In an embodiment, a computer system comprises one or more content file servers having recorded thereon a plurality of digital content material items, and a plurality of digital graphical image files comprising graphical images associated with the content material items; wherein each of content material items comprises one or more data files of digitized electronic printed, audio, or video content material; one or more navigation page servers each comprising: one or more storage devices having recorded thereon a plurality of navigation page templates; a database comprising stored descriptive information about the content material items, including hierarchical and other relationships both between different content material items and between different subcomponents of content material items; logic encoded on the one or more storage devices and when executed operable to perform: receiving a request to view a particular navigation page, comprising a dynamically-generated electronic document; selecting one of the navigation page templates based on the request; creating and sending to the database, one or more queries for the descriptive information relating to the particular navigation page; receiving one or more results to the queries; generating, based on the one or more results, a particular navigation page comprising descriptive information about one or more of the content material items, portions thereof, or abstract collections thereof; a plurality of links to other such navigation pages; and zero or more links to particular content material items or portions thereof; sending only the particular navigation page to a client computer.