diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/library/views.py b/src/calibre/gui2/library/views.py
index cb32358d3b..59d3b89770 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/library/views.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/library/views.py
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ class BooksView(QTableView): # {{{
         self.last_modified_delegate = DateDelegate(self,
                 tweak_name='gui_last_modified_display_format')
         self.languages_delegate = LanguagesDelegate(self)
-        self.tags_delegate = CompleteDelegate(self, ',', 'all_tags')
+        self.tags_delegate = CompleteDelegate(self, ',', 'all_tag_names')
         self.authors_delegate = CompleteDelegate(self, '&', 'all_author_names', True)
         self.cc_names_delegate = CompleteDelegate(self, '&', 'all_custom', True)
         self.series_delegate = TextDelegate(self)
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/metadata/basic_widgets.py b/src/calibre/gui2/metadata/basic_widgets.py
index d2a983415f..0d9f4e6aa8 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/metadata/basic_widgets.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/metadata/basic_widgets.py
@@ -1114,7 +1114,7 @@ class TagsEdit(MultiCompleteLineEdit): # {{{
         tags = db.tags(id_, index_is_id=True)
         tags = tags.split(',') if tags else []
         self.current_val = tags
-        self.all_items = db.all_tags()
+        self.all_items = db.all_tag_names()
         self.original_val = self.current_val
 
     @property
diff --git a/src/calibre/library/database2.py b/src/calibre/library/database2.py
index e60350b307..905eb84fa4 100644
--- a/src/calibre/library/database2.py
+++ b/src/calibre/library/database2.py
@@ -3737,4 +3737,42 @@ books_series_link      feeds
             'SELECT {0}, count(*) FROM books_{1}_link GROUP BY {0}'.format(
                 fm['link_column'], fm['table']))
 
+    def all_author_names(self):
+        ai = self.FIELD_MAP['authors']
+        ans = set()
+        for rec in self.data.iterall():
+            auts = rec[ai]
+            if auts:
+                for x in auts.split(','):
+                    ans.add(x.replace('|', ','))
+        return ans
+
+    def all_tag_names(self):
+        ai = self.FIELD_MAP['tags']
+        ans = set()
+        for rec in self.data.iterall():
+            auts = rec[ai]
+            if auts:
+                for x in auts.split(','):
+                    ans.add(x)
+        return ans
+
+    def all_publisher_names(self):
+        ai = self.FIELD_MAP['publisher']
+        ans = set()
+        for rec in self.data.iterall():
+            auts = rec[ai]
+            if auts:
+                ans.add(auts)
+        return ans
+
+    def all_series_names(self):
+        ai = self.FIELD_MAP['series']
+        ans = set()
+        for rec in self.data.iterall():
+            auts = rec[ai]
+            if auts:
+                ans.add(auts)
+        return ans
+