on a book is the CN number the same as a ISBN??

[kellypie]

trying to find the ISBN number on books but all i can find is CN. are they the same??

Cheers
Kelly

[Quizmonkey]

ISBNs are usually above the bar code and take the form: 0-550-10012-1 (digits may be grouped differently). But it normally says ISBN before them. Should also be inside the book, at the front, with publisher details.

[kempie]

Library of Congress Call Numbers are used to locate books in US libraries.

http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/lcco.html

[mycats]

Please dont say "ISBN number" *sob* I'm really, really sorry but it's one of my pet hates! lol
Its ISB number or ISBN

[Quizmonkey]

Presumably you never say PIN number, the river Avon or the hoi polloi, Mycats. And anyway NO-ONE says ISB number...

[mycats]

I dont say PIN number actually Quizmonkey. I did say sorry *blush* it's just one of those silly little things that wind me up. Dont you have any?

[saxy_jag]

Forgetting grammatical correctness for a minute, if what Kempie says is true, then no, it's not the same as the ISBN.

The CN would be unique to a record at LoC, whereas the ISBN is an internationally registered number that denotes the country of publication as well as the actual publisher. Most ISBNs are 10-digit numbers, but we now have 12- and 13-digit numbers too, which incorporate the 10-digit ones and are a reflection of the growth of the publishing industry.

[saxy_jag]

Oh, and you can enter the 10 digits in any format. If you enter the ISBN on Amazon or an online library catalogue, you can usually just tap in the straight ten and you'll get your result.

Also, when I phone publishers and distributors, again, we just rattle off the ten digits straight out with no hassle either end.

[kellypie]

Alrighty. thanks.

[marwel7]

The first 6 digits denote the publisher and the last 4 a particular book.

[Buenchico]

If you need any detail about a book, whether it be author, publisher, date, size, number of pages or ISBN, the easiest way to find the information is to search for it in the British Library's integrated catalogue:
http://catalogue.bl.uk/F/?func=file&file_name= login-bl-list

Chris