The E-Sylum:  Volume 6, Number 51, November 30, 2003, Article 17

ANOTHER BIBLIO-COUP FOR AMAZON

  Asylum editor Tom Fort writes: "I thought the following
  article in The Independent might be of interest to readers:
  http://news.independent.co.uk/digital/news/story.jsp?story=467027

  [The article describes the latest milestone in Amazon.com's
  quest to expand their book search capabilities  This deal doesn't
  seem to expand the searching of text WITHIN books, but it
  may make more titles available.   Here are some excerpts
  from the article.  -Editor]

  "The online retailer Amazon has stormed the fusty world of
  antiquarian booksellers by acquiring the rights to the British
  Library's unique back catalogue, dragging the buying and
  selling of rare and out-of-print books into the dotcom age."

  "The deal gives Amazon the right to use the British Library's
  bibliographic catalogue, which contains 2.55 million books.
  Crucially it includes 1.7 million produced before the
  introduction in 1970 of the International Standard Book
  Number (ISBN), a 10-character code that uniquely identifies
  any modern book.

  Amazon will open a new online market where buyers and
  sellers can strike deals for some of the world's most expensive
  literary creations.  Robert Frew, vice-president of the
  Antiquarian Book Association, whose members' stomping
  ground include the bookshops of Charing Cross Road and
  Great Russell Street in central London, said the news would
  almost certainly mean greater pressure on those with real
  shopfronts."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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