# Biblio Scraper - Used & Rare Books (`lulzasaur/biblio-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Biblio.com used, rare and collectible book listings. Search by keyword, title, author or ISBN. Extract title, author, price, shipping, condition, edition, publisher, year, seller, ISBN and images. Ideal for book collectors, dealers and price comparison.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/lulzasaur/biblio-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [lulz bot](https://apify.com/lulzasaur) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $10.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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

## Biblio Scraper - Used & Rare Books

Scrape **[Biblio.com](https://www.biblio.com)** — one of the largest marketplaces for used, rare, out-of-print and collectible books from thousands of independent booksellers worldwide.

Search by **book title**, **author name**, or **ISBN** and get every copy currently for sale: price, shipping, condition, edition, publisher, year, seller, and more.

### What you get

Each dataset record is one copy for sale:

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `title` | Book title |
| `author` | Author name |
| `price` | Item price in USD |
| `shippingPrice` | Shipping cost to USA |
| `condition` | Seller-stated condition (New, Used, Good, Very Good, Acceptable...) |
| `terms` | Listing tags (condition, binding, etc.) |
| `binding` | Hardcover / Paperback / etc. |
| `edition` | Edition statement (e.g. "First edition", "Reprint") |
| `firstEdition` | `true` if listing indicates a first edition / first printing |
| `signed` | `true` if listing indicates a signed or inscribed copy |
| `publisher` | Publisher |
| `yearPublished` / `datePublished` | Publication year / date |
| `isbn10` / `isbn13` | ISBNs |
| `quantityAvailable` | Copies available from this seller |
| `seller` / `sellerUrl` | Bookseller name + storefront URL |
| `description` | Seller's condition description |
| `image` | Cover image URL |
| `url` | Direct listing URL |

### Example input

```json
{
    "searchQueries": ["the old man and the sea", "9780684830490", "cormac mccarthy"],
    "maxListings": 40,
    "scrapeDetails": false
}
```

### Options

- **searchQueries** — titles, authors, or ISBN-10/13 (dashes OK)
- **maxListings** — cap per query (default 40)
- **scrapeDetails** — visit each listing page for per-copy publisher, date, edition, binding, pages, language, and bookseller inventory number (slower)

### Use cases

- **Book collectors** — track first editions and signed copies across thousands of dealers
- **Booksellers & dealers** — price comparison and repricing research
- **Arbitrage** — compare Biblio prices vs Amazon/AbeBooks/eBay
- **Libraries & researchers** — availability and market data for out-of-print titles

### Notes

- Prices in USD; shipping shown for USA delivery
- No proxy required for normal use
- Results come from Biblio edition pages; each ISBN edition lists all available copies sorted by price

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQueries` (type: `array`):

Book titles, author names, or ISBNs to search for (e.g., 'the old man and the sea', 'ernest hemingway', '9780684801223'). Each query produces a separate set of results.

## `maxListings` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of book listings (copies for sale) to scrape per search query.

## `scrapeDetails` (type: `boolean`):

If enabled, visits each listing's detail page for per-copy publisher, publication date, edition, binding, pages, language, and bookseller inventory number. Slower but more comprehensive.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Proxy settings. Biblio serves listing pages directly — no proxy needed for normal use.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQueries": [
    "the old man and the sea"
  ],
  "maxListings": 40,
  "scrapeDetails": false,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchQueries": [
        "the old man and the sea"
    ],
    "maxListings": 40
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("lulzasaur/biblio-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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchQueries": ["the old man and the sea"],
    "maxListings": 40,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("lulzasaur/biblio-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 '{
  "searchQueries": [
    "the old man and the sea"
  ],
  "maxListings": 40
}' |
apify call lulzasaur/biblio-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=lulzasaur/biblio-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/O5bZkDl0WLcFtNvIa/builds/H4K3sczXJeHGeeNCb/openapi.json