Search the full text of books to find ones that interest you and learn where
to buy or borrow them.
How does Google Book Search work?
Book Search works just like web search:
Try a search on Google Book
Search or on Google.com. When we find a book whose content contains a
match for your search terms, we'll link to it in your search results.
Clicking on a book result, you'll be able to see everything from a few
short excerpts to the entire book, depending on a few different
factors.
What can I view?
Each book includes an 'About this book' page with basic bibliographic data
like title, author, publication date, length and subject. For some books
you may also see additional information like key terms and phrases,
references to the book from scholarly publications or other books, chapter
titles and a list of related books. For every book, you'll see links
directing you to bookstores where you can buy the book and libraries where
you can borrow it.
Full view:
If we've determined that a book is out of copyright, or the publisher or
rightsholder has given us permission, you'll be able to page through the
entire book from start to finish, as many times as you like. If the book
is in the public domain, you'll also be able download, save and print a
PDF version to read at your own pace.
Limited preview:
If a publisher or author has joined our Partner Program, you'll be able to
see a few full pages from the book as a preview. You can conduct multiple
searches within the book, or browse through the available pages (there's a
limit to the amount of the book you can view online).
Snippet view:
Clicking on the book result, you'll be taken to the 'About this book'
page. If you choose to search within the book, for each search term we'll
display up to three snippets of text from the book, showing your search
term in context. You can enter additional searches to help you decide
whether you've found the right book. As always in Book Search, you'll see
links to places where you can buy or borrow the book.
No preview available:
For books where we're unable to show you snippets, you'll see an 'About
this book' page displaying bibliographic information about the book, plus
links to help you find it in a bookstore or library.
To see close-ups of these pages and to learn more about Google Book Search
features, view our
Screenshots.
Where do these books come from?
The books in Google Book Search come primarily from two sources: publishers
and libraries.
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Google Books Partner Program
- an online book marketing program
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Google Books Library Project
- an enhanced card catalog of the world's books
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An online book marketing program designed to help
publishers and authors promote their books by showing you a limited
number of pages as a preview.
Learn more.
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Our project to include library collections in
Google Book Search and make these books searchable and discoverable.
We show useful information about the book, and in many cases, a few
snippets - a few sentences to display your search term in context.
When a book is out of copyright, you can view or download it in its
entirety.
Learn more.
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What can I do once I've found a book I like?
- Browse:
Click the forward-facing arrow to browse available pages. If you're in
one-page mode, simply scroll down to see all available pages. You can also
choose to view the book in full-screen mode (filling your browser window).
- Search within the book:
Click on additional search results to see other pages containing your
original search term, or try a new search within the book.
- Buy the book:
Click on one of the links to online booksellers to go to directly to a
page where you can buy the book.
- Find it in a library:
Many books have Library Links. Look for the "Find this book in a library"
link to find a local library that has a copy.
Learn more.
- Learn about the publisher:
Click the publisher's logo to go to the publisher's website and find more
books from that publisher.
Have more questions? Check out the Google Book Search
Help Center.
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