Book Lookup Web App

A public web application that allows users to search for comprehensive book information using the Google Books API. Users can search by Title/Author or ISBN and export results as CSV or copy them for pasting into spreadsheets.

Try it here

• Title + Author Search: Enter book title and author name
• ISBN Search: Enter ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 (with or without hyphens)
• Bulk Input: Paste tab-separated data from spreadsheets for batch processing

For each book found, the app retrieves:

• Title - Book title
• Author - Primary author name
• ISBN - ISBN-13 (preferred) or ISBN-10
• Year Published - Publication year
• Publisher - Publishing company
• Page Count - Number of pages
• Summary - Book description/synopsis

• Download CSV: Get a properly formatted CSV file for Excel/Sheets
• Copy to Clipboard: Copy tab-separated data for direct pasting
• No Storage: All data is temporary - refresh the page to clear

1. By Title & Author:

   • Enter the book title in the first field
   • Enter the author name in the second field
   • Click "Search by Title & Author"

2. By ISBN:

   • Enter the ISBN (10 or 13 digits, with or without hyphens)
   • Click "Search by ISBN"

1. Prepare Your Data (choose one format):

   Format 1 - ISBNs Only:

   150673524X
   1839767502
   1613164076
   

   Format 2 - Title, Author (tab-separated):

   Cosmopolis	Don DeLillo
   Fire in Paradise	Alastair Gee
   The Great Gatsby	F. Scott Fitzgerald
   

2. Paste and Process:

   • Paste the data into the bulk input textarea
   • Click "Process Bulk Data"
   • The app will automatically detect the format and search for each book

• CSV Download: Click "📥 Download CSV" to get a file named book-lookup-YYYY-MM-DD.csv
• Copy Data: Click "📋 Copy to Clipboard" to copy tab-separated data for pasting into spreadsheets
• Clear Results: Click "🗑️ Clear" to remove all results and start over

Title: "The Great Gatsby"
Author: "F. Scott Fitzgerald"
→ Returns: Title, Author, ISBN, Year (1925), Publisher, Pages, Summary

Format 1 - ISBNs only:
150673524X
1839767502
1613164076

Format 2 - Title, Author (tab-separated):
Cosmopolis	Don DeLillo
Fire in Paradise	Alastair Gee
The Great Gatsby	F. Scott Fitzgerald

• POST /api/search - Search by title and author
• POST /api/search-isbn - Search by ISBN
• POST /api/bulk-search - Process multiple search requests
• GET /health - Health check
• GET /api - API documentation

All book information is retrieved from the Google Books API, which provides:

• Comprehensive metadata for millions of books
• Multiple ISBN formats and identifiers
• Publisher information and publication dates
• Book descriptions and categorization
• No API key required for basic usage

• No Data Storage: All searches are temporary and not saved
• No User Tracking: No cookies or user data collection
• Client-Side Processing: Results are stored only in browser memory
• Fresh Start: Refresh the page to clear all data

├── backend/
│   ├── index.ts              # Main HTTP handler and API routes
│   └── google-books.ts       # Google Books API integration
├── frontend/
│   └── index.html            # Complete web interface
├── shared/
│   └── types.ts              # TypeScript interfaces
└── README.md                 # This documentation

✅ No Setup Required - Just visit the URL and start searching
✅ Works Offline After Load - Frontend caching for repeated use
✅ Mobile Friendly - Responsive design works on all devices
✅ Fast Bulk Processing - Handle multiple books at once
✅ Export Ready - CSV and clipboard formats for spreadsheets
✅ No Data Lock-in - Export your data anytime, no accounts needed
✅ Comprehensive Results - Rich metadata from Google Books
✅ Smart Matching - Handles variations in titles and author names

• Library Management: Quickly gather book metadata for cataloging
• Book Collection Tracking: Build spreadsheets of personal libraries
• Research Projects: Compile book lists with publication details
• Bookstore Inventory: Look up books by ISBN for stock management
• Academic Work: Gather publication data for bibliographies
• Reading Lists: Create detailed book lists with summaries