International Standard Book Number
unique numeric book identifier / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For information on using ISBNs in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:ISBN.
The International Standard Book Number, ISBN, is a unique[1] commercial book identifier barcode. The ISBN system was created in the United Kingdom, in 1966, by the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith.
Originally, it was the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code and still was used in 1974; it was adopted as the international standard ISO 2108 in 1970. A similar, numeric identification, the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), identifies periodical publications such as magazines. Since January 1, 2007, ISBNs are of 13 digits, like in Bookland EAN-13.[2] The TC 46/SC 9 is responsible for the standard.