Open Library Book Finder

Search and extract comprehensive book data from Open Library's vast collection

Overview • Features • Input • Output • Examples

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Overview

Extract detailed book information from Open Library, the world's largest open library catalog with over 20 million books. This tool provides fast, reliable access to comprehensive bibliographic data including titles, authors, publishers, ISBNs, ratings, and cover images.

Perfect for building book databases, research applications, e-commerce platforms, and reading recommendation systems.

What is Open Library?

Open Library is a project of the Internet Archive that aims to create "one web page for every book ever published." It provides free access to book metadata, covers, and reading data for millions of titles.

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Features

• Advanced Search: Search by title, author, subject, ISBN, or general keywords
• Comprehensive Data: Extract titles, authors, publication details, ISBNs, subjects, and ratings
• Cover Images: Direct URLs to high-quality book cover images
• Reader Statistics: Access ratings, reading counts, and popularity metrics
• Multiple Editions: Track different editions and publication variations
• Language Filtering: Filter results by language codes
• Pagination Support: Handle large result sets with offset and limit controls
• Structured Output: Clean, well-organized data ready for immediate use

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Input

Basic Search Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
query	string	General search term	"artificial intelligence"
title	string	Search by book title	"The Great Gatsby"
author	string	Filter by author name	"Stephen King"
subject	string	Filter by subject/category	"science fiction"
isbn	string	Search by ISBN-10 or ISBN-13	"9780140328721"

Configuration Options

Parameter	Type	Description	Default
resultsLimit	integer	Maximum books to retrieve (1-1000)	100
offset	integer	Number of results to skip	0
fields	string	Fields to return (* for all)	"*"
sort	string	Sort order: relevance, new, old, random, rating	"relevance"
language	string	Language code filter	""
proxyConfiguration	object	Proxy settings	none

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Output

Each book record includes comprehensive metadata:

Core Information

• key - Open Library unique identifier
• title - Book title
• subtitle - Book subtitle (if available)
• author_name - List of author names
• first_publish_year - Year of first publication

Publication Details

• publisher - List of publishers
• isbn - ISBN numbers (up to 5)
• number_of_pages_median - Median page count
• edition_count - Total number of editions

Content Classification

• subject - Book subjects/categories (up to 10)
• language - Language codes
• person - Notable people mentioned
• place - Places mentioned
• time - Time periods covered

Media & Images

• cover_i - Cover image ID
• cover_url - Direct URL to large cover image
• has_fulltext - Whether full text is available

Reader Engagement

• ratings_average - Average rating score
• ratings_count - Total number of ratings
• want_to_read_count - Users who want to read
• currently_reading_count - Currently reading
• already_read_count - Finished reading

Links

• url - Open Library book page URL
• edition_key - Edition identifiers

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Examples

Basic Book Search

{
  "query": "python programming",
  "resultsLimit": 50
}

Author-Specific Search

{
  "author": "J.K. Rowling",
  "sort": "rating",
  "resultsLimit": 20
}

ISBN Lookup

{
  "isbn": "9780140328721"
}

Subject-Based Search

{
  "subject": "machine learning",
  "language": "eng",
  "resultsLimit": 100
}

Advanced Configuration

{
  "query": "artificial intelligence",
  "fields": "key,title,author_name,isbn,rating_average",
  "sort": "rating",
  "language": "eng",
  "resultsLimit": 25,
  "offset": 0
}

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Use Cases

📚 Book Database Creation

Build comprehensive book catalogs with detailed metadata, cover images, and reader statistics.

🔬 Academic Research

Gather bibliographic data for literary analysis, publishing trends, and citation networks.

🛒 E-commerce Integration

Populate online bookstores with accurate product information and cover images.

📖 Reading Applications

Create recommendation engines, reading lists, and personal library management tools.

📊 Data Analysis

Analyze publishing patterns, author popularity, and reader preferences across genres.

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Data Quality

• Source: Official Open Library API with community-maintained data
• Accuracy: Generally high for well-known titles and authors
• Completeness: Varies by book - newer and popular titles have more complete data
• Updates: Data is regularly updated by the Open Library community

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Performance

• Speed: Fast JSON API responses, typically under 2 seconds
• Limits: Up to 1000 results per request
• Pagination: Use offset parameter for larger datasets
• Rate Limits: Respects Open Library API guidelines

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Output Formats

Results are available in multiple formats:

• JSON - Structured data for programmatic access
• CSV - Spreadsheet-compatible format
• Excel - Direct import to Excel/Google Sheets
• XML - For content syndication

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Error Handling

The tool includes robust error handling:

• Automatic retries on temporary failures
• Graceful handling of invalid search terms
• Clear error messages for troubleshooting
• Fallback mechanisms for API issues

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Best Practices

Search Optimization

• Use specific terms for better results
• Combine multiple search parameters when possible
• Start with smaller result limits for testing

Data Usage

• Verify ISBN formats before searching
• Author names may have variations across editions
• Subject tags are community-contributed
• Rating data may not be available for all books

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Technical Specifications

• API Endpoint: Open Library Search API
• Data Format: JSON
• Authentication: Not required
• Rate Limiting: Built-in compliance
• Response Time: Typically < 2 seconds

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License

This project uses data from Open Library, which is available under open licensing terms.

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Support

For questions or issues, please check the Apify platform documentation or contact support.

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Discover millions of books with Open Library Book Finder