Google books API searching by ISBN

error_null_pointer picture error_null_pointer · Oct 26, 2011 · Viewed 50.6k times · Source

I am trying to figure out how to search for a book by ISBN using the Google Books API. I need to write a program that searches for an ISBN then prints out the title, author, and edition. I tried using List volumesList = books.volumes.list(""); but that did not allow me to search by ISBN and I did not see a way to get the information I needed(when an ISBN was placed in it had no results) . What I have right now is:

    JsonFactory jsonFactory = new JacksonFactory();     
    final Books books = new Books(new NetHttpTransport(), jsonFactory);
    List volumesList = books.volumes.list("9780262140874");

    volumesList.setMaxResults((long) 2);

    volumesList.setFilter("ebooks");
    try
    {
        Volumes volumes = volumesList.execute();
        for (Volume volume : volumes.getItems()) 
        {
            VolumeVolumeInfo volumeInfomation = volume.getVolumeInfo();
            System.out.println("Title: " + volumeInfomation.getTitle());
            System.out.println("Id: " + volume.getId());
            System.out.println("Authors: " + volumeInfomation.getAuthors());
            System.out.println("date published: " + volumeInfomation.getPublishedDate());
            System.out.println();
        }

    } catch (Exception ex) {
        // TODO Auto-generated catch block
        System.out.println("didnt wrork "+ex.toString());
    }

If anyone has any suggestions about how to make this more efficient let me know. New Code:

    String titleBook="";

    ////////////////////////////////////////////////
    try
    {                               
        BooksService booksService = new BooksService("UAH");
        String isbn = "9780262140874";
        URL url = new URL("http://www.google.com/books/feeds/volumes/?q=ISBN%3C" + isbn + "%3E");
        VolumeQuery volumeQuery = new VolumeQuery(url);
        VolumeFeed volumeFeed = booksService.query(volumeQuery, VolumeFeed.class);
        VolumeEntry bookInfo=volumeFeed.getEntries().get(0);

        System.out.println("Title: " + bookInfo.getTitles().get(0));
        System.out.println("Id: " + bookInfo.getId());
        System.out.println("Authors: " + bookInfo.getAuthors());
        System.out.println("Version: " + bookInfo.getVersionId());
        System.out.println("Description: "+bookInfo.getDescriptions()+"\n");
        titleBook= bookInfo.getTitles().get(0).toString();
        titleBook=(String) titleBook.subSequence(titleBook.indexOf("="), titleBook.length()-1);
    }catch(Exception ex){System.out.println(ex.getMessage());}
    /////////////////////////////////////////////////
    JsonFactory jsonFactory = new JacksonFactory();     
    final Books books = new Books(new NetHttpTransport(), jsonFactory);
    List volumesList = books.volumes.list(titleBook);   
    try
    {
        Volumes volumes = volumesList.execute();
        Volume bookInfomation= volumes.getItems().get(0);

        VolumeVolumeInfo volumeInfomation = bookInfomation.getVolumeInfo();
        System.out.println("Title: " + volumeInfomation.getTitle());
        System.out.println("Id: " + bookInfomation.getId());
        System.out.println("Authors: " + volumeInfomation.getAuthors());
        System.out.println("date published: " + volumeInfomation.getPublishedDate());
        System.out.println();

    } catch (Exception ex) {
        System.out.println("didnt wrork "+ex.toString());
    }

Answer

Chris picture Chris · Oct 26, 2011

Are you using the deprecated data API?

With Books API v1 (from Labs) you could use the query

https://www.googleapis.com/books/v1/volumes?q=isbn:<your_isbn_here>

for example

https://www.googleapis.com/books/v1/volumes?q=isbn:0735619670

to query a book by its ISBN.

You may want to look at Googles example code: BooksSample.java