diff --git a/src/calibre/customize/builtins.py b/src/calibre/customize/builtins.py
index 54f4e52f8c..1fe951722b 100644
--- a/src/calibre/customize/builtins.py
+++ b/src/calibre/customize/builtins.py
@@ -1761,7 +1761,7 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
 
         for x in ('lxml', 'calibre.ebooks.BeautifulSoup', 'uuid',
             'calibre.utils.terminal', 'calibre.utils.magick', 'PIL', 'Image',
-            'sqlite3', 'mechanize', 'httplib', 'xml'):
+            'sqlite3', 'mechanize', 'httplib', 'xml', 'inspect'):
             if x in sys.modules:
                 ret = 1
                 print (x, 'has been loaded by a plugin')
diff --git a/src/calibre/devices/apple/driver.py b/src/calibre/devices/apple/driver.py
index 5251e701b5..4ff1eef714 100644
--- a/src/calibre/devices/apple/driver.py
+++ b/src/calibre/devices/apple/driver.py
@@ -2622,7 +2622,7 @@ class ITUNES(DriverBase):
             # for deletion from booklist[0] during add_books_to_metadata
             for book in self.cached_books:
                 if (self.cached_books[book]['uuid'] == metadata.uuid or
-                    (self.cached_books[book]['title'] == metadata.title and \
+                    (self.cached_books[book]['title'] == metadata.title and
                      self.cached_books[book]['author'] == metadata.author)):
                     self.update_list.append(self.cached_books[book])
                     if DEBUG:
diff --git a/src/calibre/devices/smart_device_app/driver.py b/src/calibre/devices/smart_device_app/driver.py
index da400370ea..844932f5e3 100644
--- a/src/calibre/devices/smart_device_app/driver.py
+++ b/src/calibre/devices/smart_device_app/driver.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ Created on 29 Jun 2012
 
 @author: charles
 '''
-import socket, select, json, inspect, os, traceback, time, sys, random
+import socket, select, json, os, traceback, time, sys, random
 import posixpath
 import hashlib, threading
 import Queue
@@ -345,6 +345,7 @@ class SMART_DEVICE_APP(DeviceConfig, DevicePlugin):
 
     def _debug(self, *args):
         # manual synchronization so we don't lose the calling method name
+        import inspect
         with self.sync_lock:
             if not DEBUG:
                 return
diff --git a/src/calibre/devices/usbms/books.py b/src/calibre/devices/usbms/books.py
index 97527a92ed..509e8a1019 100644
--- a/src/calibre/devices/usbms/books.py
+++ b/src/calibre/devices/usbms/books.py
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ from calibre.constants import preferred_encoding
 from calibre import isbytestring, force_unicode
 from calibre.utils.config import device_prefs, tweaks
 from calibre.utils.icu import sort_key
-from calibre.utils.formatter import EvalFormatter
 
 class Book(Metadata):
     def __init__(self, prefix, lpath, size=None, other=None):
@@ -109,6 +108,7 @@ class CollectionsBookList(BookList):
         return None
 
     def compute_category_name(self, field_key, field_value, field_meta):
+        from calibre.utils.formatter import EvalFormatter
         renames = tweaks['sony_collection_renaming_rules']
         field_name = renames.get(field_key, None)
         if field_name is None:
diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/archive.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/archive.py
index daa19b6958..b236064ed8 100644
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/archive.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/archive.py
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import os
 from contextlib import closing
 
 from calibre.customize import FileTypePlugin
-from calibre.utils.zipfile import ZipFile, stringFileHeader
 
 def is_comic(list_of_names):
     extensions = set([x.rpartition('.')[-1].lower() for x in list_of_names
@@ -19,6 +18,7 @@ def is_comic(list_of_names):
     return len(extensions - comic_extensions) == 0
 
 def archive_type(stream):
+    from calibre.utils.zipfile import stringFileHeader
     try:
         pos = stream.tell()
     except:
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ class ArchiveExtract(FileTypePlugin):
     on_import = True
 
     def run(self, archive):
+        from calibre.utils.zipfile import ZipFile
         is_rar = archive.lower().endswith('.rar')
         if is_rar:
             from calibre.utils.unrar import extract_member, names
diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/base.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/base.py
index b4c202f5a6..256751223b 100644
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/base.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/base.py
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book import (SC_COPYABLE_FIELDS,
 from calibre.library.field_metadata import FieldMetadata
 from calibre.utils.date import isoformat, format_date, parse_only_date
 from calibre.utils.icu import sort_key
-from calibre.utils.formatter import TemplateFormatter
 
 # Special sets used to optimize the performance of getting and setting
 # attributes on Metadata objects
@@ -44,38 +43,6 @@ NULL_VALUES = {
 
 field_metadata = FieldMetadata()
 
-class SafeFormat(TemplateFormatter):
-
-    def get_value(self, orig_key, args, kwargs):
-        if not orig_key:
-            return ''
-        key = orig_key = orig_key.lower()
-        if key != 'title_sort' and key not in TOP_LEVEL_IDENTIFIERS and \
-                key not in ALL_METADATA_FIELDS:
-            key = field_metadata.search_term_to_field_key(key)
-            if key is None or (self.book and
-                                key not in self.book.all_field_keys()):
-                if hasattr(self.book, orig_key):
-                    key = orig_key
-                else:
-                    raise ValueError(_('Value: unknown field ') + orig_key)
-        try:
-            b = self.book.get_user_metadata(key, False)
-        except:
-            b = None
-        if b and ((b['datatype'] == 'int' and self.book.get(key, 0) == 0) or
-                  (b['datatype'] == 'float' and self.book.get(key, 0.0) == 0.0)):
-            v = ''
-        else:
-            v = self.book.format_field(key, series_with_index=False)[1]
-        if v is None:
-            return ''
-        if v == '':
-            return ''
-        return v
-
-# DEPRECATED. This is not thread safe. Do not use.
-composite_formatter = SafeFormat()
 
 class Metadata(object):
 
@@ -116,6 +83,7 @@ class Metadata(object):
                 # List of strings or []
                 self.author = list(authors) if authors else []# Needed for backward compatibility
                 self.authors = list(authors) if authors else []
+        from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.formatter import SafeFormat
         self.formatter = SafeFormat()
         self.template_cache = template_cache
 
@@ -454,6 +422,7 @@ class Metadata(object):
         '''
         if not ops:
             return
+        from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.formatter import SafeFormat
         formatter = SafeFormat()
         for op in ops:
             try:
diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/formatter.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/formatter.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4ddd3d68df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/metadata/book/formatter.py
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# vim:fileencoding=utf-8
+from __future__ import (unicode_literals, division, absolute_import,
+                        print_function)
+
+__license__ = 'GPL v3'
+__copyright__ = '2013, Kovid Goyal <kovid at kovidgoyal.net>'
+
+from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book import TOP_LEVEL_IDENTIFIERS, ALL_METADATA_FIELDS
+
+from calibre.utils.formatter import TemplateFormatter
+
+class SafeFormat(TemplateFormatter):
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        TemplateFormatter.__init__(self)
+        from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import field_metadata
+        self.field_metadata = field_metadata
+
+    def get_value(self, orig_key, args, kwargs):
+        if not orig_key:
+            return ''
+        key = orig_key = orig_key.lower()
+        if key != 'title_sort' and key not in TOP_LEVEL_IDENTIFIERS and \
+                key not in ALL_METADATA_FIELDS:
+            key = self.field_metadata.search_term_to_field_key(key)
+            if key is None or (self.book and
+                                key not in self.book.all_field_keys()):
+                if hasattr(self.book, orig_key):
+                    key = orig_key
+                else:
+                    raise ValueError(_('Value: unknown field ') + orig_key)
+        try:
+            b = self.book.get_user_metadata(key, False)
+        except:
+            b = None
+        if b and ((b['datatype'] == 'int' and self.book.get(key, 0) == 0) or
+                  (b['datatype'] == 'float' and self.book.get(key, 0.0) == 0.0)):
+            v = ''
+        else:
+            v = self.book.format_field(key, series_with_index=False)[1]
+        if v is None:
+            return ''
+        if v == '':
+            return ''
+        return v
+
+
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_bulk.py b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_bulk.py
index 3aac439815..84ca9135f0 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_bulk.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_bulk.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ from PyQt4.Qt import Qt, QDialog, QGridLayout, QVBoxLayout, QFont, QLabel, \
 from calibre.gui2.dialogs.metadata_bulk_ui import Ui_MetadataBulkDialog
 from calibre.gui2.dialogs.tag_editor import TagEditor
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata import string_to_authors, authors_to_string, title_sort
-from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import SafeFormat
+from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.formatter import SafeFormat
 from calibre.gui2.custom_column_widgets import populate_metadata_page
 from calibre.gui2 import error_dialog, ResizableDialog, UNDEFINED_QDATETIME, \
     gprefs, question_dialog
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/template_dialog.py b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/template_dialog.py
index fc8a528830..b60449512b 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/template_dialog.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/template_dialog.py
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ from PyQt4.Qt import (Qt, QDialog, QDialogButtonBox, QSyntaxHighlighter, QFont,
 from calibre.gui2 import error_dialog
 from calibre.gui2.dialogs.template_dialog_ui import Ui_TemplateDialog
 from calibre.utils.formatter_functions import formatter_functions
-from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import SafeFormat, Metadata
+from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import Metadata
+from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.formatter import SafeFormat
 from calibre.library.coloring import (displayable_columns)
 
 
@@ -178,7 +179,7 @@ class TemplateHighlighter(QSyntaxHighlighter):
                 list = reversed(self.paren_positions[0:found_pp])
             for pp in list:
                 if pp.paren == chr:
-                    stack += 1;
+                    stack += 1
                 elif stack:
                     stack -= 1
                 else:
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/library/models.py b/src/calibre/gui2/library/models.py
index 536f63d169..d252af6395 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/library/models.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/library/models.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ from PyQt4.Qt import (QAbstractTableModel, Qt, pyqtSignal, QIcon, QImage,
 from calibre.gui2 import NONE, UNDEFINED_QDATETIME, error_dialog
 from calibre.utils.search_query_parser import ParseException
 from calibre.ebooks.metadata import fmt_sidx, authors_to_string, string_to_authors
-from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import SafeFormat
+from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.formatter import SafeFormat
 from calibre.ptempfile import PersistentTemporaryFile
 from calibre.utils.config import tweaks, device_prefs, prefs
 from calibre.utils.date import dt_factory, qt_to_dt, as_local_time