When did the system start?

Very, very roughly how many books have been so blessed?

And very, very, very, very roughly how many books are 'out there' that
are ISBN-less?

English language only, please.

I know that GA is bristling with Ho-Lis (Hotshot Librarians) and I am
guessing that every Ho-Li will have a pretty good idea.

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Clarification of Question by probonopublico-ga on 24 Jan 2004 23:01 PST

Thanks, everybody ....

I've now got the info required.

Bryan

Publishers buy them in blocks, and allocate them to books as they are
published. So there are actually more ISBNs out there than there are
books.......

Hi, Angy

You are absolutely right but I am hoping that some Ho-Li will be able
to check their computer and say 'Yep, 15 million published since 1950
(or whenever) and 10 million published before'.

Bryan

:-)   I'm not sure librarians will take kindly to having the word "Ho"
connected to their job title!

No idea on numbers but here's the system information.
"The question of the need for and feasibility of an international
numbering system for books was first discussed at the Third
International Conference on Book Market Research and Rationalization
in the Book Trade, held in November 1966 in Berlin.
At that time, a number of European publishers and book distributors
were considering the use of computers for order processing and
inventory control, and it was evident that a prerequisite for an
efficient automated system was a unique and simple identification
number for a published item.
The system which fulfilled this requirement and which became known as
the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) system, was developed
out of the book numbering system introduced in the United Kingdom in
1967 by J. Whitaker & Sons, Ltd., and in the United States in 1968 by
R. R. Bowker.
At the same time, the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) Technical Committee 46 on Information and Documentation, set up
a working party to investigate the possibility of adapting the British
system for international use.
During 1968 and 1969 several meetings took place between
representatives from various European countries and the United States,
and a report was circulated to all countries belonging to ISO.
As a result of these meetings the International Standard Book Number
(ISBN) was approved as ISO standard 2108 1 in 1970."
http://www.isbn-international.org/userman/chapter1.html

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