undefined | Better HN

0 pointscdrini5y ago0 comments

Open Library has a notion of "Works" which group together editions across languages: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL63073W

(Note the work id is in the url: OL6307W)

If you want to get the work id for a given ISBN: https://openlibrary.org/isbn/2070360075.json will redirect to the edition page, and there you can get "works[0].key".

Or, you can search by the isbn: https://openlibrary.org/search.json?q=isbn:2070360075

0 comments

1 comments · 1 top-level

loosetypes5y ago

Thanks. So Open Library implemented that because there's no interoperable, universal concept for literary "works"?

And then each of Goodreads, Amazon Retail, Ingram, et al. would likely have their own internal system for isbn identification and grouping accordingly?

And I guess that means similarly, there's no isbn-analog for a series or interrelated set of "works"?

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse