Searching a book's contents instead of a book title on internet archives?

In summary, you want to search for topics or chapters in the internet archives, not just words. You would do this by entering the topic or chapter in the search bar and hitting the search button. If the topic or chapter is included in the archive's content, the search results will include all the books that have that topic or chapter in their contents.
  • #1
brainbaby
228
5
hi..

I am using internet archives for searching a book.

Normally the method of searching a book on internet archives is as follows-- we enter a word/ phrase/ book title that we want to search in the search tab and hit the search button, the result that is displayed are all the books that have that word or similar in their "TITLE".
But I want to make a reverse search instead, a TOPIC search.
i.e by entering a topic or chapter in the search tab.. the result that should be displayed must contain all the books having that topic or chapter in their contents... how can I do that.?

thanks!

https://archive.org/
 
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  • #2
That would be possible only for books that have their content released in digital form and indexed by the search engines. Publishers are not too happy about doing that.
 
  • #3
Borek said:
That would be possible only for books that have their content released in digital
Yes, I am talking of only those books.

Borek said:
That would be possible
How??
 
  • #4
Search for a subject.
 
  • #5
brainbaby said:
Yes, I am talking of only those books.

You have missed the second part:

Borek said:
and indexed by the search engines

Yes, some books are fully indexed. No, there is no sure way of finding them.
 
  • #6
brainbaby said:
hi..

I am using internet archives for searching a book.

Normally the method of searching a book on internet archives is as follows-- we enter a word/ phrase/ book title that we want to search in the search tab and hit the search button, the result that is displayed are all the books that have that word or similar in their "TITLE".
But I want to make a reverse search instead, a TOPIC search.
i.e by entering a topic or chapter in the search tab.. the result that should be displayed must contain all the books having that topic or chapter in their contents... how can I do that.?

thanks!

https://archive.org/
You left out the most important part: why?

In detail: Why do you want to possibly, i.e. very likely breach the copyright laws?

A list of books is in my mind pretty worthless without reading at least a chapter of each. A suitable book depends on the preferences of the reader. Even asking on the internet, e.g. here, will get you answers that cover the entire range. By range, I mean something like: from Bourbaki, over Russian literature, to pre-Bourbaki novels. How could anybody choose without having classified the type, let alone the style?

My procedure was always to know whom you can ask for a recommendation.

If you want to study a certain subject, then google "<subject> + pdf" and you will find dozens of lecture notes. Now you can choose simply by opening one after the other.P.S.: arxiv.org is a good location if you want to break the law!
 
  • #7
fresh_42 said:
You left out the most important part: why?

In detail: Why do you want to possibly, i.e. very likely breach the copyright laws?

A list of books is in my mind pretty worthless without reading at least a chapter of each. A suitable book depends on the preferences of the reader. Even asking on the internet, e.g. here, will get you answers that cover the entire range. By range, I mean something like: from Bourbaki, over Russian literature, to pre-Bourbaki novels. How could anybody choose without having classified the type, let alone the style?

My procedure was always to know whom you can ask for a recommendation.

If you want to study a certain subject, then google "<subject> + pdf" and you will find dozens of lecture notes. Now you can choose simply by opening one after the other.P.S.: arxiv.org is a good location if you want to break the law!
I believe you mean archive.org, not arxiv.org. (unless you are against preprints :wink:)

It is not clear that archive.org is illegal. It is being fought in the courts.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litig...fate-digital-book-lending-lawsuit-2022-09-06/
(from September 2022)

PF currently does not allow archive.org links. It used to, so one might find some old links.
 
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  • #8
Frabjous said:
I believe you mean archive.org, not arxiv.org. (unless you are against preprints :wink:)
No. I meant arxiv.org. This is not only a preprint server!

I am against the many books on arxiv.org which - at least in principle, i.e. younger than 120 years - still have copyright protection.
 
  • #9
If you're just looking to discover the existence of a book (and not have its whole contents for free), then Google Books is fairly good. Google won the copyright infringement case brought against it for Google Books.
 
  • #10
sorry to reply a bit late..
just to clarify my point..

As we do some search in google books...the results that are displayed there are just exactly the way I want them to be displayed on internet archives.

for e.g I searched the following--" design a datapath from given instruction set" in google books & the result which is displayed contained all the books which contained my search item listed specifically under FOUND INSIDE section..
I've shared the screenshots of what I exactly want..
 

FAQ: Searching a book's contents instead of a book title on internet archives?

How can I search the contents of a book instead of just the title on internet archives?

Many internet archives and digital libraries offer advanced search features that allow you to search within the text of books. Look for an "Advanced Search" option where you can specify that you want to search within the text or contents of the book rather than just the title or metadata.

Are there specific internet archives that allow searching within a book's contents?

Yes, several internet archives such as Google Books, Project Gutenberg, and the Internet Archive offer the capability to search within the text of books. Each platform has its own search interface and features, so it’s best to explore their advanced search options.

Do I need an account to search within a book's contents on internet archives?

It depends on the platform. Some internet archives may require you to create a free account to access advanced search features or full-text search capabilities, while others allow you to perform these searches without an account.

Can I search for specific phrases or keywords within a book's contents?

Yes, most internet archives that offer text search capabilities allow you to search for specific phrases or keywords within the contents of a book. You can usually enter your search terms in quotation marks to find exact matches or use Boolean operators to refine your search.

Are there any limitations to searching within a book's contents on internet archives?

Yes, there can be limitations such as restricted access to certain texts due to copyright laws, incomplete digitization of books, or less sophisticated search algorithms. Additionally, not all books may be available for full-text search, especially older or less popular titles.

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