So, let’s say that you have a specific book that you wish to purchase, and it’s not easy to find a copy. Perhaps it is a rare book from your childhood, or a particular edition of a book that you wish to give as a gift. A rare or out-of-print book (a book that is no longer being published) can seem impossible to find, especially if you are shopping at the local big-box bookseller.
But that is why Biblio and our legions of independent booksellers are here to help! If you know the title or at least an author’s name, we can give you the tools you to track down just about any book that you want.
So how can you best use Biblio to find that perfect, long-lost listing?
The home page of Biblio.com provides a basic search form with the following fields:
- Author: This field is for searching by the name of the book’s author. You can use their full name, or even just the surname. It is important to ensure that you are spelling the author’s name correctly. Searching for “Steven King” won’t get you a copy of “Carrie,” but searching by “Stephen King” will.
- Title: This field is for searching by the title of the book. You can use a partial title, or even just a couple of words from the complete title. For example, if you search with the phrase Hardy Boys in the title field, you will end up viewing every single book with “Hardy Boys” in the title. If you used the phrase “Hardy Boys Skull", you’d find results for the 27th book in the series, “The Secret of Skull Mountain (Hardy Boys #27).”
- Keyword/ISBN: This is a wild-card field that searches the title, author, and descriptions of book listings to match your input if you enter text into this box. If the author and title search fields are not finding that perfect book, you can experiment with the keyword field. For example, if you want a complete set of a series, try putting the word “Set" or the words “Complete Set" in the keyword field. To specify a certain volume try entering “Volume 6" or “Volume Six," or a description like “Third Edition" to narrow your search. You may also get good results with phrases like “Leather" or “Leather Bound."
- This field is also for searching by ISBN. Input the 10 or 13 digit number (with or without dashes) to find your book on Biblio. For more information about using ISBNs, click here for our FAQ.
There are other options that you can use on this main search page:
- Binding: This drop-down box allows you to choose between hardcover, softcover, or any.
- First Edition: Check this box to limit your search to “first editions” only.
- Signed Copies: Check this box to limit your search to signed copies. Please double -check the listing’s description to ensure that the signature on the book is the one that you want, as it could be signed by someone other than the author, such as the illustrator. (To learn the difference between signed and inscribed books, click here!)
Now, your dream listing might include some more specific details. What if you wanted to sort your search results by quantity of books, the year it was published, the illustrator involved, or condition of the book? You can find the advanced search options on Biblio.com by clicking on the words “Advanced Search" from the main search page.
- Publisher: Do you want the Penguin edition of The Count of Monte Cristo? This field will limit your search results by the publisher that you key in.
The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe, Illustrated by Gustave Doré
- Illustrator: The Gustave Doré illustrated version of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven is definitely a sought-after book. Use this field to find booksillustrated by your preferred artist.
- Condition: When shopping for used books, condition can be what makes or breaks a sale! This drop-down box offers “New,” “Fine,” and “Very Good or Better” as options to limit your search results. The condition is added by the individual bookseller listing that book, so please read the description carefully and ask the bookseller if you have any specific queries beyond what they have provided on Biblio.
- Shipping From: Are you in a hurry to receive your book? Use this drop-down box to limit your search results to booksellers shipping from a particular country to avoid customs hassles or the perils of tracking international packages.
- Dust Jacket: Click this box to ensure that your search results include books with dust jackets.
- With Bookseller-supplied Photos: Biblio displays the stock images of books when available. Checking this box ensures that your search results include listings where the bookseller has provided actual images of the book being offered for sale.
- Price Between: These boxes allow you to input a minimum price and maximum price that you are willing to pay.
- Date Between: Limit the years of publication to pinpoint the exact edition book you are searching for.
- Sort Results By: Price, Relevance, Author, Title…this drop-down box decides how your search results appear. The default setting is Price (Lowest).
- Display: This drop-down box allows you to choose how many results are shown per page.
- Only Books Changed Since: If you are regularly hunting on Biblio for a particular title that is difficult to find, you can use this drop-down box to limit your results to listings that have been recently modified so that you only see the most updated books.
- Within _ Miles of Zipcode: This option allows you to search for books that may be available in stores near you! We encourage you to support your local brick and mortar, independent booksellers.
- At Least _ Copies on Hand: Do you have 5 people that you’d like to give the same book to? What about donating 30 copies of a novel to a local classroom? This option allows you to limit your search results to booksellers who have your ideal quantity on hand. This can save you on shipping rates! (For more money-saving search tips, click here!)
“But I still can’t find my book!" – Troubleshooting your Search
- Are you sure that everything is spelled correctly? Double-check the author’s name, the book’s title, and any other data entered to ensure that everything is input accurately.
- Is the author’s name in the title field? Don’t laugh – I do it all of the time. It is easy to accidentally put the title in the author field, and vice versa.
- Maybe your search is too stringent! Try to search with just the basic information first. Most of the other refining criteria (binding, dates of publication, country shipping from, condition) are easy to add from the toolbar on the right side of the search results page.
If you are certain that all is correct and you still are not able to find your desired book on Biblio.com, we encourage you to make it a “Saved Search." If you are a registered user of Biblio.com, you can set up email alerts to notify you if someone adds your desired book at any point in the future. To learn more, visit our post, “What is a Saved Search or Want List?"
To learn more about other ways to find books on Biblio.com, check out these other useful Bibliology Blog Posts:
35 Comments
I want to make clear(as my knowledge with this book):Your Perfect Right,first edition 1970,by Impact Publishers, Ca. I am looking for this First edition Primarilly. I know is the first edition and is dificult to find, but I will appreciate your concern on this matter. Thanks,
I am searching for a set of books I remember from elementary school in the 1940s; as I recall “Little Pierre of France", “Little Hans of Germany", etc. They were hard bound with photos as illustrations. I loved them and have never seen them since. Anyone know what I’m talking about?
Wanna to thank you for interesting content buddy. Keep writing.
I am looking for “Arkansas Angels" by Boyd E. Morgan. The subject of the book is Preachers in Rural Arkansas. Many of the preachers listed are my ancestors, “Lemmons." Would love to have a reasonably priced book.
Thanks,
Jaynendel Lemmons Vincent
looking for a copy of TREV DEELEY, MOTORCYCLE MILLIONARE by FRANK Hilliard – do you have a copy??
thanks, lin
I see your point, good job, can’t wait for more posts
I am looking for a book written in the late 60′s about international hotel openings. The author worked for the Intercontinental Hotel chain and was full of good stories. Title was something like Door Without a Key. Can anyone help?
looking for a childrens book that is a poem about a family going outside at night to dance by the light of the moon."Moon Dance"?"Wind Dance"?It contains the lines-the night is dark-the house is still-the moon(wind?)is dancing on the hill.It was my (now adult) son’s favorite.
This biblio.co.uk is awsome. Keep posting dude !
365 bet
Looking for Brewing and Beer Tradition in Norway: The social Anthropological background of the brewing industry. It was published in 1969.
I am looking for a book mentioned in “Fur-Fish-Game" magazine May 2011.
The title is ADVENTURES OF THE MYSTERIOUS NORTH by Capt. Eustace Kern.
Can anyone help? I cannot find mention of it anywhere else.
I see you put a lot of work in your site! Keep writing!
horary numerology as applied to cotton market
rasajo
i want buy this book
t am looking for the Fannie Farmer Bread cookbook I think it was printed in 1973. It is aprox 7×9 and about 1inch thick. it has a light brown hardback cover.
biblio.co.uk is full of interesting articles!
is the book (the invention of lithography)by alois senefelder, copyright1911 by the fuchs and lang manufacturing company new york and london,entered at stationers,hall london considered a rare book
looking for any/all teacher’s manuals for the 1971 – 1974 Houghton MIfflin elementary basal reading series. Levels K through 2nd grade
I’m looking for Précis généalogique des Faille : 1670-1936 / Jean-Louis Faille. I can’t find it. Thanks to help me.
I am looking for a book “Connop" it pertains to my family in England and all I really know is that it might give me some information on the early days when there were more of us around. At the present there are vaguely 700 Connop’s left give or take a few. But I do know that there was a shop “The Draper Connop" near Blackheath. Do you know of this book? Can a copy be found? Thank you E. Simpson
I am looking for Eucharistic Reading Years A B C and Holy Days from the New Revised Standard Version
Church Publishing Incorporated, New York
I am looking for “ABC de la Magie Tsigane"
It’s a frensh book Esoterisme written by Auteur: Questin Marc Louis.
I have several 1st edition books (all hardcover) published in the London by W. nicholson
How can I eliminate ‘print on demand’ rubbish which floods my searches?
i am looking for the following book who’s who among american high school students: honoring tomorrow’s leaders today (1988-89, 23rd annual edition, volume viii (florida students)do u know where i can purchase this book,
I am looking for three books missing from a set of Oliver Twist Charles Dickens Centennial Edition.
Book Seller Sosi Books
Binding Hardcover
Publisher Heron
Date Published – 1967
Looking for “Hard Times," “Little Dorrit" and “Barnaby Rudge"
The books are hardcover green with gold edges and center gold medalion
Looking to buy the Book “Beaverkill Valley Journey through time" written by Joan Powell
I am looking for a hard cover book “Danger and Trust, San Quentin" by Ted.Davidson,in a good condition that has the illustrations or pictures that this book supposedly had. The author spent 20 months in San Quentin researching material for this book in the 1960′s. I need it for a gift asap. Could you please e-mail me if you can help, this was his 2nd book the 1st is The Keys to San Quentin, if you have or can get both I will take them,as long as they in good condition and hard cover with the reference pictures. I appreciate any help you can give in my search for this book or books. Thank you.,AU.
I’m looking for the book Siddalls in America (Phineas Line), published 1962 by Teckla Anne Siddall.
When I first began searching for ART books,
I entered criteria, e.g. price range, binding, etc. I chose “save search" thinking Icould save this criteria for future searchesin the same category, Can this be done, or must I enter all preferences again each time I begin my search ? I’m always looking
for books on various painters and paintings.
The same criteria would apply to each search. Thank you.
I,m looking for the book “little elsie,s book of bible animals by caroline pridham, it is dated 1903 and says A.S. Rouse, 15 paternoster square, london…. AND IT IS A LITTLE RED HARDCOVER BOOK AND SAYS BOOK OF BIBLE ANIMALS ON SIDE OF EDGE
I am looking for a book ‘We Follow The Stars’
telling the story of two people who followed the opera stars of the day, across the world.
Cananyone help to locate or add to the title ie authors, dates. Believe written in the 1920s/30s
I am looking for a child’s reader used in Iowa in the 1930′s or 40′s….maybe Elson Gray or Winston. The book contained a very condensed version of the story about a dog who would not leave his master’s grave. The story was Gray Friar’s Bobby and I think the reader would have been 2nd or 3rd grade level…my siblings and I all remember our father reading the story to us and we would cry!!!
I am looking for a used copy of “The Harrington Genealogy" by Charles Nelson Sinnett.
ASIN: B00072G3R0
Thanks!
I WANT THIS BOOK. HORARY NUMEROLOGY AS APPLIED TO COTTON MARKET. AUTHOR. RASAJO. I HAVE HORARY NUMEROLOGY OF THE TURF . PLEASE CONTACT MY MAIL OR M NO. 9762535189.my mail. santoshkothari76@gmail.com