Publishers' International ISBN Directory 2004/2005 (31st edition)

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) system was developed out of the Standard Book Number system introduced in the UK in 1967 and is based on the International Standard ISO 2108. The ISBN is a short, machine‐readable code that identifies, unambiguously, any book published from every other title or edition. It facilitates ordering, acquisition, cataloguing, stock control, accounting and circulation procedures in libraries and the book trade. It can be converted to an EAN (European Article Number).

ISBNs are now so familiar that we take them for granted, but I found the prefatory matter a useful reminder of the mechanics...