ISBN
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique identifier for books, intended to simplify the dis-
tribution and purchase of books. An ISBN is a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies a specific edition of a
book.
1 Segments of an ISBN
2. Registration Group Element - Identifies the country, geographical region, or language area.
2 Example ISBN
• 7 - Check digit
1
where ai are the first 12 digits of the ISBN and wi are the alternating weights of 1 and 3. If the result is 10, the
check digit is 0.
For example, for ISBN 978-0-306-40615-7:
9 × 1 + 7 × 3 + 8 × 1 + 0 × 3 + 3 × 1 + 0 × 3 + 6 × 1 + 4 × 3 + 0 × 1 + 6 × 3 + 1 × 1 + 5 × 3 = 93
93 mod 10 = 3
10 − 3 = 7
Check digit = 7
4 Country Codes
Here are some ISBN registration group elements for different countries:
• 0, 1 - English-speaking areas
• 2 - French-speaking areas
• 3 - German-speaking areas
• 4 - Japan
• 5 - Russian-speaking areas
• 7 - China
5 ISBN Barcode
The barcode allows for quick scanning and identification of the book.