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deleting multiple editions, since they don't exist?
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Dea
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Nov 21, 2014 07:30PM
is there a way to delete editions without deleting the whole book? i am coming across many multiple editions which are just a repeat of the same book, and since people do not provide any ISBN numbers there are now editions floating around which don't actually exist.
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Many books don't have ISBNs but are still valid editions. Maybe you can link to some examples?
And if those editions are really duplicates, we can merge them into a valid edition of the same work, so reviews are not lost.
i thought it was valid editions at first too, but then i noticed someone has been adding books without ISBN #s, so when someone adds that same book but provides an ISBN, goodreads treats it as two different editions and doesn't get the chance to say "hey maybe this book already exists" since it has no ISBN to compare. example: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
this book has only been released once.
it seems like lazy adding, when a 5 second google search would have shown the ISBN.
i have looked for the option to merge reviews of both editions, but i can only 'combine' works, which leaves the ghost edition in the system. or 'delete' a book, which i cannot do without damaging people's reviews.
#4 - Done.The 2 hardcovers that had covers I left because there was text at the bottom of one cover and not the other.
The 3rd book that had no issue was merged.
For reference when a book is deleted that has reviews and it is combined with 1 or more editions, the reviews get merged with the most popular edition, they are not lost/destroyed.
so if i come across same thing in the future i can click 'delete book' and that will delete the ghost edition? but if that book, not necessarily edition, has more than 5 reviews then only a super librarian can do the deletion, correct? also, the cover that has the letters at the bottom is still the same cover/book/edition the letters are a watermark by an online retailer selling the book.
PS: thank you!
I see that now, I did not take that close a look and did not notice the watermark till you mentioned it.Merged the other book, with the one that had the ISBN. Also, replaced the watermarked cover with a proper one, since that one should never have been uploaded.
Yes technically you can do that to books that do not have more than 5 reviews, but if you do be very careful, and yes after 5 a super has to do it.
Dea wrote: "so if i come across same thing in the future i can click 'delete book' and that will delete the ghost edition? "Dea wrote: "example: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
this book has only been released once. "
No, you don't just delete books. That book has not "only been released once", there are (or were) hardback and audiobook editions at the very least. I would be surprised if there is not a paperback floating around somewhere.
This is the hardback,
https://14.img.avito.st/640x480/10601...
this looks like the audiobook,
http://au-books.com/maksim-kantor-kra...
What edition has been deleted from Goodreads?
Banjomike wrote: "Dea wrote: "so if i come across same thing in the future i can click 'delete book' and that will delete the ghost edition? "Dea wrote: "example: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
this..."
The edition I removed were all exactly the same version of the Hardcover. None were all Hardcovers, 2 with the same cover just one had an invalid watermarked bookseller cover. 1 Had no data just listed as hardcover. So they were all valid editions to merge.
The edition I removed were all exactly the same version of the Hardcover. None were all Hardcovers, 2 with the same cover just one had an invalid watermarked bookseller cover. 1 Had no data just listed as hardcover. So they were all valid editions to merge.
That book has not "only been released once", there are (or were) hardback and audiobook editions at the very least the versions that have been added to goodreads were JUST hardcovers. the same hard cover 3 times with 2 books missing ISBNs. it would have been cool if one of the versions had an ISBN, i would not have questioned it, but my search for hardcover editions has only turned up one copy.
i plan on adding an audio book later, just as i plan to add other books by the author but i want to clean up duplicates before i add to the mess.
also, that still did not answer my question. how do i remove a ghost edition? do i click 'remove book'? or is there a merge option i am not seeing? or is this something that can only be done by a super librarian?
It is suggested to be done by a super. Technically it will let you if there is less than 5 reviews.The delete link actually merges the book with the most popular edition that it is combined with, so all reviews will move to that edition.
Obviously if you were to click the delete link for a book that has no combined editions it and all data associated with it would disappear.
The best option is to post in the thread I linked to below for all book deletion/mergers, so they can be checked out and researched before it is done.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2070055-please-delete-this-book-pt-29-anyone-requests-leave-deletions-for
thank you so much, philip. i bookmarked the link you posted and if i run into any books i am unsure of i will make a post there. i do my best to research any corrections i make, so i promise you i won't go deleting books willie nilly just because. :)
