Take a book (any book) in your hand and look at its back. You will find a long number above the bar code. Ever wondered, what is this number?
It’s called ISBN number and is unique for each book.
ISBN is short for International Standard Book Number. It is a thirteen digit code used around the world to identify and distinguish between different books.
The title’s ISBN code should be found on the back of the book. Usually it will be over the barcode. It will always be identified with the prefix ISBN and will be either 10 or 13 digits long.
The ISBN is ten digits long if assigned before 2007, and thirteen digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007.
From the image given below, you can understand what all these numbers mean.
The first three digits, either 978 or 979, are the prefix. They tell us, it is an International Standard Book Number.
The next digits tell us the country or language of the book.
Then the set of digits next to them, identify the publisher. A publisher is a company or a person that prepares and issues books, journals, or music for sale. For example, Penguin Books, Canongate, Macmillan Publishers, Rupa Publications, etc.
The next set determines the title, edition and format of the book. Title of the book is selected by the author. An edition is when a significant change has been made to a book. When you hold up two of the same books that are different editions, you’ll be able to tell the difference.
You see Volume I and Volume II written on the top right corner. Yes, that’s an edition.
The last digit is the check digit which determines that the number has been verified. The purpose of a check digit is to verify that the information on the barcode has been entered correctly.
Now, go pick up a book and see if you can find this number and tell your friends what you learnt about it.