CODEWITHSUNDEEP
jsongoogle-apigoogle-books
jonboy
jonboy

Reputation: 2749

Google Books API JSON and ISBN / VolumeID

I have 3000+ books, some with ISBN numbers and some without. I am trying to get a their thumbnail images (possibly subtitle & author) from a JSON file using Google API search queries.

I have noticed that each search query produces different JSON files - is this normal? The VolumeID query seems to be return a more detailed JSON? I have included the relevant JSON files below.

Setup = Win7, localhost, apache, php, chrome.

The isbn: query:

https://www.googleapis.com/books/v1/volumes?q=isbn:0716604892

Which returns the following JSON;

{
 "kind": "books#volumes",
 "totalItems": 1,
 "items": [
  {
   "kind": "books#volume",
   "id": "beSP5CCpiGUC",
   "etag": "cNL3l6PTv24",
   "selfLink": "https://www.googleapis.com/books/v1/volumes/beSP5CCpiGUC",
   "volumeInfo": {
    "title": "The 1989 World Book year book",
    "subtitle": "a review of the events of 1988 ; the annual supplement to the World book encyclopedia",
    "authors": [
     "Robert O. Zeleny"
    ],
    "publishedDate": "1989-02-01",
    "industryIdentifiers": [
     {
      "type": "ISBN_10",
      "identifier": "0716604892"
     },
     {
      "type": "ISBN_13",
      "identifier": "9780716604891"
     }
    ],
    "readingModes": {
     "text": false,
     "image": false
    },
    "pageCount": 576,
    "printType": "BOOK",
    "categories": [
     "Reference"
    ],
    "contentVersion": "preview-1.0.0",
    "imageLinks": {
     "smallThumbnail": "http://bks8.books.google.co.uk/books?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=5&source=gbs_api",
     "thumbnail": "http://bks8.books.google.co.uk/books?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&source=gbs_api"
    },
    "language": "en",
    "previewLink": "http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&dq=isbn:0716604892&hl=&cd=1&source=gbs_api",
    "infoLink": "http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&dq=isbn:0716604892&hl=&source=gbs_api",
    "canonicalVolumeLink": "http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_1989_World_Book_year_book.html?hl=&id=beSP5CCpiGUC"
   },
   "saleInfo": {
    "country": "GB",
    "saleability": "NOT_FOR_SALE",
    "isEbook": false
   },
   "accessInfo": {
    "country": "GB",
    "viewability": "NO_PAGES",
    "embeddable": false,
    "publicDomain": false,
    "textToSpeechPermission": "ALLOWED",
    "epub": {
     "isAvailable": false
    },
    "pdf": {
     "isAvailable": false
    },
    "webReaderLink": "http://books.google.co.uk/books/reader?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&hl=&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&source=gbs_api",
    "accessViewStatus": "NONE",
    "quoteSharingAllowed": false
   }
  }
 ]
}

The volumeId query;

https://www.googleapis.com/books/v1/volumes/beSP5CCpiGUC

I get the following JSON;

{
 "kind": "books#volume",
 "id": "beSP5CCpiGUC",
 "etag": "Zx4P5cYhhLU",
 "selfLink": "https://www.googleapis.com/books/v1/volumes/beSP5CCpiGUC",
 "volumeInfo": {
  "title": "The 1989 World Book year book",
  "subtitle": "a review of the events of 1988 ; the annual supplement to the World book encyclopedia",
  "authors": [
   "Robert O. Zeleny"
  ],
  "publisher": "World Book",
  "publishedDate": "1989-02-01",
  "industryIdentifiers": [
   {
    "type": "ISBN_10",
    "identifier": "0716604892"
   },
   {
    "type": "ISBN_13",
    "identifier": "9780716604891"
   }
  ],
  "readingModes": {
   "text": false,
   "image": false
  },
  "pageCount": 576,
  "printedPageCount": 584,
  "dimensions": {
   "height": "26.00 cm"
  },
  "printType": "BOOK",
  "categories": [
   "Encyclopedias and dictionaries",
   "History",
   "Yearbooks",
   "Reference / Yearbooks & Annuals"
  ],
  "contentVersion": "preview-1.0.0",
  "imageLinks": {
   "smallThumbnail": "http://bks8.books.google.co.uk/books?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=5&imgtk=AFLRE736tSIRMcPp77lZYXBvTtzig6KA5oP0RmH9_4--kTDCuQzvlcknopkOZgyLzBFI_hPMd-6MJTcEO-VZZDFzeDCDkjdsiQ&source=gbs_api",
   "thumbnail": "http://bks8.books.google.co.uk/books?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&imgtk=AFLRE72NzXnCEhmuPOXXn9VNNBgc-uC37bUnfBkbN25dnVcmdSU8Y3E8rNQNCj7Im_YVWH2RXFeqdQ2tengtOsgCjSJh06Oypg&source=gbs_api",
   "small": "http://bks8.books.google.co.uk/books?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=2&imgtk=AFLRE73COelJADcztpk28bKnJ4GQP7Nn7ScPgUbyk90mt25jpcuoU-cDZD--gj9j3jwutTtkTu6bzVouAdjLxi-sy0AN35bD7A&source=gbs_api",
   "medium": "http://bks8.books.google.co.uk/books?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=3&imgtk=AFLRE73oXHyjFepDB-fitily_UF8UmnKZMrTes6ZVsa576_LNl5wczwkJmW6mv_4RK2_nExpPft8N72BXJ7WUzsGwDLCq-5rEw&source=gbs_api",
   "large": "http://bks8.books.google.co.uk/books?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=4&imgtk=AFLRE71psAjJeg1UFlkqIbh-5IiHVNYPmZW9bb9IQjps23zPD-TlXqQ6RGeVRUMPqYpSVWcYwY8zQnwNITxWLBqp_zgMzpMiYw&source=gbs_api",
   "extraLarge": "http://bks8.books.google.co.uk/books?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=6&imgtk=AFLRE70VKrBxxv8Q2Ltr3qhAwh3UMx3d3tv2r2bzwXvlu10_KpyA1TuM0_6RiIEkBe4ENHT21EH_xzPQBe7LWRBgU1IhozIoNQ&source=gbs_api"
  },
  "language": "en",
  "previewLink": "http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&hl=&source=gbs_api",
  "infoLink": "http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&hl=&source=gbs_api",
  "canonicalVolumeLink": "http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_1989_World_Book_year_book.html?hl=&id=beSP5CCpiGUC"
 },
 "saleInfo": {
  "country": "GB",
  "saleability": "NOT_FOR_SALE",
  "isEbook": false
 },
 "accessInfo": {
  "country": "GB",
  "viewability": "NO_PAGES",
  "embeddable": false,
  "publicDomain": false,
  "textToSpeechPermission": "ALLOWED",
  "epub": {
   "isAvailable": false
  },
  "pdf": {
   "isAvailable": false
  },
  "webReaderLink": "http://books.google.co.uk/books/reader?id=beSP5CCpiGUC&hl=&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&source=gbs_api",
  "accessViewStatus": "NONE",
  "quoteSharingAllowed": false
 }
}

Any suggestions are welcome, If there is a better or more efficient way of retrieving thumbnails/info please let me know as this is a personal development project and I am willing to learn.

I can provide my current code if necessary.

Upvotes: 2

Views: 13963

Answers (2)

KrunaL
KrunaL

Reputation: 181

We have faced same issue while getting response from google api If you use google id to get book data, it will return dimensions and weight. Same is not if you use isbn to get book data.

Better to go with google id if you have else go with isbn and get all google ids.

Upvotes: 1

jonboy
jonboy

Reputation: 2749

I decided to go with https://www.googleapis.com/books/v1/volumes?q=isbn:0716604892 as it proved to be more reliable and suitable.

Upvotes: 7

Related Questions