diff --git a/src/calibre/db/cache.py b/src/calibre/db/cache.py
index 82dd762077..46dc5df6d7 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/cache.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/cache.py
@@ -607,6 +607,31 @@ class Cache(object):
             return False
         return self.backend.has_format(book_id, fmt, name, path)
 
+    @api
+    def save_original_format(self, book_id, fmt):
+        fmt = fmt.upper()
+        if 'ORIGINAL' in fmt:
+            raise ValueError('Cannot save original of an original fmt')
+        fmtfile = self.format(book_id, fmt, as_file=True)
+        if fmtfile is None:
+            return False
+        with fmtfile:
+            nfmt = 'ORIGINAL_'+fmt
+            return self.add_format(book_id, nfmt, fmtfile, run_hooks=False)
+
+    @api
+    def restore_original_format(self, book_id, original_fmt):
+        original_fmt = original_fmt.upper()
+        fmtfile = self.format(book_id, original_fmt, as_file=True)
+        if fmtfile is not None:
+            fmt = original_fmt.partition('_')[2]
+            with self.write_lock:
+                with fmtfile:
+                    self._add_format(book_id, fmt, fmtfile, run_hooks=False)
+                self._remove_formats({book_id:(original_fmt,)})
+                return True
+        return False
+
     @read_api
     def formats(self, book_id, verify_formats=True):
         '''
diff --git a/src/calibre/db/legacy.py b/src/calibre/db/legacy.py
index f7cab21baf..aeab6e3de0 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/legacy.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/legacy.py
@@ -674,6 +674,28 @@ class LibraryDatabase(object):
         if notify:
             self.notify('cover', [book_id])
 
+    def original_fmt(self, book_id, fmt):
+        nfmt = ('ORIGINAL_%s'%fmt).upper()
+        return nfmt if self.new_api.has_format(book_id, nfmt) else fmt
+
+    def save_original_format(self, book_id, fmt, notify=True):
+        ret = self.new_api.save_original_format(book_id, fmt)
+        if ret and notify:
+            self.notify('metadata', [book_id])
+        return ret
+
+    def restore_original_format(self, book_id, original_fmt, notify=True):
+        ret = self.new_api.restore_original_format(book_id, original_fmt)
+        if ret and notify:
+            self.notify('metadata', [book_id])
+        return ret
+
+    def remove_format(self, index, fmt, index_is_id=False, notify=True, commit=True, db_only=False):
+        book_id = index if index_is_id else self.id(index)
+        self.new_api.remove_formats({book_id:(fmt,)}, db_only=db_only)
+        if notify:
+            self.notify('metadata', [book_id])
+
     # Private interface {{{
     def __iter__(self):
         for row in self.data.iterall():
diff --git a/src/calibre/db/tests/add_remove.py b/src/calibre/db/tests/add_remove.py
index 76349df1c5..0047a0ec4f 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/tests/add_remove.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/tests/add_remove.py
@@ -251,4 +251,21 @@ class AddRemoveTest(BaseTest):
 
     # }}}
 
+    def test_original_fmt(self):  # {{{
+        ' Test management of original fmt '
+        af, ae, at = self.assertFalse, self.assertEqual, self.assertTrue
+        db = self.init_cache()
+        fmts = db.formats(1)
+        af(db.has_format(1, 'ORIGINAL_FMT1'))
+        at(db.save_original_format(1, 'FMT1'))
+        at(db.has_format(1, 'ORIGINAL_FMT1'))
+        raw = db.format(1, 'FMT1')
+        ae(raw, db.format(1, 'ORIGINAL_FMT1'))
+        db.add_format(1, 'FMT1', BytesIO(b'replacedfmt'))
+        self.assertNotEqual(db.format(1, 'FMT1'), db.format(1, 'ORIGINAL_FMT1'))
+        at(db.restore_original_format(1, 'ORIGINAL_FMT1'))
+        ae(raw, db.format(1, 'FMT1'))
+        af(db.has_format(1, 'ORIGINAL_FMT1'))
+        ae(set(fmts), set(db.formats(1, verify_formats=False)))
+    # }}}
 
diff --git a/src/calibre/db/tests/legacy.py b/src/calibre/db/tests/legacy.py
index 936eb12e44..e37d954225 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/tests/legacy.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/tests/legacy.py
@@ -49,10 +49,10 @@ def run_funcs(self, db, ndb, funcs):
             meth(*args)
         else:
             fmt = lambda x:x
-            if meth[0] in {'!', '@', '#', '+', '$', '-'}:
+            if meth[0] in {'!', '@', '#', '+', '$', '-', '%'}:
                 if meth[0] != '+':
                     fmt = {'!':dict, '@':lambda x:frozenset(x or ()), '#':lambda x:set((x or '').split(',')),
-                           '$':lambda x:set(tuple(y) for y in x), '-':lambda x:None}[meth[0]]
+                           '$':lambda x:set(tuple(y) for y in x), '-':lambda x:None, '%':lambda x: set((x or '').split(','))}[meth[0]]
                 else:
                     fmt = args[-1]
                     args = args[:-1]
@@ -357,6 +357,10 @@ class LegacyTest(BaseTest):
         self.assertEqual(legacy.cover(3, index_is_id=True), origcov)
         self.assertTrue(legacy.has_cover(3))
 
+        self.assertTrue(legacy.format(1, 'FMT1', index_is_id=True))
+        legacy.remove_format(1, 'FMT1', index_is_id=True)
+        self.assertIsNone(legacy.format(1, 'FMT1', index_is_id=True))
+
         legacy.delete_book(1)
         old.delete_book(1)
         self.assertNotIn(1, legacy.all_ids())
@@ -726,3 +730,16 @@ class LegacyTest(BaseTest):
         self.assertRaises(KeyError, ndb.custom_field_name, num=num)
     # }}}
 
+    def test_legacy_original_fmt(self):  # {{{
+        db, ndb = self.init_old(), self.init_legacy()
+        run_funcs(self, db, ndb, (
+            ('original_fmt', 1, 'FMT1'),
+            ('save_original_format', 1, 'FMT1'),
+            ('original_fmt', 1, 'FMT1'),
+            ('restore_original_format', 1, 'ORIGINAL_FMT1'),
+            ('original_fmt', 1, 'FMT1'),
+            ('%formats', 1, True),
+        ))
+        db.close()
+
+    # }}}
diff --git a/src/calibre/library/database2.py b/src/calibre/library/database2.py
index b61544f172..4ccba4d9fc 100644
--- a/src/calibre/library/database2.py
+++ b/src/calibre/library/database2.py
@@ -1570,6 +1570,8 @@ class LibraryDatabase2(LibraryDatabase, SchemaUpgrade, CustomColumns):
             with lopen(opath, 'rb') as f:
                 self.add_format(book_id, fmt, f, index_is_id=True, notify=False)
             self.remove_format(book_id, original_fmt, index_is_id=True, notify=notify)
+            return True
+        return False
 
     def delete_book(self, id, notify=True, commit=True, permanent=False,
             do_clean=True):