# viaLibri Books Scraper (`parseforge/vialibri-scraper`) Actor

Scrape rare and second-hand book listings from ViaLibri, the world's largest search engine for old, rare & antiquarian books from 190+ international dealers.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/vialibri-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce, Developer tools, Automation
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 12 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 2 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $11.99 / 1,000 result items

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### viaLibri Books Scraper

**Scrape book listings from viaLibri by publication year or year range, up to a million per run.** Every listing comes with title, author, price, seller, and condition. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

viaLibri aggregates used, rare, and out-of-print books from hundreds of independent sellers worldwide, but browsing by publication year or year range is manual and slow. This scraper reads the public listings directly, filtered by a single year or a range, and returns each match in one fixed schema.

| Who uses it | What they scrape viaLibri for |
|---|---|
| Book collectors | Find rare editions published in a specific year. |
| Librarians | Locate out-of-print titles from a particular decade. |
| Antiquarian booksellers | Monitor competitor listings for books from a given period. |
| Researchers | Gather bibliographic data on publications from a historical year. |

### What it does

This Actor collects book listings from viaLibri by publication year or year range, and returns each one as a flat row.

- 📅 **Single year search:** Enter one publication year (1455-2024) to collect all listings from that year.
- 📅 **Year range search:** Enter a start and end year to collect listings across a span of years.
- 📊 **Scalable output:** Set a maximum item count up to 1,000,000 to control run size.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with viaLibri data

**📚 Find rare first editions.**

A collector runs the scraper for a specific year (e.g., 1925) to discover first editions of classic novels listed on viaLibri.

**📖 Build a bibliography.**

A researcher uses the year range filter (e.g., 1800-1850) to compile a dataset of all books published during a literary period.

**🛒 Monitor market prices.**

An antiquarian bookseller runs the scraper weekly for a target year to track price changes and new listings from competitors.

**📊 Analyze publication trends.**

A data analyst collects listings from multiple decades to study the distribution of book prices and conditions over time.

### Why choose this scraper

|  | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No login needed** | Access viaLibri listings without creating an account or API key. |
| **Year-based filtering** | Target books from a specific year or range, not the entire catalog. |
| **Flat row output** | Every listing is a clean row with title, author, price, seller, and condition. |
| **Export flexibility** | Download results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML. |

### How it compares

No other Store actor targets viaLibri the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

| | viaLibri Books Scraper | Build it in-house | By hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run it now, zero config | Days of engineering | None, but hours per pull |
| When viaLibri changes | Maintained for you | You fix it | You re-learn the page |
| Proxies, retries, anti-bot | Built in | Your problem | Browser only |
| Output | Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export | Whatever you build | Copy-paste |
| Cost | Pay per result | Engineering time | Analyst hours |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from a single publication year or a year range, and the scraper reads only listings matching that filter so your dataset is focused. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "year": 1800
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 200,
  "year": 1800
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.01599 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $1.60 |
| 1,000 results | $15.99 |
| 10,000 results | $159.90 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [viaLibri Books Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/vialibri-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to viaLibri through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/vialibri-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results?**

Check that the year or year range you entered is between 1455 and 2024. Also ensure you are not using both a single year and a range at the same time.

**The run is taking too long.**

Reduce the maximum items setting. The scraper reads listings sequentially, so a high limit can take time if many listings match your year filter.

**The output fields are different from what I expected.**

The exact fields depend on the listing data available on viaLibli. Run a small test with maxItems=5 to see the schema before a large run.

**Can I scrape all books without a year filter?**

No, the scraper requires either a single year or a year range. To get a broad sample, use a wide range like 1455-2024.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What data does this scraper return? | It returns book listings from viaLibri including title, author, price, seller, condition, and publication year. The exact fields are shown in the sample output after a run. |
| Can I search by both a single year and a range? | No, you must use either a single year or a year range, not both. The input schema enforces this. |
| What years are supported? | You can search for books published between 1455 and 2024. |
| Do I need an account or API key? | No, the scraper reads public viaLibri listings directly without any authentication. |
| How many books can I collect per run? | You can set a maximum of up to 1,000,000 books per run. The default is 10. |
| What export formats are available? | You can export the results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML. |
| Is the data updated in real time? | The scraper fetches the current listings at the time of the run. It does not cache or store historical data. |
| Can I filter by seller or price? | No, the current version only filters by publication year or year range. All other filtering must be done after export. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by viaLibri. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

How many books to collect per run.

## `year` (type: `integer`):

Collect books from a specific publication year (1455-2024). Use this OR year range, not both.

## `yearFrom` (type: `integer`):

Start year for a range search. Must be used together with 'Year To'.

## `yearTo` (type: `integer`):

End year for a range search. Must be used together with 'Year From'.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "year": 1800
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Dataset with scraped book listings

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxItems": 10,
    "year": 1800
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/vialibri-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "maxItems": 10,
    "year": 1800,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/vialibri-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "year": 1800
}' |
apify call parseforge/vialibri-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/vialibri-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/IdVnNweTfusp5uZ28/builds/a6T7uRTav3TyDiIx1/openapi.json