Gutendex

About Gutendex

Gutendex is a JSON web API that serves ebook metadata from Project Gutenberg. It exposes a book-list endpoint that returns paginated results (0-32 books per page) along with count, next, and previous fields, with books ordered by download popularity by default.

The API supports filtering and searching through query parameters, including author birth/death year ranges, copyright status, language codes, MIME type, free-text search across author names and book titles, topic search within bookshelves and subjects, and sorting by Project Gutenberg ID or popularity. Individual books can be retrieved by their Project Gutenberg ID. Each book object includes title, subjects, authors, summaries, translators, bookshelves, languages, copyright status, media type, download formats, and download count; author and translator entries include name, birth year, and death year.

The hosted instance is intended for testing queries and reviewing the documentation rather than long-term production use; the page directs users who need sustained access to run their own server using the code and installation instructions on GitHub.

Key features

• JSON API for querying Project Gutenberg ebook metadata
• Filter books by author birth/death year range
• Filter by copyright status, language, or MIME type
• Full-text search across author names and book titles
• Search by topic across bookshelves and subjects
• Sort results by popularity or Project Gutenberg ID

Frequently asked questions