General Knowledge/FAQ About Books Search Tips

How to Search for Books on Biblio

A detailed guide to the search options on Biblio.com! We have the tools to help you find the book you want from one of our thousands of independent booksellers.

Updated April 2022

Let’s say that you have a specific book that you wish to purchase, and it’s not easy to find a copy. Perhaps it is a rare book from your childhood or a particular edition of a book that you wish to give as a gift. A rare or out-of-print book can seem impossible to find, especially if you are shopping at a big-box bookseller.

But don’t worry – Biblio and our legion of independent booksellers are here to help! If you know the title or at least an author’s name, we can give you the tools to track down just about any book that you want.

A simple search on Biblio:


The homepage of Biblio.com (circa April 2022)

The home page of Biblio.com provides a basic search form with the following fields:

Author: This field is for searching by the name of the book’s author. You can use their full name, or even just their surname. It is important to ensure that you are spelling the author’s name correctly. Searching for “Steven King” won’t get you a copy of Carrie, but searching by “Stephen King” will.

Title: This field is for searching by the title of the book. You can use a partial title or even just a couple of words from the complete title. For example, if you search with the phrase “Hardy Boys” in the title field, you will end up viewing every single book with “Hardy Boys” in the title. If you used the phrase “Hardy Boys Skull”, you’d get results for the 27th book in the series, The Secret of Skull Mountain.

Keyword/ISBN: This is a wild-card field that searches the title, author, and descriptions of book listings to match your input. If the author and title search fields are not finding that perfect book, you can experiment with the keyword field. For example, if you want a complete set of a series, try putting the word “Set” or the words “Complete Set” in the keyword field.  To specify a certain volume try entering “Volume 6” or “Volume Six,” or a description like “Third Edition” to narrow your search.  You may also get good results with phrases like “Leather” or “Leather Bound.”

This field is also for searching by ISBN.  Input the 10 or 13 digit number (with or without dashes) to find your book on Biblio. Learn more about ISBNs and how they work.

There are other options that you can use on this main search page:

Hardcover: This check box will limit your search results to hardcover copies only.

First Edition: Check this box to limit your search to “first editions” only. Read the descriptions carefully before purchasing to be sure it is the correct edition before checking out. Learn more about first editions.

Signed: Check this box to limit your search to signed copies. Please double-check the listing description to ensure that the signature on the book is the one that you want, as it could be signed by someone other than the author, such as the illustrator. Learn the difference between signed and inscribed books.

Highest Price: This check box will sort your search results in price-descending order. If you know the item you are looking for is scarce, this might be the quickest way to begin your search.

Advanced search on Biblio:

Your dream listing might be harder to find and require more specific details. What if you wanted to sort your search results by the number of books available, the year it was published, the illustrator involved, or the condition of the book?  Find the advanced search options on Biblio by clicking on the words “Advanced Search” from the main search page.

The advanced search page on Biblio gives you the options we’ve already discussed and a whole lot more to play with:

Publisher: Do you want the Penguin edition of The Count of Monte Cristo? This field will limit your search results by the publisher that you key in.

Illustrator: The Gustave Doré illustrated version of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven is definitely a sought-after book. Use this field to find books illustrated by your preferred artist.

Publish date between: Limit the years of publication to pinpoint the exact edition book you are searching for.

Price between: These boxes allow you to input a minimum price and maximum price that you are willing to pay.

Shipping From: Are you in a hurry to receive your book? Use this drop-down box to limit your search results to booksellers shipping from a particular country to avoid customs hassles or the perils of tracking international packages.

There are a few new attributes besides the ones covered above:

with Bookseller-supplied photos: This limits the search results to include only items with a photo uploaded by a bookseller, removing items with stock images or no images at all.

Dust Jacket: Click this box to ensure that your search results include books with dust jackets.

Large Print: Limit your search results to large-print copies, only.

Binding: This dropdown lets you choose from Hardcover, Paperback, or Any.

Condition: When shopping for used books, the condition can be what makes or breaks a sale! This drop-down box offers “New,” “Fine or new,” and “Very Good or Better” as options to limit your search results. The condition is added by the individual bookseller listing that book, so please read the description carefully and ask the bookseller if you have any specific queries beyond what they have provided on Biblio.

With Bookseller-supplied Photos: Biblio displays the stock images of books when available. Checking this box ensures that your search results include listings where the bookseller has provided actual images of the book being offered for sale.

Listed Within: If you are regularly hunting on Biblio for a particular title that is difficult to find, you can use these radio buttons to limit your results to listings that have been recently modified so that you only see the most updated books.

Sort By: Price, Relevance, Author, Title…this drop-down box decides how your search results appear. The default setting is Price (lowest first).

Results per page: This drop-down box allows you to choose how many results are shown per page.

There are a few more not pictured in the image above:

Within 50 Miles of Zipcode: This option allows you to search for books that may be available in stores near you! We encourage you to support your local brick-and-mortar, independent booksellers.

Minimum Copies on Hand: Do you have 5 people to whom you’d like to give the same book? Are you donating 30 copies of a novel to a local classroom? This option allows you to limit your search results to booksellers who have your ideal quantity on hand. This can save you on shipping rates!

Include Print-on-Demand or E-books: As we are primarily a source for books as a physical objects, we exclude most print-on-demand and e-books from our search results. If you wish to see them, click the boxes to allow them into search.

Only include Sale books: Click this box to limit your search results to books on sale.

“But I still can’t find my book!” Troubleshooting your Search

  • Are you sure that everything is spelled correctly? Double-check the author’s name, the book’s title, and any other data entered to ensure that everything is input accurately.
  • Is the author’s name in the title field? Don’t laugh – I do it all of the time.  It is easy to accidentally put the title in the author field, and vice versa.
  • Maybe your search is too specific!  Try to search with the basic information first. Most of the other refining criteria (binding, dates of publication, country shipping from, condition) are easy to add from the toolbar on the right side of the search results page.
  • If you are certain that all is correct and you still are not able to find your desired book on Biblio. we encourage you to add it to your Want List.  If you are a registered user on Biblio you can set up email alerts to notify you if someone adds your desired book at any point in the future.

64 Comments

  • I want to make clear(as my knowledge with this book):Your Perfect Right,first edition 1970,by Impact Publishers, Ca. I am looking for this First edition Primarilly. I know is the first edition and is dificult to find, but I will appreciate your concern on this matter. Thanks,

  • I am searching for a set of books I remember from elementary school in the 1940s; as I recall “Little Pierre of France”, “Little Hans of Germany”, etc. They were hard bound with photos as illustrations. I loved them and have never seen them since. Anyone know what I’m talking about?

  • I am looking for “Arkansas Angels” by Boyd E. Morgan. The subject of the book is Preachers in Rural Arkansas. Many of the preachers listed are my ancestors, “Lemmons.” Would love to have a reasonably priced book.

    Thanks,
    Jaynendel Lemmons Vincent

    • Lmfao! I (hopefully obviously!)did not realize you posted this in 2011! Well, hope you’ve found it already! If not, and you will still see this, let me know if you do!
      Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!☃️⛪️

  • looking for a copy of TREV DEELEY, MOTORCYCLE MILLIONARE by FRANK Hilliard – do you have a copy??

    thanks, lin

  • I am looking for a book written in the late 60’s about international hotel openings. The author worked for the Intercontinental Hotel chain and was full of good stories. Title was something like Door Without a Key. Can anyone help?

  • looking for a childrens book that is a poem about a family going outside at night to dance by the light of the moon.”Moon Dance”?”Wind Dance”?It contains the lines-the night is dark-the house is still-the moon(wind?)is dancing on the hill.It was my (now adult) son’s favorite.

  • Looking for Brewing and Beer Tradition in Norway: The social Anthropological background of the brewing industry. It was published in 1969.

  • I am looking for a book mentioned in “Fur-Fish-Game” magazine May 2011.
    The title is ADVENTURES OF THE MYSTERIOUS NORTH by Capt. Eustace Kern.
    Can anyone help? I cannot find mention of it anywhere else.

  • t am looking for the Fannie Farmer Bread cookbook I think it was printed in 1973. It is aprox 7×9 and about 1inch thick. it has a light brown hardback cover.

  • is the book (the invention of lithography)by alois senefelder, copyright1911 by the fuchs and lang manufacturing company new york and london,entered at stationers,hall london considered a rare book

  • looking for any/all teacher’s manuals for the 1971 – 1974 Houghton MIfflin elementary basal reading series. Levels K through 2nd grade

  • I’m looking for Précis généalogique des Faille : 1670-1936 / Jean-Louis Faille. I can’t find it. Thanks to help me.

  • I am looking for a book “Connop” it pertains to my family in England and all I really know is that it might give me some information on the early days when there were more of us around. At the present there are vaguely 700 Connop’s left give or take a few. But I do know that there was a shop “The Draper Connop” near Blackheath. Do you know of this book? Can a copy be found? Thank you E. Simpson

  • I am looking for Eucharistic Reading Years A B C and Holy Days from the New Revised Standard Version
    Church Publishing Incorporated, New York

  • I am looking for “ABC de la Magie Tsigane”
    It’s a frensh book Esoterisme written by Auteur: Questin Marc Louis.

  • i am looking for the following book who’s who among american high school students: honoring tomorrow’s leaders today (1988-89, 23rd annual edition, volume viii (florida students)do u know where i can purchase this book,

  • I am looking for three books missing from a set of Oliver Twist Charles Dickens Centennial Edition.
    Book Seller Sosi Books
    Binding Hardcover
    Publisher Heron
    Date Published – 1967
    Looking for “Hard Times,” “Little Dorrit” and “Barnaby Rudge”
    The books are hardcover green with gold edges and center gold medalion

  • I am looking for a hard cover book “Danger and Trust, San Quentin” by Ted.Davidson,in a good condition that has the illustrations or pictures that this book supposedly had. The author spent 20 months in San Quentin researching material for this book in the 1960’s. I need it for a gift asap. Could you please e-mail me if you can help, this was his 2nd book the 1st is The Keys to San Quentin, if you have or can get both I will take them,as long as they in good condition and hard cover with the reference pictures. I appreciate any help you can give in my search for this book or books. Thank you.,AU.

  • I’m looking for the book Siddalls in America (Phineas Line), published 1962 by Teckla Anne Siddall.

  • When I first began searching for ART books,
    I entered criteria, e.g. price range, binding, etc. I chose “save search” thinking Icould save this criteria for future searchesin the same category, Can this be done, or must I enter all preferences again each time I begin my search ? I’m always looking
    for books on various painters and paintings.
    The same criteria would apply to each search. Thank you.

  • I,m looking for the book “little elsie,s book of bible animals by caroline pridham, it is dated 1903 and says A.S. Rouse, 15 paternoster square, london…. AND IT IS A LITTLE RED HARDCOVER BOOK AND SAYS BOOK OF BIBLE ANIMALS ON SIDE OF EDGE

  • I am looking for a book ‘We Follow The Stars’
    telling the story of two people who followed the opera stars of the day, across the world.
    Cananyone help to locate or add to the title ie authors, dates. Believe written in the 1920s/30s

    • I hope you found the book. One of my favourites. We Followed Our Stars, nonfiction memoir by Ada Cook< better known by her penname "Mary Burchell". She was one of the most popular Mills & Boon / Harlequin Romance authors of the 1950s/60s, but her memoir, with a lot of stories about undercover work helping Jewish people leave Germany (being fanatical opera followers was the perfect cover for many short trips to Munich and Berlin) showed that had she written spy stories rather than romance, she would have been equally successful. She did write a series of romance novels with an opera background which are quite popular even today.

  • I am looking for a child’s reader used in Iowa in the 1930’s or 40’s….maybe Elson Gray or Winston. The book contained a very condensed version of the story about a dog who would not leave his master’s grave. The story was Gray Friar’s Bobby and I think the reader would have been 2nd or 3rd grade level…my siblings and I all remember our father reading the story to us and we would cry!!!

  • I am looking for a used copy of “The Harrington Genealogy” by Charles Nelson Sinnett.

    ASIN: B00072G3R0

    Thanks! 🙂

  • How can I sell books from my library of books on American Indians? It seems that buyers have to know specific names etc. about a book.
    Mine cover many fields: Research, tribal,art, aurobiographies, etc.

  • I am looking for a Religious childrens book that I had as a child in the 1940’s, a book of Jesus as a child growing up to manhood. The pictures were beautiful and easy for a child to read. The cover was blue.

  • I have a 1883 Edition from the American Printing Company for the Blind of the “Book of ACTS” in raised print (not braile). I was wondering if there were other books of the bible still available or if anyone might be interested in this book of mine. It is in good condition. large with hard board binding.

  • I am looking for Dory the Little Witch by Patricia Coombs. I believe it to be a series. I am looking for it as a surprise for my daughter-in-law.

  • I have a 1935, 4th edition, James Tyler Kent, Repertory of Homeopathy Materia Medica in excellent condition for sale. Any ideas who might be interested?

  • I’m looking for a book about a 14 year old (Kelly) wanting to give her 17 year old sister (Allyson)a kidney to save her life.I’m thinking early to mid 90 was when I read it.Any help with the name of the book please? I’m thinking it was by Lurlene McDaniel.

  • I am looking for books about the Boyd Family who came from England, moving to Scotland, moving to Ireland the immigrating to the US around 1720. They were the Boyd clan of Scotland and lived in Dean Castle for more than 400 years. Interested in any info.

  • I am looking for the Cottonbobbers books from the 1930s in England. I have the “Fairy Cottage” and “Jolly Holiday”. I believe there are more in the series. If anyone knows of where I can find them I’d appreciate the info.

  • i have a copy of from the late 1800 to early 1900 of masterpieces of charles dickson i would love to sell but could really use an idea of it worth this book has leather cover and althou in rough condition

  • I am looking for book which is called (national parks of india,written by anand khati s) hard cover,isbn;8186738002 in 402pages , published by ,,pelican creations international,india..please if some one have it, i would buy it with fair price,thank you, ,my e-mail is reza1331@live.com,danmark

  • I have an antique book, Poetic Jewels. There is no ISBN….”Entered according to act of Congress, in the year eighteen hundred and eighty-nine, by LAIR

  • i am looking for book which is called(jim corbett of kumaon) written by D.C.KALA printed in India frist,december1979 published by ankur, hard bound in 168 pages,it is frist edition of jim corbett of kumaon,this book second edition ,hard back published 1999(i have this edition) and thrid time published in 2006 ,papper back(i have this edition) and forth and last til now in 2009,papper back(i have this edition),please let me know if you want to sell it,thank you .reza,danmark

  • I am looking for a copy of a very old book, written by the lay homeopath for pets, Ephraim Conner.

    The man was Scottish.

    The book, “Simplified Dog Cures” was published between 1944 -1946. I’ve read that the book was published by the Homeopathic Publishing Company.

    If anyone can find this book I will be forever grateful!!

    Vicki

  • Looking for “Lucie” by amalie scram. published in kjøbenhavn 1888 by af.i.h.schrubothes boghandel/ grebes boghandel.
    hardcover lether binding.

  • I have an ongoing and highly frustrating problem with Biblio’s search. I order most of my books to be sent to my US post office box, but Biblio insists on listing search results with shipping to my home address in Canada. On Abebooks I can change the main page display back and forth (or even get it to display shipping prices to Italy or Scotland if I’m sending a gift), but here I need to click through to EACH BOOK to compare shipping costs. If I had to have a default I’d choose USA, but I can’t see that I’m allowed a choice.

  • How can I change the shipping to section under the price, because it is default shipping to the Philippines.

  • Does anyone have advice on how to search if the person I’m looking for “Frank A. Benjamin” is obviously the same words as Benjamin Franklin and I have troubles finding much ALWAYS. I know keywords but being as I’m looking for a composer and the good old Benjamin Franklin invented an instrument does not narrow my search in any way.. did I mention I’m looking for Frank A. Benjamin that just so happens to have been the composer during, yep, you guessed it during the same exact time
    period.. I have sifted through so much to no avail in any direction towards the “Frank” I need and the “Benjamin” I don’t. Somebody please help me!

  • Hi Biblio people, are there presently any ways to exclude a word or phrase from a particular search? If not, is this something Biblio’s developers could integrate into the search features? I gather old school Boolean strings would do the trick. It is a feature oon one of your largest competitor’s site and would be sure to help the commenter directly above me in their hunt for a less famous Franklin.

    For my part, I can’t stand ex-library books specially when they are sold as “like new” or “fine” and at the present time, I have to sift through heaps of these listings.
    Happy New Year.

  • Thank you for the helpful guide on navigating Biblio’s extensive book collection! Your blog makes book searching a breeze, empowering bibliophiles with valuable tips. Appreciate the user-friendly insights for a seamless book-hunting experience.

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