[Shop-talk] part compatibility book (?)

[Tim]

I am sure this item is available online somewhere, but I don't have a clue what it might be called............

When I needed to get a bumper and new boot lid for my kid's car, the guy at the boneyard pulled out this huge, maybe 10 inches thick, book to look up if the bumper on a diff year but same model car, would work on my kid's car. 

Is this resource available, online, to the average, learning as I go, but still clueless, gearhead in training?

Thanks

Tim
Clueless but always learning