Free ISBN Lookup
Enter an ISBN-13, ISBN-10, barcode or ASIN: we instantly identify the title, author, publisher and edition — free, no sign-up. And we tell you whether the book is worth reselling.
Is this book worth selling?
That’s the question this tool answers on top of the lookup itself. Every result comes with a resale verdict: whether the book holds real value on the used market, based on what it actually sells for and how often it sells. Title, author, edition and cover are free; the exact median price, the 12-month sales history and the best buyback offers unlock with a free account.
It’s the difference between an ISBN database and a book scouting tool. A lookup tells you what a book is; BiblioScan also tells you what it’s worth — before you buy it at a thrift store, library sale or estate sale, or ship it to a buyback site for pennies.
Where to find the ISBN on a book
Look at the back cover first: the ISBN is printed just above or below the barcode, usually preceded by the letters “ISBN”. You’ll also find it inside the book, on the copyright page (the back of the title page), where publishers list it alongside the edition and printing information.
If the two numbers differ, trust the one on the copyright page — stickers and reprinted covers sometimes carry the barcode of a different edition. And the edition matters: a hardcover, its paperback reissue and a revised edition each have their own ISBN, and they can sell for very different prices.
ISBN-10 vs ISBN-13: what the numbers mean
Since January 2007, every new book gets a 13-digit ISBN starting with 978 or 979. Older books carry a 10-digit ISBN — the same identifier in the older format. Any ISBN-13 starting with 978 converts to an ISBN-10 and back; 979 numbers are newer and have no 10-digit equivalent. This tool accepts both, with or without hyphens.
The digits aren’t random. After the 978/979 prefix comes the registration group (the language area — 0 and 1 for English, 2 for French, 3 for German), then the publisher code, the title number, and a final check digit that catches typos. That’s why a mistyped ISBN usually fails outright instead of returning the wrong book.
No barcode? How to identify a book without an ISBN
ISBNs only became standard in the early 1970s, so books published before then — and some self-published or small-press titles — have no ISBN and no barcode at all. This lookup needs an identifier, but that doesn’t make an old book a dead end.
For books without a barcode, BiblioScan works from a photo instead: take a picture of the cover — or a whole shelf of spines — and the AI identifies each title and edition, then pulls the same market data. Books listed on Amazon can also be looked up here by their ASIN, the 10-character code shown in the product URL.
How much is your book worth? Try the free value check →
Free vs member
Free, no sign-up
- Title, author and publisher
- Book cover image
- Resale verdict (3 levels)
With a BiblioScan account
- Real median market price
- 12-month sales history and velocity
- Estimated net profit per book
- BiblioRank automatic ranking
- Best buyback offers compared
- Automatic good-deal detection
- Scan a whole shelf from one photo
- Bulk barcode scanning
- Buylists and sourcing lists
- Excel and CSV export
- Stock and sales tracking
- Your full scan history, saved
Frequently asked questions
How do I look up a book by its ISBN?
Type the 13-digit ISBN (or the 10-character barcode / ASIN) into the field above and click “Check this book”. We instantly identify the title, author and edition.
Where do I find a book’s ISBN?
The ISBN is on the back cover, just above or below the barcode, and on the inside title page. It usually starts with 978 or 979.
Can I look up a book without a barcode or ISBN?
Books published before the 1970s have no ISBN. In that case, just photograph the book with BiblioScan: the AI identifies it from the cover or spine and gives you the same value data.
Is this tool really free?
Yes. The ISBN lookup, book details and resale verdict are 100% free with no sign-up. Only the detailed pricing data needs a free account.
How do you know if a book is worth selling?
The verdict combines the book’s real resale value with how often it actually sells on the used market. Create an account to see the exact numbers behind the verdict.