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The Curious Bag
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With the large amount of literature in the world, it is very important to keep track of each author's work. In the early 1970s, the International Standards Organization created a system to uniquely identify each book. This system is known as the International Standard Book Number, or ISBN.
Definition
An ISBN is a 10- or 13-digit number that uniquely identifies a book around the world.
Purpose
An ISBN identifies a book by title, author and publisher. This streamlines marketing at all levels.
Format
The 10-digit ISBN consists of 10 digits that are preceded by the letters ISBN. The numbers are divided into four parts of various length, each separated by hyphens. The 13-digit ISBN is the same, except the digits "978" are added at the beginning, separated by a dash.
Meaning
In a 10-digit ISBN, the four sections of number (in order) represent the geographic location of the publisher, the publisher, the title of the work and the check digit. The check digit is a single digit that validates the ISBN. In a 13-digit ISBN, the number "978" is added to the beginning, separated by a hyphen.
Who Assigns ISBNs?
There are 160 ISBN agencies that are qualified to distribute ISBNs to publishers. Each agency controls ISBNs within a geographic region.
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