BookDB - a book database

[*ProteanThread*]

With BookDB you can enter all your books with author, category,
publisher etc and print them out in a variety of formats. Why would you
need such a thing? Well, if you're always going to book sales and
buying bargains only to get home and find you've doubled up, take a
printout with you! BookDB has a super-condensed print mode so you'll
need a magnifying glass, but at least it'll save a tree or two.

BookDB also has lending library features. With them, you can add
borrowers, loan out books, add multiple copies and so on. If you'd like
to test these new features, just create a blank file called
'library.txt' in the same folder as BookDB2.exe and restart the
program.

http://www.spacejock.com/BookDB.html

 

[hjmler]

I'm still looking for a book db or cataloging app that'd be able to handle
pictures of covers cuz there's lots of titles w the same ISBN or Lib of Cong
number but are physically different... and it would be especially nice if it
could export to html and upload to a website....

 

[Ibn Battuta]

cuz there's lots of titles w the same ISBN or Lib of Cong number
but are physically different...

Can you give an example of such an item where there are two different
versions with the same ISBN? It's my understanding that ISBNs are unique
not just to a title, but to every edition or variation of the same item.

Ibn

 

[hjmler]

popular titles by popular authors - John LeCarre, Herman Wouk, Dan
Boorstin - have multiple editions under the same numbers, often brought out
years apart and sometimes by different publishers but still with the same
numbers, even though the editions have different dust jackets, are printed
on different paper and sometimes are of a different physical size and with a
different page count... sometimes the ISBN is found only on the dust jacket
and if the dj is missing all you have to go by are overt physical
characteristics...

 

[gk.latv]

I know of 2 programs that may be what you're looking for:

www.elibpro.com
www.imediaman.com

They both can auto-update book info from Amazon.

 

[Ibn Battuta]

popular titles by popular authors - John LeCarre, Herman Wouk, Dan
Boorstin - have multiple editions under the same numbers, often
brought out years apart and sometimes by different publishers but
still with the same numbers....

I would still dispute this. The ISBN is assigned by the publisher, which
has a unique identifier as part of the ISBN itself. The same title cannot
come from two different publishers with the same number. And even if from
the same publisher, if it is a different edition it will have a different
number.

This is a quote from the Bowker publisher's site:

(quote) The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a unique 10-
digit number that identifies one title or edition of a title from one
specific publisher and is unique to that edition. As the official ISBN
Agency for the United States, Bowker is responsible for the assignment of
the ISBN Publisher Prefix to those publishers with a residence or office
in the U.S. who are publishing their titles within the U.S. (end quote)

http://www.bowker.com/products/isbnagency.htm#isbn


I'm not saying you shouldn't have a database for books that allow
pictures, if that's what you want, but I'm sure the statement about ISBNs
being the same for different editions is wrong.

Ibn

 

[hjmler]

THANK YOU !! The MediaMan app looks especially promising and I'm download
both now to try out... Thanks for your help !

 

[Susan Bugher]

I would still dispute this. The ISBN is assigned by the publisher, which
has a unique identifier as part of the ISBN itself. The same title cannot
come from two different publishers with the same number. And even if from
the same publisher, if it is a different edition it will have a different
number.

This is a quote from the Bowker publisher's site:

(quote) The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a unique 10-
digit number that identifies one title or edition of a title from one
specific publisher and is unique to that edition. As the official ISBN
Agency for the United States, Bowker is responsible for the assignment of
the ISBN Publisher Prefix to those publishers with a residence or office
in the U.S. who are publishing their titles within the U.S. (end quote)

http://www.bowker.com/products/isbnagency.htm#isbn


I'm not saying you shouldn't have a database for books that allow
pictures, if that's what you want, but I'm sure the statement about ISBNs
being the same for different editions is wrong.

He's *right*. Publishers sometimes reuse ISBNs for different editions
and/or different books (they have to buy their ISBNs from Bowker).
Furthermore the ISBN databases (Amazon et al) have lots and lots and
lots of errors. Bowker is spouting theory. The real world is a different
story.

Susan

 

[(ProteanThread)]

He's *right*. Publishers sometimes reuse ISBNs for different editions
and/or different books (they have to buy their ISBNs from Bowker).
Furthermore the ISBN databases (Amazon et al) have lots and lots and
lots of errors. Bowker is spouting theory. The real world is a different
story.

Susan

true. after all (without bringing religion into the subject) look at
the bible how many variations and versions there are but the same
author(s) [SIC]

 

[hjmler]

I've been in the book business as both and editor and publisher at an
independent press for nearly 20 years and a collector and trader in used,
rare and first/signed editions since I was a teenager in the 1950's... the
numbering systems have a lot of slop in them, including the Library of
Congress system....

for example I could bring out a book under my assigned ISBN and with a
Catalog in Publication number from LoC.... after a year or two I might sell
the title to another publisher who would re-cover it with different art and
in 5 3/8th inch X 8 1/2 inch at 228 pages vs my original which was done at 6
inches X 9 inches and 196 pages and both editions might carry my ISBN and
LoC numbers.... Or the new pub might add a foreword by a big name and then
give it his/her own ISBN and LoC...

the LoC number is different from a Lib of Cong Card Catalog number and early
ISBN had a different number of digits than those used today and next year
the new ISBN numbers will be different still... to further mess it up we
have to put bar codes on the back cover if we want to distribute through the
national wholesalers... some people use their ISBN and embed that in the bar
code while others will get a UPC and both print and embed that.... Some
small presses will use and ISBN and not use a LoC number or use a LoC number
and not use an ISBN... Some won't use either.

Since a title -e.g. War of The Worlds- can't be copyrighted, anyone can use
it so you could conceivably have ten/50/100 totally different contents under
that title, and if the author has a common surname...

See the confusions possible? That's why i think it's very important to have
pictures front and back..

He's *right*. Publishers sometimes reuse ISBNs for different editions
and/or different books (they have to buy their ISBNs from Bowker).
Furthermore the ISBN databases (Amazon et al) have lots and lots and
lots of errors. Bowker is spouting theory. The real world is a different
story.

Susan

true. after all (without bringing religion into the subject) look at
the bible how many variations and versions there are but the same
author(s) [SIC]