[thelist] World Full of Books - Database Collection

[Luther, Ron]

Rob Smith asked:

>>Is there some MASTER database for ISBN that I can run queries off of?

Hi Rob,

I'm not an expert on Library Science or Book Classification schemes but I 
do some book collecting ... so I run into some info from time to time.

I'm guessing no. There are a number of different groups that are 
authorized to issue ISBN numbers. (While these activities are coordinated 
by the International ISBN Agency in Berlin, that may not guarantee the 
existence of a single centralized db to get access to.)

If it did exist, I'm still guessing the answer would be no ... unless 
you would be willing to pay some kind of substantial fee -and- had 
credentials indicating you were someone they wanted to grant that 
kind of access to anyway. 

Also, it may not get you what you think it might. (e.g. Your comment on 
the Library of Congress - which, while it has a lot of books certainly 
doesn't have one copy of *every* book.) The International Standard Book 
Number (ISBN) is a relatively recent phenomenon. (As are the SBNs that 
pre-date the ISBNs.) That means that there are a lot of old, out of print 
books that never had and never will have an ISBN.

These sites that you are talking about that offer these searches. What 
are they? Are they bookstores offering to let you search their wares by 
ISBN? Univerity libraries?  Publishing companies?

Here's a starting point on some ISBN faqs:
http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/isbnqa.asp


HTH,

RonL.