Date written (or originally published) metadata download?

hamers · 10-23-2018, 08:43 AM

Hi all,

Adding some books to Calibre and every time I download metadata, it downloads the date "published" as whenever it was added to e-book. I don't care about that - I want to know when the author wrote (and/or originally published) the book. I have pored over this forum and the tweaks menu inside Calibre and cannot for the mind of me figure it out. Is there something I'm overlooking?

TLDR get rid of useless Published field, bring on Written On/Originally Published field.

Thank you!

davidfor · 10-23-2018, 08:54 AM

Until recently, calibre did try and get the original published date. But, the source it was using is no longer available. But, if Goodreads has it, then the Goodread metadata source plugin will get it. The publisher will always be the publisher of the edition selected.

Terisa de morgan · 10-23-2018, 08:55 AM

Yes, davidfor, in some case that data is in the record, what I don't know is if you can get it inside the review.

hamers · 10-23-2018, 08:59 AM

If "published by" will always be the current published, is there *another* field that will get the original date?

I can't for the life of me figure out a situation where the fact an e-book was published by a big pub house in 2016 could be at all more important than that an author wrote it in 1946 in response to WW2.

Terisa de morgan · 10-23-2018, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamers

If "published by" will always be the current published, is there *another* field that will get the original date?

I can't for the life of me figure out a situation where the fact an e-book was published by a big pub house in 2016 could be at all more important than that an author wrote it in 1946 in response to WW2.

More important: I don't know, more accurate for sure, depending on the edition. I fact, published by doesn't have any relationship with date but company.

When you look at a record in goodreads you have:

Data for the current edition (usually filled)
Data for the original work (not always filled)

Apache · 10-23-2018, 04:20 PM

Fantastic Fiction has the original date listed next to each book on the Author's main page. If you go to the book's page the dates listed are for the books currently on sale at Amazon.
Apache

davidfor · 10-23-2018, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamers

If "published by" will always be the current published, is there *another* field that will get the original date?

I can't for the life of me figure out a situation where the fact an e-book was published by a big pub house in 2016 could be at all more important than that an author wrote it in 1946 in response to WW2.

No, for the Goodreads source plugin, the "published by" is the publisher of the edition selected. That might be the latest edition or it might not. And there can be multiple editions available from multiple publishers at any point in time (different publishers for different countries, or hardcover vs paperback vs ebook). So, if you are recording details of the books you own, then the publisher of the edition you own is probably more important than knowing who published the first edition. I think this is the much more common use case.

If you want the publisher of the first edition, then select that as the edition to get the details from. There are several ways to do this.

compurandom · 10-24-2018, 09:05 AM

The original published date is available in wikipedia on a few books I just checked.
It shows up in the wikidata as "publication date" along with a bunch of other juicy metadata.

So, what we need is a metadata plugin for wikipedia.

compurandom · 11-01-2018, 10:25 PM

I've got a snippet of python code that does a semi-competent wikidata query that includes some metadata including publication date.

Now to figure out how to turn that into a calibre plugin... and later add more metadata....

kovidgoyal · 11-02-2018, 01:59 AM

the problem with wikipedia is reliaby identifying the page for a book.

Thasaidon · 11-02-2018, 06:52 AM

For SF (N.B. not SCi Fi I am an old trufan) and Fantasy would it be possible to have a metadata plugin for the International Science Fiction Database website?

I do not use it to get the original publication dates but it has this information for most of its titles. It also has a lot of useful information about SF &F titles often including multiple covers scans.

peaceridge · 11-02-2018, 07:35 AM

I could not find the website - I could only find "The Internet Speculative Fiction Database" - is that the one you mean? If not, would you direct me? Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thasaidon

For SF (N.B. not SCi Fi I am an old trufan) and Fantasy would it be possible to have a metadata plugin for the International Science Fiction Database website?

I do not use it to get the original publication dates but it has this information for most of its titles. It also has a lot of useful information about SF &F titles often including multiple covers scans.

compurandom · 11-02-2018, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

the problem with wikipedia is reliaby identifying the page for a book.

Yup. But I'm not using wikipedia, I'm using wikidata, which makes this much easier.

In my admittedly extremely small sample of test titles, I've gotten either nothing or exactly one book.

This weekend I'll see if I can turn the sample python code to do the query into a plugin. After this weekend, I'll post whatever I have.

hamers · 11-02-2018, 08:31 AM

Interesting developments! I will say that the GoodReads plugin - I've tried it on a book or two - does get closer, though not perfect, to my original ask.

To drive the point home by comparison, when I want to know a movie is part of say the French New Wave, IMDB (for all its issues) makes it easy because even though Criterion re-released the movie on Bluray in 2010, after a different production company remastered it in 1995 for DVDs, I can still see that the movie is "from" 1960.

Thanks all for your insights.

Thasaidon · 11-02-2018, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peaceridge

I could not find the website - I could only find "The Internet Speculative Fiction Database" - is that the one you mean? If not, would you direct me? Thanks.

My Apologies. You are quite right it is the "The Internet Speculative Fiction Database" .

As its' initials are all you usually see (ISFDB) I always think of it as the International Science Fiction Database.

Grump on [useless neofans who have not even read any of the SF classics changing the name of SF (Science Fiction) to SciFi to Speculative Fiction and barely a trufan among them and I doubt any really understand the old trufan saying "it is a proud and lonely thing to be a fan" grump grump] grump off.

10-23-2018, 08:43 AM	#1
hamers Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2018 Device: Kobo Aura (6", 4GB)	Date written (or originally published) metadata download? Hi all, Adding some books to Calibre and every time I download metadata, it downloads the date "published" as whenever it was added to e-book. I don't care about that - I want to know when the author wrote (and/or originally published) the book. I have pored over this forum and the tweaks menu inside Calibre and cannot for the mind of me figure it out. Is there something I'm overlooking? TLDR get rid of useless Published field, bring on Written On/Originally Published field. Thank you!

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10-23-2018, 08:54 AM	#2
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,907 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	Until recently, calibre did try and get the original published date. But, the source it was using is no longer available. But, if Goodreads has it, then the Goodread metadata source plugin will get it. The publisher will always be the publisher of the edition selected.

10-23-2018, 08:55 AM	#3
Terisa de morgan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,227 Karma: 11768331 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Device: Kobo Clara/Aura One/Forma,XiaoMI 5, iPad, Huawei MediaPad, YotaPhone 2	Yes, davidfor, in some case that data is in the record, what I don't know is if you can get it inside the review.

10-23-2018, 08:59 AM	#4
hamers Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2018 Device: Kobo Aura (6", 4GB)	If "published by" will always be the current published, is there another field that will get the original date? I can't for the life of me figure out a situation where the fact an e-book was published by a big pub house in 2016 could be at all more important than that an author wrote it in 1946 in response to WW2.

10-23-2018, 04:20 PM	#6
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,132 Karma: 89858112 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	Fantastic Fiction has the original date listed next to each book on the Author's main page. If you go to the book's page the dates listed are for the books currently on sale at Amazon. Apache

10-24-2018, 09:05 AM	#8
compurandom Guru Posts: 918 Karma: 417282 Join Date: Jun 2015 Device: kobo aura h2o, kobo forma	The original published date is available in wikipedia on a few books I just checked. It shows up in the wikidata as "publication date" along with a bunch of other juicy metadata. So, what we need is a metadata plugin for wikipedia.

11-01-2018, 10:25 PM	#9
compurandom Guru Posts: 918 Karma: 417282 Join Date: Jun 2015 Device: kobo aura h2o, kobo forma	I've got a snippet of python code that does a semi-competent wikidata query that includes some metadata including publication date. Now to figure out how to turn that into a calibre plugin... and later add more metadata....

11-02-2018, 01:59 AM	#10
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,842 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	the problem with wikipedia is reliaby identifying the page for a book.

11-02-2018, 06:52 AM	#11
Thasaidon Hedge Wizard Posts: 800 Karma: 19999999 Join Date: May 2011 Location: UK/Philippines Device: Kobo Touch, Nook Simple	For SF (N.B. not SCi Fi I am an old trufan) and Fantasy would it be possible to have a metadata plugin for the International Science Fiction Database website? I do not use it to get the original publication dates but it has this information for most of its titles. It also has a lot of useful information about SF &F titles often including multiple covers scans.

11-02-2018, 08:31 AM	#14
hamers Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2018 Device: Kobo Aura (6", 4GB)	Interesting developments! I will say that the GoodReads plugin - I've tried it on a book or two - does get closer, though not perfect, to my original ask. To drive the point home by comparison, when I want to know a movie is part of say the French New Wave, IMDB (for all its issues) makes it easy because even though Criterion re-released the movie on Bluray in 2010, after a different production company remastered it in 1995 for DVDs, I can still see that the movie is "from" 1960. Thanks all for your insights.

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