Google’s much-talked-about print.google.com service is now available for beta testing. This free service allows you to search for keywords inside the texts of, theoretically, every book published in the world (although the reach isn’t quite that broad yet). The launch of this service isn’t getting big headlines anywhere, but we think it’s big news. As we wrote in December when Google first announced these plans, it’s controversial news as well. What do you think about this ambitious technology company and its inroads into the book biz?
2 Responses
Cool if it workedI just tried
Cool if it worked
I just tried this out for about 30 minutes. It didn’t work.
I tried to search for “Harry Potter” and did not come up with any of the Harry Potter books, but Google gave me books about J.K. Rowling.
I typed in “Bilbo Baggins” and got books about Tolkin, but not “The Hobbit.”
I typed in “Yossarian” but didn’t find “Catch 22.”
I typed in “Sal Paradise” and got books about Kerouac, but not “On the Road.”
I typed in “Call me Ishmael” but didn’t get “Moby Dick.” Are you kidding me?
I typed in “Project Mayhem” and did not get “Fight Club.”
To be fair, I only looked at the first screen or two and didn’t plow through dozens of screens to see what else there was. If Google wants this to work, these books should come up first or second on the list.
Tsk tsk Google. Tsk tsk indeed.
Hmm, you’re right. That is
Hmm, you’re right. That is really surprising.
I guess they got a lot of new stuff, and forgot the old stuff. Then again, it’s only a beta, so they’ve got to be getting this stuff in soon.