ISBNdb.com is a large online
database of book information available both via web interface and
API
An application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how to build ...
. The database includes title, author,
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
A different ISBN is assigned to e ...
, ISBN13, publisher, publishing date, binding, pages, list price, and more. It contains data on 33+ million books by more than 11 million authors, with more books added every day. The service is mostly used by businesses and educational institutions, including
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, ''Blinklist'', and ''Booknook''.
History
ISBNdb.com was founded in 2001 by Andrew Maltsev. It started as a hobby project and gradually grew into a business. In July 2005 ISBNdb.com released an
XML
Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing data. It defines a set of rules for encoding electronic document, documents in a format that is both human-readable and Machine-r ...
-based API, which enables users to access all of the book information in real-time.
In May 2006, the site provided data on more than 2 million unique ISBNs and corresponding books. Ten years later, information on more than 15 million titles became available. As of April 2023, it contained data on more than 33 million books by over 11 million authors, with more books added every day.
Overview
ISBNdb aggregates information for its database from hundreds of libraries, publishers, merchants, and other sources around the globe. The database is searchable by title, author, ISBN with many endpoint options. Multiple languages are available. ISBNdb.com also features a real-time price comparison service for books.
ISBNdb offers up to 19 data points per book including ISBN10, ISBN13, title, author, publication date, publisher, binding, pages, list price, cover image, language, edition, format, synopsis, and dimensions. For some books, it also provides an overview, dewey decimal, weight, and subject. ISBNdb adds thousands of data records daily. Any book that has an ISBN can become included in the database regardless of the language or format.
Business model
ISBNdb provides free limited book data to unregistered users via a web interface. Registered users can access full book data with the help of a web interface and API, based on a subscription. There are several subscription options, each with a 7-day free trial. There's also a heavily discounted subscription option for educational institutions and non-profit organizations.
See also
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Bibliographic database
A bibliographic database is a database of bibliographic records. This is an organised online collection of references to published written works like academic journal, journal and newspaper articles, conference proceedings, reports, government an ...
*
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
A different ISBN is assigned to e ...
*
Bookselling
Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process.
People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, book people, bookmen, or bookwomen.
History
The foundi ...
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Open Library
Open Library is an online project intended to create "one web page for every book ever published". Created by Aaron Swartz, Brewster Kahle, Alexis Rossi, Anand Chitipothu, and Rebecca Hargrave Malamud, Open Library is a project of the Internet ...
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WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...
, the world's largest bibliographic database.
References
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External links
Official website
Online databases
Bibliographic databases and indexes
Book selling websites
International Standard Book Number