CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html>    <html lang="en-US" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#">  <head> <meta charset="UTF-8" />  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=1">   <link rel="shortcut icon" href="">  <title>The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number - ISBNDB Blog</title> <meta name="description" content="Voracious readers know that every book has one thing in common. No matter what genre, length, publisher, or art that adorns its cover, every book has an ISBN."/> <meta name="robots" content="follow, index, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1, max-image-preview:large"/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:title" content="The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number - ISBNDB Blog" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Voracious readers know that every book has one thing in common. No matter what genre, length, publisher, or art that adorns its cover, every book has an ISBN." /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="ISBNDB Blog" /> <meta property="article:tag" content="ISBN" /> <meta property="article:tag" content="ISBN10" /> <meta property="article:tag" content="ISBN13" /> <meta property="article:section" content="Book Publishing Industry" /> <meta property="og:updated_time" content="2024-10-18T02:55:32-05:00" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn.png" /> <meta property="og:image:secure_url" content="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn.png" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1200" /> <meta property="og:image:height" content="628" /> <meta property="og:image:alt" content="history of isbn" /> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/png" /> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2023-05-03T09:15:12-05:00" /> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2024-10-18T02:55:32-05:00" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number - ISBNDB Blog" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Voracious readers know that every book has one thing in common. No matter what genre, length, publisher, or art that adorns its cover, every book has an ISBN." /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn.png" /> <script type="application/ld+json" class="rank-math-schema">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Organization","Person"],"@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/#person","name":"ISBNDB Blog","url":"https://isbndb.com/blog"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/#website","url":"https://isbndb.com/blog","name":"ISBNDB Blog","alternateName":"ISBNDB Blog","publisher":{"@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/#person"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn.png","url":"https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn.png","width":"1200","height":"628","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/#webpage","url":"https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/","name":"The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number - ISBNDB Blog","datePublished":"2023-05-03T09:15:12-05:00","dateModified":"2024-10-18T02:55:32-05:00","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn.png"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/author/val-giordano/","name":"Val Giordano","url":"https://isbndb.com/blog/author/val-giordano/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/187b1310eec1497143293a346dfa9c45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/187b1310eec1497143293a346dfa9c45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Val Giordano","inLanguage":"en-US"}},{"@type":"BlogPosting","headline":"The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number - ISBNDB Blog","keywords":"history of isbn,ISBN","datePublished":"2023-05-03T09:15:12-05:00","dateModified":"2024-10-18T02:55:32-05:00","articleSection":"Book Publishing Industry","author":{"@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/author/val-giordano/","name":"Val Giordano"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/#person"},"description":"Voracious readers know that every book has one thing in common. No matter what genre, length, publisher, or art that adorns its cover, every book has an ISBN.","name":"The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number - ISBNDB Blog","@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/#richSnippet","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/#webpage"},"image":{"@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn.png"},"inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/#webpage"}}]}</script>  <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//fonts.googleapis.com' /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="ISBNDB Blog » Feed" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/feed/" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="ISBNDB Blog » Comments Feed" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/comments/feed/" /> <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/isbndb.com/blog\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.6.1"}}; /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(i,n){var o,s,e;function c(e){try{var t={supportTests:e,timestamp:(new Date).valueOf()};sessionStorage.setItem(o,JSON.stringify(t))}catch(e){}}function p(e,t,n){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);var t=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data),r=(e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(n,0,0),new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data));return t.every(function(e,t){return e===r[t]})}function u(e,t,n){switch(t){case"flag":return n(e,"\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f","\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200b\u26a7\ufe0f")?!1:!n(e,"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3","\ud83c\uddfa\u200b\ud83c\uddf3")&&!n(e,"\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f","\ud83c\udff4\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc62\u200b\udb40\udc65\u200b\udb40\udc6e\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc7f");case"emoji":return!n(e,"\ud83d\udc26\u200d\u2b1b","\ud83d\udc26\u200b\u2b1b")}return!1}function f(e,t,n){var r="undefined"!=typeof WorkerGlobalScope&&self instanceof WorkerGlobalScope?new OffscreenCanvas(300,150):i.createElement("canvas"),a=r.getContext("2d",{willReadFrequently:!0}),o=(a.textBaseline="top",a.font="600 32px Arial",{});return e.forEach(function(e){o[e]=t(a,e,n)}),o}function t(e){var t=i.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=!0,i.head.appendChild(t)}"undefined"!=typeof Promise&&(o="wpEmojiSettingsSupports",s=["flag","emoji"],n.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},e=new Promise(function(e){i.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",e,{once:!0})}),new Promise(function(t){var n=function(){try{var e=JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(o));if("object"==typeof e&&"number"==typeof e.timestamp&&(new Date).valueOf()<e.timestamp+604800&&"object"==typeof e.supportTests)return e.supportTests}catch(e){}return null}();if(!n){if("undefined"!=typeof Worker&&"undefined"!=typeof OffscreenCanvas&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&URL.createObjectURL&&"undefined"!=typeof Blob)try{var e="postMessage("+f.toString()+"("+[JSON.stringify(s),u.toString(),p.toString()].join(",")+"));",r=new Blob([e],{type:"text/javascript"}),a=new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(r),{name:"wpTestEmojiSupports"});return void(a.onmessage=function(e){c(n=e.data),a.terminate(),t(n)})}catch(e){}c(n=f(s,u,p))}t(n)}).then(function(e){for(var t in e)n.supports[t]=e[t],n.supports.everything=n.supports.everything&&n.supports[t],"flag"!==t&&(n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&n.supports[t]);n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!n.supports.flag,n.DOMReady=!1,n.readyCallback=function(){n.DOMReady=!0}}).then(function(){return e}).then(function(){var e;n.supports.everything||(n.readyCallback(),(e=n.source||{}).concatemoji?t(e.concatemoji):e.wpemoji&&e.twemoji&&(t(e.twemoji),t(e.wpemoji)))}))}((window,document),window._wpemojiSettings); /* ]]> */ </script> <style id='wp-emoji-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> img.wp-smiley, img.emoji { display: inline !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; width: 1em !important; margin: 0 0.07em !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; background: none !important; padding: 0 !important; } </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='jpibfi-style-css' href='https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/jquery-pin-it-button-for-images/css/client.css?ver=3.0.6' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='social-widget-css' href='https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-media-widget/social_widget.css?ver=6.6.1' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='style-css' href='https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/themes/tulip-child-01/style.css?ver=1707128399' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='fl-fonts-css' href='https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Playfair+Display%3A400%2C400italic%2C700%2C700italic%7CLora%3A400%2C400italic%2C700%2C700italic&subset=latin%2Clatin-ext&ver=1.0.0' type='text/css' media='all' /> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery.min.js?ver=3.7.1" id="jquery-core-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery-migrate.min.js?ver=3.4.1" id="jquery-migrate-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/themes/tulip/js/owl.carousel.min.js?ver=6.6.1" id="owl.carousel-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/themes/tulip/js/fitvids.js?ver=6.6.1" id="fitvids-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/themes/tulip/js/custom.js?ver=1681734759" id="custom-js-js"></script> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-json/" /><link rel="alternate" title="JSON" type="application/json" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/106" /><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/xmlrpc.php?rsd" /> <link rel='shortlink' href='https://isbndb.com/blog/?p=106' /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (JSON)" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fisbndb.com/blog%2Fisbn-number%2F" /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (XML)" type="text/xml+oembed" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fisbndb.com/blog%2Fisbn-number%2F&format=xml" /> <style type="text/css"> a.pinit-button.custom span { } .pinit-hover { opacity: 0.8 !important; filter: alpha(opacity=80) !important; } a.pinit-button { border-bottom: 0 !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin-bottom: 0 !important; } a.pinit-button::after { display: none; }</style> <script type='text/javascript' data-cfasync='false'>var _mmunch = {'front': false, 'page': false, 'post': false, 'category': false, 'author': false, 'search': false, 'attachment': false, 'tag': false};_mmunch['post'] = true; _mmunch['postData'] = {"ID":106,"post_name":"isbn-number","post_title":"The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number","post_type":"post","post_author":"5","post_status":"publish"}; _mmunch['postCategories'] = [{"term_id":1,"name":"Book Publishing Industry","slug":"book-publishing-industry","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":20,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":1,"category_count":20,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Book Publishing Industry","category_nicename":"book-publishing-industry","category_parent":0}]; _mmunch['postTags'] = [{"term_id":16,"name":"ISBN","slug":"isbn","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":16,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":11,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":21,"name":"ISBN10","slug":"isbn10","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":21,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":22,"name":"ISBN13","slug":"isbn13","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":22,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"}]; _mmunch['postAuthor'] = {"name":"Val Giordano","ID":5};</script><script data-cfasync="false" src="//a.mailmunch.co/app/v1/site.js" id="mailmunch-script" data-plugin="mailmunch" data-mailmunch-site-id="1034018" async></script> <style type="text/css"> body { background-image: url(); background-color: ; color: ; font-family: ; } h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,.navigation { font-family: ; } a { color: ; } a:hover, header a:hover, .post-header .category a, .read-more a:hover, .pagination .page-numbers:hover, .pagination .current, input[type="submit"]:hover, #footer-bottom .social-icons ul li a:hover, .format { color: ; } .stickyposts .sticky-content .sticky-cell .read-more a { border-top-color: ; } .blog-container { background-color: ; } header, header a { color: ; } header { border-bottom-color: ; } .navigation .menu li .sub-menu { background-color: ; } .navigation .menu li .sub-menu li a { color: ; } .post-header .title a, .stickyposts, .stickyposts a, h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { color: ; } ::selection { color: ; background-color: ; } ::-moz-selection { color: ; background-color: ; } .meta, .meta a, #commentform small, .box span { color: ; } article, .block-head { border-bottom-color: ; } .thecontent .read-more a, .pagination .page-numbers, input[type="submit"] { background-color: ; color: ; } .widget-title { color: ; } .widget, .box, .related h5, #dynamic-sidebar { background-color: ; } #footer-bottom { background-color: ; } #footer-bottom .social-icons ul li a { color: ; } #copyright, #copyright a { color: ; } @media only screen and (max-width: 960px) { .navigation { background-color: ; color: ; } .navigation .menu li a { color: ; } } </style> <link rel="icon" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cropped-Logo-ISBNdb-300-x-300-1-32x32.png" sizes="32x32" /> <link rel="icon" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cropped-Logo-ISBNdb-300-x-300-1-192x192.png" sizes="192x192" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cropped-Logo-ISBNdb-300-x-300-1-180x180.png" /> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cropped-Logo-ISBNdb-300-x-300-1-270x270.png" /> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com" crossorigin> <link rel="preload" as="style" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Roboto:300,400,500,700|Inter:300,400,500,700" onload="this.onload=null; this.rel='stylesheet'"/> </head> <body class="post-template-default single single-post postid-106 single-format-standard"> <div id="fb-root"></div> <script async defer crossorigin="anonymous" src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v12.0" nonce="dirDgivH"></script> <div class="blog-container clearfix">  <header> <div class="container clearfix"> <div id="top-bar"> <div class="social-icons"> <ul> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="menu-bar clearfix"> <div class="header-table container clearfix"> <div id="logo"> <a href='https://isbndb.com' title='ISBNDB Blog' rel='home'><img src='https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Group-54466.png' alt='ISBNDB Blog'></a> </div> <div class="nav-right"> <div id="mobile-menu-icon"> <i class="fa fa-navicon fa-lg"></i> </div> <div class="navigation"> <div class="menu"> <div class="menu-menu-bar-container"><ul id="menu-menu-bar" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-12" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-12"><a href="https://isbndb.com/isbn-database">ISBN Database</a></li> <li id="menu-item-13" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-13"><a href="https://isbndb.com/apidocs/v2">Documentation</a></li> <li id="menu-item-14" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-14"><a href="https://isbndb.com/blog">Blog</a></li> <li id="menu-item-15" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-15"><a href="https://isbndb.com/news">News</a></li> <li id="menu-item-16" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-16"><a href="https://isbndb.com/contact">Contact</a></li> <li id="menu-item-17" class="menu-item-login menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-17"><a href="https://isbndb.com/user/login">Log in</a></li> <li id="menu-item-18" class="menu-item-register menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-18"><a href="https://isbndb.com/user/register">Register</a></li> </ul></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <div class="header-search-wrapper"> <h1 class="header-search-title">The World’s largest book database™ & API</h1> <div id="search" class="isbn-lookup container clearfix"> <div class="search-container"> <form name="prices" action="https://isbndb.com/search/books?search_param=books" method="get"> <div class="search-box-wrapper"> <input type="text" name="x" id="searchbox" placeholder="Search ISBN or Title" autofocus=""> <div class="search-btn-wrapper"> <button type="submit" id="searchbutton" value="Search"> <i class="icon-search"></i> </button> </div> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div id="content">  <div class="container clearfix"> <div id="blogposts" > <div class="clearfix"> <article id="post-106" class="post-106 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-book-publishing-industry tag-isbn tag-isbn10 tag-isbn13"> <div class="post-header clearfix"> <h1 class="title"><a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/">The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number</a></h1> <span class="meta category"><a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/category/book-publishing-industry/" rel="category tag">Book Publishing Industry</a></span> <span class="meta">By <a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/author/val-giordano/" title="Posts by Val Giordano" rel="author">Val Giordano</a></span> <span class="meta"><i class="fa-regular fa-calendar"></i>May 3, 2023</span> <span class="meta meta-tag">Tags: <a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/tag/isbn/" rel="tag">ISBN</a>, <a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/tag/isbn10/" rel="tag">ISBN10</a>, <a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/tag/isbn13/" rel="tag">ISBN13</a></span> </div> <div class="post-content clearfix"> <div class="thecontent"> <div class='mailmunch-forms-before-post' style='display: none !important;'></div><input class="jpibfi" type="hidden"><div class="mceTemp"></div> <p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-109 size-full" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn.png" alt="" width="1200" height="628" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt="" data-jpibfi-post-url="https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/" data-jpibfi-post-title="The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number" data-jpibfi-src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn.png" srcset="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn.png 1200w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn-300x157.png 300w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn-1024x536.png 1024w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/what-is-isbn-768x402.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>Voracious readers know that every book has one thing in common. No matter what genre, length, publisher, or art that adorns its cover, every book has an ISBN. That is, provided it was printed after 1970.</p> <p>You’ve likely noticed a barcode with a serial number on the back of the book you’re reading. It’s easy to think that this is just for the cashier at your local bookstore to swipe, but it’s so much more than that—it’s an ISBN!<span id="more-106"></span></p> <ol> <li><strong><a href="#1">What is an ISBN?</a></strong></li> <li><strong><a href="#2">The History of the ISBN</a></strong></li> <li><strong><a href="#3">The Evolution of the ISBN</a></strong></li> </ol> <p><a name="1"></a></p> <h2><b>What is an ISBN?</b></h2> <p>An <strong>International Standard Book Number</strong>, or ISBN, is a unique, <strong>10 to 13-digit number</strong>, used to identify a book. The ISBN system is used internationally, making it easy for libraries and bookstores across the world to find and classify books. The ISBN system isn’t used exclusively for books, though, as they have been used for CDs and even sheet music.</p> <p><a href="https://isbndb.com/isbn-database?utm_source=isbndb-blog&utm_medium=book-search-by-title&utm_campaign=first-small-banner" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-667" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/isbn-database-1024x147.png" alt="isbn database" width="1024" height="147" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt="" data-jpibfi-post-url="https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/" data-jpibfi-post-title="The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number" data-jpibfi-src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/isbn-database-1024x147.png" srcset="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/isbn-database-1024x147.png 1024w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/isbn-database-300x43.png 300w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/isbn-database-768x110.png 768w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/isbn-database.png 1480w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p> <p>However, recurring publications, such as magazines, use a different system, the International Standard Serial Number or ISSN.</p> <p>Though every ISBN is unique, the digits are all sorted in the same way, containing five separate categories in this order:</p> <ul> <li aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The first category is the </span><b>Prefix</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which is the first three digits of an ISBN. The prefix will always be either 978 or 979.</span></li> <li aria-level="1"><b>Registration Group</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is the second category, which are the digits following the prefix. The registration group ranges from one to five digits long—depending on the content—and is used to clarify the country of origin and language. </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><b>Registrant </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">section is similarly flexible, as it can range up to seven digits in length. These digits denote the publisher of the book.</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">The fourth category is the </span><b>Publication</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">section, which specifies the edition of the book and can be up to six digits.</span></li> <li aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><b>Check Digit</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is the final digit of an ISBN, a single number that is intended to mathematically validate the previous digits in an ISBN.</span></li> </ul> <div id="attachment_111" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-111" class="wp-image-111 size-full" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISBN-1-1.png" alt="" width="600" height="300" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt="" data-jpibfi-post-url="https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/" data-jpibfi-post-title="The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number" data-jpibfi-src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISBN-1-1.png" srcset="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISBN-1-1.png 600w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISBN-1-1-300x150.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><p id="caption-attachment-111" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://selfpublishingadvice.org/isbns-for-self-published-books/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Image Source</a></p></div> <p>ISBNs are used by libraries, bookstores, and regular readers alike, as they allow you to search any book within the ISBN system. Instead of searching by title alone, an ISBN can help you find specific editions or printings of a book, making it a valuable tool for those who deal with rare books or expensive editions.<br /> <a name="2"></a></p> <h2><b>The History of the ISBN</b></h2> <p>Before the ISBN, books were difficult to classify. Typically, readers would have to find the books they were looking for by title alone, turning to the information page to see if it was the correct edition. Libraries used card catalogs to sort their books, writing information on the cards that denoted whether a book was turned in. This was all done by hand, resulting in a number of fiascos due to user error (read more about <a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/book-identification-in-pre-isbn-era/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">book identification in pre-ISBN era</a>).</p> <p>Fortunately, this changed in 1965.</p> <p>That year, British book retailer W. H. Smith shocked the world when it announced that it would be moving from a written system to a computerized warehouse, slated to be complete in 1967. In the infancy of computer technology, the retailer hired a number of consultants from groups like the British Publishers Association’s Distribution and Methods Committee to devise a standard, mathematical number system to sort and identify all of the books carried by W. H. Smith. In 1966, they created the Standard Book Numbering (SBN) system, a precursor to the ISBN, and were able to implement it in 1967, just as expected.</p><div class='mailmunch-forms-in-post-middle' style='display: none !important;'></div> <p>The world had taken notice of W. H. Smith’s new system, piquing the interest of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISO realized that the British SBN system could be applied internationally, standardizing the way we sort books.</p> <p>In 1968, a meeting was held in London, featuring ISO representatives from all over the world. Many countries that could not send representatives mailed in their own letters of interest, showing that the whole globe saw the benefit in adopting the British SBN system. These representatives spoke at length about the system, proposing changes and new additions over the next two years.</p> <p>In 1970, their ideas were consolidated, and “ISO 2108” was approved by the International Organization for Standardization, marking the official adoption of the ISBN system.</p> <p>The International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) was developed shortly after, which came as a necessity due to the constant changes in serial publications.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-110 size-large" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISBN-1024x536.png" alt="" width="1024" height="536" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt="" data-jpibfi-post-url="https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/" data-jpibfi-post-title="The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number" data-jpibfi-src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISBN-1024x536.png" srcset="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISBN-1024x536.png 1024w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISBN-300x157.png 300w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISBN-768x402.png 768w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISBN.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><br /> <a name="3"></a></p> <h2><b>The Evolution of the ISBN</b></h2> <p>Surprisingly, the ISBN system has not changed much since its inception, a testament to the hard work of the International Organization for Standardization.</p> <p>However, the ISBN has had one major evolution, which happened less than twenty years ago. For nearly forty years, ISBNs contained only ten digits. However, new books and updated editions were published at such a rapid rate that unique ISBN numbers were dwindling. In 2007, the ISBN adopted three new digits, known as the prefix. This allowed new ISBN numbers to be created, using a 978 prefix to ensure that every number is unique.</p> <p>In 2019, the ISBN system ran into this problem yet again, solving the issue the same way it had been done in 2007—by updating the prefix. This is why ISBN prefixes are either <a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-978-and-979-prefixes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">978 or 979</a>, depending on the year of release.</p> <p>It’s likely that the prefix will need to be updated again (if it follows the previous pattern, we’re guessing it will be 980), but this small change is a positive sign for readers. When the ISBN prefix is updated, you know that the world of books is alive and well!</p> <p><a href="https://isbndb.com/isbn-database?utm_source=isbndb-blog&utm_medium=need-book-data-take-advantage&utm_campaign=second-big-banner" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-666" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/need-book-data-1024x383.png" alt="need book data" width="1024" height="383" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt="" data-jpibfi-post-url="https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-number/" data-jpibfi-post-title="The ISBN System: The History and Evolution of ISBN Number" data-jpibfi-src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/need-book-data-1024x383.png" srcset="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/need-book-data-1024x383.png 1024w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/need-book-data-300x112.png 300w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/need-book-data-768x287.png 768w, https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/need-book-data.png 1480w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p> <div class='mailmunch-forms-after-post' style='display: none !important;'></div> </div> </div> </article> </div>  <div id="authorarea" class="clearfix"> <div class="authoravatar"> <img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/187b1310eec1497143293a346dfa9c45?s=100&d=mm&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/187b1310eec1497143293a346dfa9c45?s=200&d=mm&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-100 photo' height='100' width='100' loading='lazy' decoding='async'/> </div> <div class="authorinfo"> <h3><a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/author/val-giordano/" title="Posts by Val Giordano" rel="author">Val Giordano</a></h3> <p>Val is a freelance writer and editor with 10+ years of experience. He's been writing about book data management, publishing, technology, and other subjects.</p> </div> </div>  <div id="relatedposts" class="clearfix"> <h3 class="block-head">You may also like</h3> <div> <div class="related"> <a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/the-big-five-publishers/"><input class="jpibfi" type="hidden"><img width="500" height="380" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Big-Five-Publishing-Houses-1-500x380.png" class="attachment-related-thumb size-related-thumb wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt="" data-jpibfi-post-url="https://isbndb.com/blog/the-big-five-publishers/" data-jpibfi-post-title="The Big Five Publishers: Blocked Merger" data-jpibfi-src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Big-Five-Publishing-Houses-1-500x380.png" ></a> <a class="text" rel="external" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/the-big-five-publishers/"> <h5>The Big Five Publishers: Blocked Merger</h5> </a> </div> <div class="related"> <a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/book-identification-in-pre-isbn-era/"><input class="jpibfi" type="hidden"><img width="500" height="380" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/pre-isbn-books-500x380.png" class="attachment-related-thumb size-related-thumb wp-post-image" alt="pre isbn books" decoding="async" loading="lazy" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt="" data-jpibfi-post-url="https://isbndb.com/blog/book-identification-in-pre-isbn-era/" data-jpibfi-post-title="Book Identification in Pre-ISBN Era" data-jpibfi-src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/pre-isbn-books-500x380.png" ></a> <a class="text" rel="external" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/book-identification-in-pre-isbn-era/"> <h5>Book Identification in Pre-ISBN Era</h5> </a> </div> <div class="related"> <a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-978-and-979-prefixes/"><input class="jpibfi" type="hidden"><img width="500" height="380" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISBN-978-and-979-500x380.png" class="attachment-related-thumb size-related-thumb wp-post-image" alt="ISBN 978 and 979" decoding="async" loading="lazy" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt="" data-jpibfi-post-url="https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-978-and-979-prefixes/" data-jpibfi-post-title="An Overview of ISBN 978 and 979 Prefixes" data-jpibfi-src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISBN-978-and-979-500x380.png" ></a> <a class="text" rel="external" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/isbn-978-and-979-prefixes/"> <h5>An Overview of ISBN 978 and 979 Prefixes</h5> </a> </div> </div></div>  <div id="commentswarpper" class="clearfix"> <div id="comments">  <style type="text/css"> #commentswarpper { display: none; } </style> </div> </div> </div> <aside id="sidebar" class="right"> <div id="block-24" class="widget widget_block"> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> <p>"ISBNdb is the oldest bibliographic database of books founded in 2001. Taking data from hundreds of libraries worldwide ISBNdb is a unique book data project & API you won't find anywhere else."</p> <cite><strong>Book Runch Community</strong></cite></blockquote> </div><div id="mailmunch_widget-6" class="widget widget_mailmunch_widget"><h3 class="widget-title">ISBNdb Quarterly Newsletter</h3><div class='mailmunch-wordpress-widget mailmunch-wordpress-widget-1117458' style='display: none !important;'></div></div><div id="social-widget-3" class="widget Social_Widget"><h3 class="widget-title">Follow Us</h3><div class="socialmedia-buttons smw_left"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ISBNdbcom" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img width="32" height="32" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-media-widget/images/default/32/facebook.png" alt="Follow Us on Facebook" title="Follow Us on Facebook" style="opacity: 0.8; -moz-opacity: 0.8;" class="fade" /></a><a href="https://twitter.com/ISBNdb_com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img width="32" height="32" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-media-widget/images/default/32/twitter.png" alt="Follow Us on Twitter" title="Follow Us on Twitter" style="opacity: 0.8; -moz-opacity: 0.8;" class="fade" /></a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/isbndb/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img width="32" height="32" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-media-widget/images/default/32/linkedin.png" alt="Follow Us on LinkedIn" title="Follow Us on LinkedIn" style="opacity: 0.8; -moz-opacity: 0.8;" class="fade" /></a></div></div><div id="block-7" class="widget widget_block"><h3 class="widget-title">Categories</h3><div class="wp-widget-group__inner-blocks"><ul class="wp-block-categories-list alignleft wp-block-categories"> <li class="cat-item cat-item-5"><a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/category/book-apps/">Book Apps</a> (3) </li> <li class="cat-item cat-item-3"><a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/category/book-data/">Book Data</a> (17) </li> <li class="cat-item cat-item-1"><a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/category/book-publishing-industry/">Book Publishing Industry</a> (20) </li> <li class="cat-item cat-item-40"><a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/category/customer-success-stories/">Customer Success Stories</a> (2) </li> <li class="cat-item cat-item-4"><a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/category/ecommerce/">Ecommerce</a> (2) </li> <li class="cat-item cat-item-6"><a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/category/education-industry/">Education Industry</a> (0) </li> <li class="cat-item cat-item-7"><a href="https://isbndb.com/blog/category/product-news-updates/">Product News & Updates</a> (16) </li> </ul></div></div><div id="fl_latest_posts-3" class="widget fl-latest-posts"> <div > <a class="image" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/christian-book-publishers/"> <input class="jpibfi" type="hidden"><img width="500" height="380" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Top-10-Best-Christian-Book-Publishers-500x380.jpg" class="attachment-related-thumb size-related-thumb wp-post-image" alt="Best Christian Book Publishers" decoding="async" loading="lazy" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt="" data-jpibfi-post-url="https://isbndb.com/blog/christian-book-publishers/" data-jpibfi-post-title="Top 10 Best Christian Book Publishers" data-jpibfi-src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Top-10-Best-Christian-Book-Publishers-500x380.jpg" > </a> <a class="text" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/christian-book-publishers/"> <div> <div> <span>November 19, 2024</span> <h4>Top 10 Best Christian Book Publishers</h4> </div> </div> </a> </div> <div > <a class="image" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/comic-book-publishers/"> <input class="jpibfi" type="hidden"><img width="500" height="380" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Top-10-Independent-Comic-Book-Publishers-500x380.jpg" class="attachment-related-thumb size-related-thumb wp-post-image" alt="Independent Comic Book Publishers" decoding="async" loading="lazy" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt="" data-jpibfi-post-url="https://isbndb.com/blog/comic-book-publishers/" data-jpibfi-post-title="Top 10 Independent Comic Book Publishers in 2025" data-jpibfi-src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Top-10-Independent-Comic-Book-Publishers-500x380.jpg" > </a> <a class="text" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/comic-book-publishers/"> <div> <div> <span>November 19, 2024</span> <h4>Top 10 Independent Comic Book Publishers in 2025</h4> </div> </div> </a> </div> <div > <a class="image" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/horror-genres/"> <input class="jpibfi" type="hidden"><img width="500" height="380" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Top-10-Most-Popular-Horror-Genres-1-500x380.jpg" class="attachment-related-thumb size-related-thumb wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt="" data-jpibfi-post-url="https://isbndb.com/blog/horror-genres/" data-jpibfi-post-title="Top 10 Most Popular Horror Genres" data-jpibfi-src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Top-10-Most-Popular-Horror-Genres-1-500x380.jpg" > </a> <a class="text" href="https://isbndb.com/blog/horror-genres/"> <div> <div> <span>November 13, 2024</span> <h4>Top 10 Most Popular Horror Genres</h4> </div> </div> </a> </div> </div></aside> </div> </div>  <footer> <div id="footer" class="container"> <div class="footer-main"> <div class="footer-main-container"> <div class="footer-menu"> <div class="footer-logo"> <div id="logo"> <a href='https://isbndb.com' title='ISBNDB Blog' rel='home'><img src='https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Group-54466.png' alt='ISBNDB Blog'></a> </div> </div> <div class="footer-menu-1"> <ul> <li><a href="https://isbndb.com/isbn-database">ISBN Database</a></li> <li><a href="https://isbndb.com/apidocs/v2">Documentation</a></li> <li><a href="https://isbndb.com/blog">Blog</a></li> <li><a href="https://isbndb.com/news">News</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="footer-menu-2"> <ul> <li><a href="https://isbndb.com/faq">FAQs</a></li> <li><a href="https://isbndb.com/user/register">Register</a></li> <li><a href="https://isbndb.com/isbndb/books/request">Report ISBN</a></li> <li><a href="https://isbndb.com/contact">Contact</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="footer-social-links"> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ISBNdbcom"><i class="fab fa-facebook-f fa-2x"></i></a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/ISBNdb_com"><i class="fab fa-twitter fa-2x"></i></a></li> <li><a href="https://isbndb.com/faq"><i class="fab fa-linkedin fa-2x"></i></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="copyright-container"> <span class="copyright">Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved</span> <div class="footer-links"> <span class="link"><a href="https://isbndb.com/terms-and-conditions">Terms and Conditions</a></span><span class="space"></span> <span class="link"><a href="https://isbndb.com/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a></span> </div> </div> </div> </footer> </div>   <script type="text/javascript" id="jpibfi-script-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var jpibfi_options = {"hover":{"siteTitle":"ISBNDB Blog","image_selector":".jpibfi_container img","disabled_classes":"wp-smiley;nopin","enabled_classes":"pinit","min_image_height":0,"min_image_height_small":0,"min_image_width":0,"min_image_width_small":0,"show_on":"[single]","disable_on":"","show_button":"hover","button_margin_bottom":20,"button_margin_top":20,"button_margin_left":20,"button_margin_right":20,"button_position":"top-left","description_option":["img_title","img_alt","post_title"],"transparency_value":0.2,"pin_image":"default","pin_image_button":"rectangle","pin_image_icon":"circle","pin_image_size":"normal","custom_image_url":"","scale_pin_image":false,"pin_linked_url":true,"pinImageHeight":54,"pinImageWidth":81,"scroll_selector":"","support_srcset":false}}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://isbndb.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/jquery-pin-it-button-for-images/js/jpibfi.client.js?ver=3.0.6" id="jpibfi-script-js"></script> </body> </html>