Guide

What an ISBN is and when it began

The International Standard Book Number identifies a specific edition and format of a book for the book trade and libraries. It grew out of a British scheme introduced in 1967, so it cannot be used to date first editions of older books.

• The International ISBN Agency describes the ISBN as a product identifier used by publishers, booksellers and libraries for ordering, listing, sales and stock control. It does not confer legal or copyright protection.¹
• Each product form of a book, such as paperback, EPUB or PDF, needs its own ISBN.¹
• ISBNs had 10 digits until the end of December 2006. Since 1 January 2007 only 13-digit ISBNs are issued, beginning with the prefix 978 or 979.¹
• The Standard Book Number, the precursor of the ISBN, was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1967, and J. Whitaker and Sons set up the first SBN agency.^2,3
• According to the International ISBN Agency, the ISBN standard ISO 2108 was published in 1972 after work by an ISO group chaired by David Whitaker.²

Sources

1. International ISBN Agency, What is an ISBN (accessed 2026-10-28)
2. International ISBN Agency, David Whitaker OBE, one of the key pioneers of ISBN, dies (6 August 2021)
3. International Publishers Association, It was an idea whose time had come, David Whitaker on the birth of ISBN (accessed 2026-10-28)