# OpenLibrary Book Scraper — Extract Book Metadata and ISBNs (`knotless_cadence/openlibrary-book-scraper`) Actor Search and scrape Open Library book data — titles, authors, ISBNs, covers, subjects, and editions. Access 20M+ book records via free API. - **URL**: https://apify.com/knotless\_cadence/openlibrary-book-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Alex](https://apify.com/knotless_cadence) (community) - **Categories:** AI - **Stats:** 2 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per usage This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-usage ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Open Library Book Scraper — ISBN Lookup, Authors & Metadata Extract book data from Open Library — the world's largest open book catalog. Search by title, ISBN, subject, or author. Get titles, authors, publish dates, cover images, descriptions, ratings, and reading statistics. Uses the official API — completely free, no API key needed. ### Features - **Multiple Search Modes** — Search by keyword, ISBN, subject category, or author name - **ISBN Lookup** — Look up any book by ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 for precise identification - **Book Descriptions** — Fetch full book descriptions with optional per-book API enrichment - **Cover Images** — Direct URLs to book cover images in large resolution - **Reading Statistics** — Get want-to-read, currently-reading, and already-read counts - **Ratings Data** — Average ratings and total rating counts from Open Library users - **Subject Classification** — Up to 20 subject tags per book for categorization - **Author Bibliographies** — Retrieve complete works lists for specific authors ### Output Example ```json { "title": "Dune", "authors": ["Frank Herbert"], "firstPublishYear": 1965, "isbn": "9780441172719", "subjects": ["Science fiction", "Space warfare", "Ecology", "Political fiction", "Desert planet"], "publishers": ["Ace Books", "Chilton Books"], "languages": ["eng", "spa", "fra"], "pageCount": 412, "editionCount": 142, "coverUrl": "https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/12648488-L.jpg", "openLibraryUrl": "https://openlibrary.org/works/OL893415W", "ratingsAverage": 4.15, "ratingsCount": 2847, "wantToRead": 8523, "currentlyReading": 1204, "alreadyRead": 6891, "description": "Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of Paul Atreides...", "scrapedAt": "2026-03-18T14:30:00.000Z" } ```` ### Use Cases - **Book Dataset Building** — Create structured book databases for recommendation engines or catalog systems - **Academic Research** — Collect bibliographic metadata for citation analysis and library science - **Reading Analytics** — Analyze reading trends, popular genres, and author popularity over time - **AI Training Data** — Build book description and metadata datasets for NLP and recommendation models - **Publisher Research** — Track edition counts, publication years, and multi-language availability - **Content Enrichment** — Augment bookstore or library apps with cover images, descriptions, and ratings ### Input Parameters | Parameter | Type | Default | Description | |-----------|------|---------|-------------| | searchQueries | array | \[] | Search books by title or keyword | | isbns | array | \[] | Look up books by ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 | | subjects | array | \[] | Browse by subject (e.g., "science\_fiction", "machine\_learning") | | authors | array | \[] | Search books by author name (e.g., "Isaac Asimov") | | maxBooksPerSource | integer | 50 | Max books per query, subject, or author (1-200) | | includeDescription | boolean | true | Fetch full description (extra API call per book) | ### How It Works The scraper uses the official Open Library REST API. For keyword searches, it queries the `/search.json` endpoint with pagination. ISBN lookups go directly to `/isbn/{isbn}.json`. Subject browsing uses the `/subjects/` endpoint, and author searches first resolve the author key via `/search/authors.json` then fetch works via `/authors/{key}/works.json`. Descriptions require an additional API call per book to the work's JSON endpoint. Built-in delays ensure polite API usage. ### Limitations - Description fetching requires one extra API call per book, which slows down large extractions - Some older or obscure books may have incomplete metadata (missing covers, descriptions, or page counts) # Actor input Schema ## `searchQueries` (type: `array`): Search books by title, keyword, or phrase ## `isbns` (type: `array`): Look up books by ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 ## `subjects` (type: `array`): Browse books by subject (e.g., 'science\_fiction', 'machine\_learning') ## `authors` (type: `array`): Search books by author name (e.g., 'Isaac Asimov') ## `maxBooksPerSource` (type: `integer`): Maximum books to extract per search query, subject, or author ## `includeDescription` (type: `boolean`): Fetch full book description (slower, requires extra API call per book) ## Actor input object example ```json { "searchQueries": [], "isbns": [], "subjects": [], "authors": [], "maxBooksPerSource": 50, "includeDescription": true } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("knotless_cadence/openlibrary-book-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("knotless_cadence/openlibrary-book-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{}' | apify call knotless_cadence/openlibrary-book-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=knotless_cadence/openlibrary-book-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "OpenLibrary Book Scraper — Extract Book Metadata and ISBNs", "description": "Search and scrape Open Library book data — titles, authors, ISBNs, covers, subjects, and editions. Access 20M+ book records via free API.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "3SBPZ25Fy7izISvq8" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/knotless_cadence~openlibrary-book-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-knotless_cadence-openlibrary-book-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/knotless_cadence~openlibrary-book-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-knotless_cadence-openlibrary-book-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/knotless_cadence~openlibrary-book-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-knotless_cadence-openlibrary-book-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "searchQueries": { "title": "Search Queries", "type": "array", "description": "Search books by title, keyword, or phrase", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "isbns": { "title": "ISBNs", "type": "array", "description": "Look up books by ISBN-10 or ISBN-13", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "subjects": { "title": "Subjects", "type": "array", "description": "Browse books by subject (e.g., 'science_fiction', 'machine_learning')", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "authors": { "title": "Authors", "type": "array", "description": "Search books by author name (e.g., 'Isaac Asimov')", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxBooksPerSource": { "title": "Max Books Per Source", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 200, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum books to extract per search query, subject, or author", "default": 50 }, "includeDescription": { "title": "Include Description", "type": "boolean", "description": "Fetch full book description (slower, requires extra API call per book)", "default": true } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```