Is there a similar site to IMDb, just for books?

It depends upon what you are looking for. I use Goodreads. A friend who is a librarian recommended it. Just like any website, once you get used to how to use it, it can provide insightful information.

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code created in 1965.

When I searched Google for ISBN it came up with several sites… check them out and see which you like best.

Try:
http://books.google.com/
http://www.ibookdb.net/
http://www.iblist.com/

oh and amazon

If you want a site that gives you things like IMDB would provide, only for books – off the top of my head that would include things like character lists, plot summaries, release dates, reviews, etc., etc. – the short answer is no. I think it would be too difficult to assemble all (or even part) of that information for every title published.

I think the closest thing we have available is Wikipedia, and there you will only find entries for books with a great enough reputation (whether good or bad, influential in some way, or just popular) to be included. So, for example, here’s a page for The Great Gatsby.

The other sources listed here are at least equally incomplete, and don’t forget to take anything on Amazon with a grain of salt – often, they attach reviews or other information that pertains to different editions than the one you’ve looked up, even when using that trusty ISBN.

I don’t care for Goodreads at all, but LibraryThing offers an alternative that works for many readers. Information is supplied by its users, so some books are fully described, with synopses, themes, character lists, and much more, and others are still waiting to be filled in.

just out of interest @Jeruba can you tell me why you don’t like Goodreads? just intrigued…

Curiously enough, @nebule, I answered that question here just a few days ago.

ah ok xx

Goodreads.com
Scribd.com