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Finding a Book When You've Forgotten Its Title

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Gwen Glazer, Librarian

Nov 22, 2017

It can be tough to remember the championship and author of a book you read a long fourth dimension ago—even if it was a book that was actually of import to you. Fiction is cataloged by author and title, not by field of study or plot line, which makes identifying books by simply their storyline difficult.

Readers oftentimes inquire librarians for help finding these kinds of books. And we can't figure out the mystery every unmarried time, only nosotros do have a few tricks to help find the respond.

First, pivot down everything you tin can remember well-nigh the book, plot, character names, time period in which the book may take been published, genre, etc. All these details are clues in identifying the title and author of the volume.

Online resources can help with your search for a one-half-remembered book, even if all you have is a basic plot line. Searching yourself is a good identify to start; then, you can post to a listserv or discussion forum, where someone might recognize it. Or, last merely non least, exit a comment on this post!

Earlier Y'all Start

Endeavour Google! Type in everything you can remember about the volume — as in, "flick volume rabbi animals communication yiddish" — and ringlet through the results. (That'south a real-life example of a book a patron was request for:It Could Ever Be Worseby Margot Zemach.)

Yous tin can as well attempt googling i key detail you remember from a book. One of our librarians solved a book mystery by searching "USS You-Know-Who" — the name of a boat in the story that the patron happened to remember. (Another real-life instance: She Flew No Flagspast Joan Manley.)

Crowdsourcing

• What'southward the Name of That Book?
  A Goodreads group with searchable give-and-take posts and thousands of questions and answers.

• Name That Book
  A LibraryThing group of ~3K members — many of whom are librarians or library-adjacent — who assistance solve book mysteries via threaded discussions.

• The Fiction_L listserv
  Stumpers! Search archives of past questions, answered past an intense book-ish community, or subscribe and postal service a new one.

• Reddit'south whatsthatbook thread
  A nearly endless thread of users trying to help other users call back book titles, including several oftentimes requested books. Peculiarly good for science fiction and fantasy.

• "Stump the Bookseller" blog
  A cool indie bookstore in Ohio that maintains all-encompassing, searchable archives — and offers a $four service for personalized aid. Lots of children's books hither.

• Big Volume Search
  If you can simply remember what the embrace looks like, endeavour this comprehend-search tool.

Library Databases (log in with your library card)

• Books & Authors

• Books in Impress

• The New York Times databases

• NoveList and NoveList K-viii (in-library use only)

How to Motion On

Sometimes, it'south just non going to happen, and you can't discover that elusive volume you've been searching for. It's okay! Not bad news: The earth is total of great books! Here are a few ways to discover more...

• Cheque out recommendations from our book experts here at NYPL. We offer suggestions via blog posts, the Staff Picks book finder, The Librarian Is In podcast, and more than.
  
• If you lot'd similar a personalized recommendation, find u.s.a. on Twitter or fill out our What Should I Read Side by side? email grade.
  
• Want a brand-new read? Check out our favorite New and Noteworthy titles.

Feel free to leave a comment and tell united states about a book you lot're trying to call up! Our library staff members volition pop in and check it periodically, and readers of this mail are welcome to make guesses and suggestions.

More Suggestions

• If you can think just one word, apply the search function on Goodreads or Library Matter to find long lists of titles with a item give-and-take.

• Goodreads' browse-able lists of titles that readers have shelved in unique categories, such every bit authors' professions or decades of publication, is as well exist helpful.

• For recently published books, the reviews in Booklist Online are cleaved downwards by detailed genre.

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Source: https://www.nypl.org/blog/2017/11/22/finding-book-forgotten-title

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