Record the edition
Note title, author, publisher and edition details before searching. Different editions can use different artwork, and a reprint date may not describe when the source photograph was made.
Follow the credit
- Search the complete cover for an edition match.
- Check the copyright or credit page when available.
- Search an image-only crop if attribution is missing.
- Compare the creator or library listing with the cover.
A designer may combine a licensed photograph, typography and other elements. Finding the photograph does not make its photographer the designer of the whole cover.
Keep reuse rights separate
A book-cover preview online is not a licence to reuse the artwork. If you need permission, identify the relevant rights holder for your intended use. Preserve the distinction between the cover composition, source image and edition rather than assigning all three to the first matching name.
If you have a picture and want the book
Sometimes the question runs the other way: you have an image, perhaps a screenshot from social media, and want to know which book it came from. Search the whole image first, because cover matches on bookshop and library listings usually show the title and author next to the picture. If the image has text on it, search the visible words as a phrase as well; titles and series names are often easier to find as text than as images.
If the picture is an illustration from inside a book rather than the cover, try a copy-oriented engine such as TinEye, which finds crops and resized versions. Then confirm the edition on a library catalogue or the publisher's page before you cite it.
Continue with finding an original image source.
Written by Facehunch with AI assistance and checked against the cited sources. Our editorial policy.