ISBN Converter
Historical note:
"Book numbering" started in 1966 with Standard Book Numbering (SBN), promoted by the British book retailer W. H. Smith. In 1967, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) created the 10-digit International Standard Book Number (ISBN) format, ratified in 1970 as ISO Standard 2108. On 1 January 2007, the numbering format was increased to 13 digits. It is composed of four (five since 2007) elements, optionally separated by hyphens:
1. (2007 addition) GS1 element: Identifying the ISBN community, currently 978 or 979.
2. Registration group element: The country, geographical region or language area. This element may be between 1 and 5 digits in length.
3. Registrant element: The particular publisher or imprint. This element may be up to 7 digits in length.
4. Publication element: The particular edition and format of a specific title. This may be up to 6 digits in length.
5. Check digit (single): Mathematical validation the rest of the number.
2. Registration group element: The country, geographical region or language area. This element may be between 1 and 5 digits in length.
3. Registrant element: The particular publisher or imprint. This element may be up to 7 digits in length.
4. Publication element: The particular edition and format of a specific title. This may be up to 6 digits in length.
5. Check digit (single): Mathematical validation the rest of the number.
where elements 2,3 and 4, while individually of variable length, will be chosen to combine as nine digits.
10-digit to 13-digit (and vice versa if required)1.
1 Important: Only 13-digit ISBNs starting 978 can be converted back to 10-digit numbers.