Yes, Ross, that's right. Reprints are the exception. Reprints, however, aren't very common because of the "business of books." At least, they definitely are not common here in the US. All of those many "editions" of Tom Sawyer are not reprints because 1) the publisher wants to put their own stamp on it 2) they usually add at least an introduction or something that they can claim makes their edition better than others 3) they have it in their inventory and therefore it needs an ISBN in their ISBN range. (Generally, the issuing of more inventory for a book that is in print is not considered a "reprint" although in some countries it may be called an "edition," which trips up US catalogers from time to time.)
On the other hand, when books are published with only a change in format from hardback to trade and then to mass paperback, they all get different ISBNs even if the text itself doesn't change. That's because the ISBN is also the UPC code, and the price is tied to the UPC code. Libraries have commonly cataloged the hardback & various paperbacks on the same record because it represents the same text -- it's just the format of the physical book that has changed. This means that you will find library records with more than one ISBN on them. Basically, using the ISBN as an identifier is a bit of a mess. Not to mention that the ISBN only came into being in the late 1960's, so it doesn't apply to any books published before then. kc On 5/30/12 10:29 AM, Ross Singer wrote: > > On May 30, 2012, at 11:16 AM, Karen Coyle wrote: >> >>>> Did you only link to Works, or to Editions too? ISBNs are associated >>> >>> we link only to works since it's not necessarily right to say that "two >>> manifestations with the same ISBNs are the same manifestations" >>> (because they >>> can have different issue dates etc ...). >> >> While I'm sure that there are cases where this happens, FYI a book with >> a new date *should* get a new ISBN, by the rules of ISBN. > > Actually, this isn't true. Reprints don't require an ISBN: > > http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/international/html/usmfaq.htm > > Q: I am revising a book. Does it require a new ISBN? > > A: A (substantial) change of text requires a new ISBN, and if revisions > have been made the back of the title page should state that the book is > a revised edition, and the new ISBN should be printed there. > > > Q: Does a reprint without change of text, or binding require a new ISBN? > > A: No. The original number must be retained. > > > Q: I would like to issue a new ISBN for marketing reasons. Is this > permissible? > > A: No. There is no change of text, format or binding which would justify > a new ISBN. > > So a new ISBN is /only/ appropriate if it's a major change of the text > (i.e. a revised or annotated edition). > > -Ross. -- Karen Coyle [email protected] http://kcoyle.net ph: 1-510-540-7596 m: 1-510-435-8234 skype: kcoylenet _______________________________________________ Ol-tech mailing list [email protected] http://mail.archive.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/ol-tech To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send email to [email protected]
