Markdown was created as a simple way for non-programmers to write in an easy-to-read format that could be converted to HTML; it is a text tool that allows anyone to create Web pages without knowing any HTML. While basic Markdown may not be sufficient for creating books, extensions such as CommonMark and Pandoc can take up that slack. Markdown doesn't do everything we might want, but what it does do simplifies writing greatly. The writer can write,...