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AbeBooks’ Boolean search allows you to perform very specific searches. It’s based on a mathematical logic but is actually simple to use. Boolean logic helps you to expand or restrict your search. Boolean has three so-called operators (commands to our search engine) – AND, OR and NOT.
NOT is given the highest precedence in Boolean, followed by AND, and then OR. If you have two Boolean operators in one search, the search will use the order of precedence.
Example 1 – Exclude ex-library copies using the NOT operator.
Enter a positive term(s) into the keyword field, followed by the NOT operator(s) and term(s): J.R.R Tolkien, The Hobbit NOT ex-library NOT ex-libris
Example 2 – Exclude a certain publisher using the NOT operator.
Enter a positive term into publisher field, followed by the NOT operator and term: Bloomsbury NOT Scholastic
Example 3 – Find two books with one search using the OR operator.
Complete the author field (eg Ian McEwan) and then complete the title field, separating each term with the OR operator: Atonement OR Amsterdam. Two separate searches will occur but your results will combine both sets of results.
Example 4 – Expand a search with multiple OR operators.
You want books about war. Enter into keyword field: war OR military OR battle OR warfare OR combat
Notes: