Google Book Search Help

How does Google Book Search work?

Finding books with Google Book Search is as easy as finding websites with ordinary Google search; just enter the keyword or phrase you're looking for into the Google Book Search box. For example, when you search for "rock climbing" or for a phrase like "one small step for man," we'll find all the books whose contents match your search terms. Click on a book title and you'll see the Snippet View which, like a card catalog, shows information about the book plus a few snippets - a few sentences of your search term in context. You may also see the Sample Pages View if the publisher or author has given us permission or the Full Book View if the book is out of copyright. You can then do new searches within the book using "Search within this book," or click on any of the "Buy this Book" links to go straight to an online bookstore where you can buy it. If the book was scanned from a library, you can also click "Find it in a Library" to find a local library where you can borrow it.

What types of books are available?

Google Book Search finds pretty much any kind of book you can imagine: fiction, non-fiction, reference, scholarly, textbooks, children's books, scientific, medical, professional, educational, and other books of all kinds. As we add books from our library partners, our book selection will continue to increase, and you'll also be able to find out-of-print, rare, and public domain books.

Note: to prevent books with adult content from displaying in your results, please be sure you have SafeSearch turned on. Learn how to use SafeSearch here.

What is the "Find it in a Library" link?

When you click on "Find it in a Library" we send you to the OCLC Worldcat where you can enter your zip code and find a local library that has the book.

Why can't I find "The Closet Organizer's Guide to the Universe"?

Google Book Search is still a beta product, and we're adding books every day. If you can't find a specific book, try searching for the general information you want (as opposed to the title or author) in case other books contain what you're looking for. For example, searching for "organizing closets" will reveal a number of different books, from psychological approaches to life organization to volumes on cabinet-building.

Why can't I read the entire book?

We respect copyright law and the tremendous creative effort authors put into their work. So, unless any given book's publisher has given us permission to show sample pages, you'll only be able to see the Snippet View which, like a card catalog, shows information about the book plus a few snippets – a few sentences of your search term in context. If the book isn't under copyright at all, you can browse the entire book in the Full Book View, but the aim of Google Book Search is to help you discover books and learn where to buy or borrow them, not read them from start to finish. It's like going to a bookstore and browsing – with a Google twist.

Why do I have to log in to see certain pages?

Because many of the books in Google Book Search are still under copyright, we limit the amount of a book that a user can see. In order to enforce these limits, we make some pages available only after you log in to an existing Google Account (such as a Gmail account) or create a new one. If you prefer not to log in but still want to see a few pages, click the "view an unrestricted page" link. Remember, the aim of Google Book Search is to help you discover books, not read them cover to cover, so you may not be able to see every page you're interested in.

I'm already logged in. Why are you telling me the page is unavailable?

As part of our efforts to protect the rights of copyright holders, we restrict the amount of any given book's content that users are able to read (unless the book is out of copyright – Full Book View), so some pages will be unavailable.

I really need to see more of this book. What can I do?

Google Book Search helps you discover books, not read them online. To read the whole book, we encourage you to use a "Buy this book" link to purchase it or the "Find this in a library" link to look for a local library that has it.

Where do these books come from?

Right now, most of our books are provided by publishers and authors through the Google Books Partner Program - an online book marketing program designed to help publishers and authors promote their books. Publishers and authors send us their books and we digitally scan them and add their content to our search results – all for free.

We also have partnerships with several libraries as a part of the Library Project, to include the collections of a few libraries in Google Book Search and, like a card catalog, show you information about the book plus a few snippets – a few sentences of your search term in context. Over time your Google Book Search results should start showing you more and more books from these collections as well. Learn more about the Library Project here.

Does Google keep track of the pages I'm viewing?

In order to protect copyrighted books, we only allow Google Book Search users to view a limited portion of the book we present. Enforcing these limits requires us to keep track of our users' page views. Before you log in, we don't associate your searches or the pages you view with any personally identifiable information about you, such as your name and address. Once you log in, however, to enforce limits on user page views, we do connect some information -- your Google Account name -- with the books and pages that you've viewed. As always, we strongly encourage you to read our Privacy Policy to be fully informed about how your confidentiality is protected.

Does Google profit when I buy a book from a Google Book Search page?

No, we don't. Google Book Search offers links to popular booksellers from whom you can buy the books you find. Booksellers don't pay for us to include their links, and we don't make money when you buy books from them. We do earn revenue from user clicks on the contextually targeted ads that appear, with publisher permission, on some Google Books pages, and we share this ad revenue with those publishers.

I spotted a problem with one of your pages. Who do I tell?

We carefully check the pages we scan, but occasionally errors do sneak through. To report what you've found, please click the link marked 'See a problem with this page?' at the bottom of the page in question, then fill out the form that opens. We appreciate your help and will do our best to resolve the issue.

I'm a book publisher. How do I add my books to Google Book Search?

Welcome! It's easy to get involved; just sign up for the Google Books Partner Program and send us your books. We'll scan them and add them to our search results for free. You can also upload them in PDF format.

I'm an author. How do I add my books to Google Book Search?

The best way to get your books included is to speak with your publisher and encourage them to join the Partner Program. If you're self-published or the rights to your book have reverted back to you, you can join the program yourself by sending us your books or uploading them in PDF format. Check out our Author Resources page to learn more.

How can I get my library involved?

We may expand our program to include special collections from libraries both in the U.S. and other countries. If you want to let us know about your library's special collection, please email us at books-support@google.com and include the size of your collection, any specialization or unique content, how much of your content is already digital, and what languages it includes. You can also visit this page to learn more about who we're working with, what we're digitizing, and how library books appear in the program.

Three ways books are displayed

Snippet View

View a few sentences and information about the book

Sample Pages View
View a limited number of pages of the book

Full Book View
View the entire book

To see close-ups of these pages and to learn more about Google Book Search features, view our Screenshots.