published

Gutendex

Gutendex is a free API that provides developers with programmatic access to over 60,000 public domain books from Project Gutenberg, ideal for various literary applications.

Developed by Gutendex

View Source
99.90%Uptime
120msLatency
1.9kStars
No AuthAuth
NoCredit Card
RESTStyle
1.0Version
API Endpoints

Reference for available routes, request structures, and live examples.

Searches Project Gutenberg's public domain book collection

Full Endpoint URL
https://gutendex.com/books
Implementation Example
curl -X GET 'https://gutendex.com/books'
Request Payload
{
  "search": "Sherlock Holmes",
  "languages": "en"
}
Expected Response
{
  "count": 28,
  "results": [
    {
      "id": 108,
      "title": "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes",
      "authors": [
        {
          "name": "Conan Doyle, Arthur"
        }
      ],
      "download_count": 25432
    }
  ]
}
Version:v1

Real-World Applications
  • Building ebook reader apps for classic literatureOptimized Capability
  • Creating open book search utilitiesOptimized Capability
  • Educational tools for language or literature analysisOptimized Capability
  • Generating reading recommendations based on metadataOptimized Capability
  • Automated literature data mining and NLP projectsOptimized Capability
Advantages
  • ✓ No authentication or API key required
  • ✓ Instant access to 60,000+ public domain books
  • ✓ Rich metadata and formatted download links
  • ✓ Comprehensive filtering and search capabilities
Limitations
  • ✗ Only public domain books available
  • ✗ Limited to Project Gutenberg's collection
  • ✗ No official SDKs or client libraries
  • ✗ Rate limiting may restrict high-volume integrations

FAQs

API Specifications

1.0
Pricing Model
Free
Credit Card
Not Required
Response Formats
JSON
Supported Languages
7 Languages
SDK Support
REST Only
Time to Hello World

Less than 5 minutes

Rate Limit

60 requests per minute per IP

Free Tier Usage

Unlimited free access for public domain books with up to 60 requests per minute per IP.

Use Case: Best For

Developers building book search or reading apps, digital humanities, education, hackathons

Not Recommended For

Accessing modern copyrighted books, commercial ebook retail integrations, high-frequency scraping

Resources

Documentation Official Website Source Code Pricing Details Postman Collection
#literature#books

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