diff --git a/src/calibre/db/cache.py b/src/calibre/db/cache.py
index a6647d5027..e6044ce6de 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/cache.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/cache.py
@@ -1117,10 +1117,17 @@ class Cache(object):
         return book_id
 
     @write_api
-    def add_books(self, books, add_duplicates=True):
+    def add_books(self, books, add_duplicates=True, apply_import_tags=True, preserve_uuid=False, dbapi=None):
         duplicates, ids = [], []
         for mi, format_map in books:
-            pass
+            book_id = self._create_book_entry(mi, add_duplicates=add_duplicates, apply_import_tags=apply_import_tags, preserve_uuid=preserve_uuid)
+            if book_id is None:
+                duplicates.append((mi, format_map))
+            else:
+                ids.append(book_id)
+                for fmt, stream_or_path in format_map.iteritems():
+                    self._add_format(book_id, fmt, stream_or_path, dbapi=dbapi)
+        return ids, duplicates
 
     # }}}
 
diff --git a/src/calibre/db/tests/add_remove.py b/src/calibre/db/tests/add_remove.py
index c5845f01da..5744d63635 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/tests/add_remove.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/tests/add_remove.py
@@ -188,3 +188,19 @@ class AddRemoveTest(BaseTest):
         self.assertEqual(mi.uuid, cache.field_for('uuid', book_id))
     # }}}
 
+    def test_add_books(self):  # {{{
+        'Test the adding of new books'
+        from calibre.ebooks.metadata.book.base import Metadata
+        cache = self.init_cache()
+        mi = Metadata('Created One', authors=('Creator One', 'Creator Two'))
+        FMT1, FMT2 = b'format1', b'format2'
+        format_map = {'FMT1':BytesIO(FMT1), 'FMT2':BytesIO(FMT2)}
+        ids, duplicates = cache.add_books([(mi, format_map)])
+        self.assertTrue(len(ids) == 1)
+        self.assertFalse(duplicates)
+        book_id = ids[0]
+        self.assertEqual(set(cache.formats(book_id)), {'FMT1', 'FMT2'})
+        self.assertEqual(cache.format(book_id, 'FMT1'), FMT1)
+        self.assertEqual(cache.format(book_id, 'FMT2'), FMT2)
+    # }}}
+