International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation (except reprintings) of a book, for example an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover would each have a different ISBN.The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned after 1 January 2007, and 10 digits long if assigned before 2007. An International Standard Book Number consists of 4 parts (if it is a 10 digit ISBN) or 5 parts (for a 13 digit ISBN):
- a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code
- created by Gordon Foster, Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin for the booksellers and stationers W. H. Smith and others in 1965.
An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation (except reprintings) of a book, for example an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover would each have a different ISBN.The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned after 1 January 2007, and 10 digits long if assigned before 2007. An International Standard Book Number consists of 4 parts (if it is a 10 digit ISBN) or 5 parts (for a 13 digit ISBN):
