Not a Book and More

[Mason]

I tried adding a copy of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" to my books to swap today, and it came up with a picture of "the Wizard of Oz" and the title, "Not a Book." I used the ISBN on the back cover (1-55902-983-8 or 1559029838). It was labeled ISBN, and there was a different UPC (0-37145-09838-8).

If it makes any difference, the book has a Wal-Mart 2-for-$1 sticker on the front. I've gotten a few books like this off of garage sales and think I may have encountered issues with them before.

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In other issues, "Great Illustrated Classics" series. I have four books from this series [also off of garage sales, and also with Wal-Mart stickers (although a different kind of sticker):]. They don't have ISBNs, but they have a UPC (070097002249) on the back cover, so naturally I scanned one with my :CueCat just for grins.

Instead of the Great Illustrated Classic I scanned (I think it was "Oliver Twist") a picture of "Little Women" came up with the title, "The Three Musketeers." I checked my other GICs and noticed they all share the same UPC. Should the corresponding book on Goodreads (the one that is half "Little Women" half "Three Musketeers") be deleted? After all, it's listed under a UPC universal to at least 20 different books instead of an ISBN.

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Thanks for any help,
Mason

[Ralph Gallagher]

Mason, read the description of the book:

Walmart sold a series of "classics" for 2 for $1, all these books have the same ISBN (1559029838) and are difficult to enter into the Goodreads database. Rather than add this book to your bookshelf, please do one of the following:

1) Search for the author and title of the book you want to add and just add a different edition.

2a)Search for Walmart and the title and/or author of the book you want to add and see if someone has created an entry for that specific book. Walmart should appear in parenthesis after the title and the ISBN field should be blank with the ISBN mentioned in the description.

2b) If no one has already created an entry for this Walmart Classics version of your book, you may create one in the Goodreads database. Just be sure to place Walmart in parenthesis after the title and leave the ISBN field blank and enter the ISBN somewhere in the book description field.

[willaful]

Just curious - is it the genuine original edition of the book? I'm asking because I once saw a bunch of classics in a bargain bin and they were all pathetic rewrites. A Tale of Two Cities, with that classic opening, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" now began, "It was the year 1789."

[Cait]

You know, this sounds like a useful place for the new series object, so that someone who puts in the ISBN like Mason did would be only a click away from the list of Walmart Classics....

Scanning in a UPC code rarely produces anything useful, I'm afraid!

[Kaion]

willaful wrote: "A Tale of Two Cities, with that classic opening, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" now began, "It was the year 1789."

That's heinous.

[willaful]

Kaion wrote: "willaful wrote: "A Tale of Two Cities, with that classic opening, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" now began, "It was the year 1789."

That's heinous."

Indeed, and the best argument I know against combing adaptations with the original. :-\

[Sandra]

I hate to disagree with Ralph, but 'Walmart' should not be in parenthesis after the title but in the edition field.

[Ralph Gallagher]

Sandra wrote: "I hate to disagree with Ralph, but 'Walmart' should not be in parenthesis after the title but in the edition field."

I didn't write this. I copy and pasted it from the book's description. I assume it was decided by other librarians at some point.

[Lobstergirl]

Ugh, how absolutely heinous of Walmart. Who would've guessed Walmart could do something so heinous...

[willaful]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Ugh, how absolutely heinous of Walmart. Who would've guessed Walmart could do something so heinous..."

Heheh.