
-                b_f.write('  <book name="%s" database="%s"'
-                          '>\n' % (name, dbname))
+                b_f.write('  <book name="%s" database="%s">'
+                          '\n' % (name, dbname))
                 for item in book.get_item_list():
                     b_f.write('    <item name="%s" '
                               'trans_name="%s">\n' % (
@@ -517,33 +528,36 @@ class BookList:
                                           option_type,
                                           value))
 
-                    b_f.write('      <style name="%s"'
-                              '/>\n' % item.get_style_name())
+                    b_f.write('      <style name="%s"/>'
+                              '\n' % item.get_style_name())
                     b_f.write('    </item>\n')
                 if book.get_paper_name():
-                    b_f.write('    <paper name="%s"'
-                              '/>\n' % book.get_paper_name())
+                    b_f.write('    <paper name="%s"/>'
+                              '\n' % book.get_paper_name())
                 if book.get_orientation() is not None: # 0 is legal
-                    b_f.write('    <orientation value="%s"'
-                              '/>\n' % book.get_orientation())
+                    b_f.write('    <orientation value="%s"/>'
+                              '\n' % book.get_orientation())
                 if book.get_paper_metric() is not None: # 0 is legal
-                    b_f.write('    <metric value="%s"'
-                              '/>\n' % book.get_paper_metric())
+                    b_p_metric = book.get_paper_metric()
+                    if isinstance(b_p_metric, bool):
+                        b_p_metric = int(b_p_metric)
+                    b_f.write('    <metric value="%s"/>'
+                              '\n' % b_p_metric)
                 if book.get_custom_paper_size():
                     size = book.get_custom_paper_size()
-                    b_f.write('    <size value="%f %f"'
-                              '/>\n' % (size[0], size[1]))
+                    b_f.write('    <size value="%f %f"/>'
+                              '\n' % (size[0], size[1]))
                 if book.get_margins():
                     for pos in range(len(book.get_margins())):
                         b_f.write('    <margin number="%s" '
                                   'value="%f"/>\n' % (
                                       pos, book.get_margin(pos)))
                 if book.get_format_name():
-                    b_f.write('    <format name="%s"'
-                              '/>\n' % book.get_format_name())
+                    b_f.write('    <format name="%s"/>'
+                              '\n' % book.get_format_name())
                 if book.get_output():
-                    b_f.write('    <output name="%s"'
-                              '/>\n' % book.get_output())
+                    b_f.write('    <output name="%s"/>'
+                              '\n' % book.get_output())
                 b_f.write('  </book>\n')
 
             b_f.write('</booklist>\n')
@@ -559,7 +573,7 @@ class BookList:
                 parser.parse(the_file)
         except (IOError, OSError, ValueError, SAXParseException, KeyError,
                 AttributeError):
-            pass
+            LOG.debug("Failed to parse book list", exc_info=True)
 
 
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------