Finding a book when you don't know the title or author

Every now and then we get emails, or comments on the blog, from people who are trying to remember a book title based on fragments of information about: the story, characters, or cover.  Often it's a book from their childhood and they can only remember a few details.  If you have been in this situation it is very frustrating but all hope is not lost. I've got a few tips for you.

BookFinder.com
To start I'm going to assume that you have already tried plugging the info you know into BookFinder.com, this is one of the instances where keyword search is useful.  Author and title are more accurate but keyword is a bit more of a catch all. 

This is great if you can remember a bit of the title, or another key detail but when all you can remember is that "there's this cute puppy that’s lost his mittens, and the story is set at Christmas" a little more help is in order.

Rely on the kindness of strangers:
Several of our bookselling partners have areas of their websites dedicated to this exact problem.  AbeBooks BookSleuth, Amazon's Askville, and Barnes & Noble Book Clubs: Lost Books are all good places to start.  These are simple forums where other users play name that book.  AbeBooks also has a similar feature called GiftSleuth where you can enter likes and dislikes of friends and family and readers can all blurt out book suggestions which they think might be appropriate for future birthdays and what not. This however is a different kettle of fish.

Internet Search Engine:
If you happen to know a detail that is unique about the book: a quote, a main characters name, or a key detail you can plug this information into your favourite search engine and could possibly be rewarded.  Since Google started scanning books this has become even more powerful.  You can also do a similar type of search on Amazon itself.

Seek professional help:
When in doubt seek professional help, and by this I mean you local independent bookseller.  Booksellers hang around thousands of books every day for years on end and in doing so they tend to pick up a few tidbits here and there.  Depending on how much you actually remember about the book (and the booksellers specialty) these literary angels can often pull off miraculous feats; librarians, also VERY helpful.

If anyone else has some good tips feel free to post them in the comments section and I will try and add some more to this post as we come up with other good ideas.

Happy hunting.

Comments

[Brainwane]

If none of the other resources has helped, it's probably worth it to spend the USD5 on a Metafilter account and post as much as you can remember as an Ask Metafilter question.

[Alice Massoglia]

I know that Librarians were mentioned briefly in the original post, but as a reader and bookseller I rely heavily on our reference librarians, and also the librarians from specific foci such as children's books, religious, historical etc. If you live in a small town and do not have such specific sections in your libraries, a call to the central library in a major city such as New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland or Chicago will enable you to talk with librarians with years of experience in very specialized areas. I remember spending many an afternoon picking the brains of specialists in 19th century essays or religious biographies or other esoteric stuff when I was in school in Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

[Regan Sullivan]

I am looking for a book
That has a poems written 1979
in a book call
Treasured Poems of America
Published by
Sparrowgrass Poetry Forum,INC
609 Main St.,P.OBox193
Sisterville, WV26175
Author-Icelene Jordan
Name of poem is-MAMAS TEARS

[Terry Gouette]

I am looking for a copy of Waterford High School's (CT.) yearbook Excalibur for 1970.

[Emma]

Cany anyone help me find this book?

It's about an already married couple. Try are estranged because when they got engaged she tried to elope bit was caught and he ha been in love with her from the moment he saw her. She hears rumors that he might be having an affair so she god to the womens house tovask. When she gets there he walk down the stairs buttoning his shirt and when he sees her they come up with the idea that he is the bastard brother. Sophie the one she thought he was having an affair with turns out to be his half sister who is a bastard and in love with a married man who loves her back. The "bastard brother" starts helping her with a tak involving her ex. She then figures out that the brother and her husband are one and the zmsame when she sees a scare on her husbands arm that was on the brothers. She wants revenge so she sends a letter to the brother asking him to meet her and tricks him into taking off all his clothes and when he dos she takes them and rubs. They talk and want to start over on there marriage. The task she was helping her ex with was that he was accused of murder but he was framed. A man who wanted her did it and also started the rumor abouther husbands affair.

[Angela]

I remember spending many an afternoon picking the brains of specialists in 19th century essays or religious biographies or other esoteric stuff when I was in school in Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Angela
http://rapidskunk.com

[jeu de tarot]

Hey, i'm looking for a book of Osman : Creative Camera International, 1977, do you know if there is a copy ?

[edna Wright]

I am looking for a book which i only know the plot.
there were 2 sisters and the eldest was dislikd by her parents the younger sister got killed and they put the other one in a home where she was abused she then ran away to her grandmothers at the kent marshes, she grows up there and she meets a young man who goes into the army and gets wounded they fall in love and then she finds out that he her step brother

[Mediafire Downloads]

If none of the other resources has helped, it's probably worth it to spend the USD5 on a Metafilter account and post as much as you can remember as an Ask Metafilter question.

[No Prescription Viagra]

very useful site, thank you for sharing it, I didn't know and it would be so much easier to find a book when I don't know or don't remember the author and it occurs to me many times, I remember the title or what the book is about but almost never about the author!

[V.Peterson]

I'm looking for a book from the 80's (?). It was about a girl named Jodi who lived in a small town with her mother and stepfather and sleazy stepbrother (Mark?). She had a male friend named Bobby McGee(?). Her stepbrother got in a car accident with a drifter named Tay Brannon, who he blamed for the accident. Jodi and Tay eventually ran away together, he from the law, she from her home situation. Jodi had an elderly next door neighbour who lived alone in a very tidy house. The book is set during a very hot summer. If anyone can remember the author or title, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

[Win Your Ex Back]

I have had such problem before. But in the end, I just keep asking everyone I know about the book and in the end, I do find someone who knows about the book. Thanks for your tips though. Bookfinder is a great tool.

[Scott]

V. Peterson - Like I said in the post, try the BookSluth forum. This is a great place for exactly this kind of question. http://forums.abebooks.com/abesleuthcom