The world's leading search engine Google has added yet another feature to its already long list -- the ability to allow users to search complete text of books. It also offers assistance to the publishers selling the books.

The feature, Google Print, works no differently than conducting normal searches on Google or any other search engine for that matter.

The Simple Search Process

1. The user enters the search terms
2. The engine produces links to books containing the related information
3. The user then has the choice of reading the selected text for its relevancy

Because the users are unable to print the pages, Google Print offers links to online booksellers from whom they may buy the book. There are also direct links to the book's publisher. The engine is still a beta version, and a number of kinks are still being worked out.

One of the areas of improvement center on the limited number of books in the engine's book catalog. The founder's solution to this is encouraging other publishers to sign up to the service.

Currently their publishers include Penguin, Wiley, Hyperion, Pearson, Taylor & Francis, Cambridge, Chicago, Oxford, Princeton and Scholastic.

Forbes October 7, 2004

Digital Media Europe October 7, 2004