The ABC's of ISBN for College Textbooks

Your Foolproof Way To Get The Right Book, Cheap - and More

You may think the ISBN, the International Standard Book Number, is just a jumble of numbers. In actuality, it's simply the easiest way to make sure you're getting the right textbooks cheap, for your classes. The ISBN is a unique book identifier barcode assigned to each book printed, and to each new edition and variation, except reprints. But there's a wealth of information in those digits that can make for interesting reading without opening the book's cover.

There was a big change in the ISBN system at the beginning of 2007, when the number of digits increased from 10 to 13. The numbering system was first created in 1966 by W.H. Smith booksellers and stationers in the United Kingdom, and had nine digits.

Then, in 1970, it was adopted as the international standard, with 10 digits. Any book with an ISBN assigned before the beginning of 2007 will have the 10-digit ISBN. All those assigned after that will have the 13-digit number.

An ISBN consists of four or five parts:
1. If it's a 13-digit number, it begins with a three-digit prefix of 978 or 979.
2. Next is a group identifier code, which represents a group of countries which shares a common language.
3. Then comes the code identifying the publisher
4. That's followed by an item number
5. Last is a single character or number called a "check digit" that provides the means to verify that the ISBN is valid.

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