ISBN Ranges

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Overview of the purpose of the range message and of its file format structure in XML

The ISBN range message is available as a machine-readable xml file with built-in DTD provided for validation.

The file contains up-to-date data from The International ISBN Agency regarding all Registration Group Elements, and the Registrant Element Ranges associated with them. National ISBN Agencies may have more than one Registration Group Element assigned to them and some Registration Group Elements are shared between a number of different national ISBN agencies.

 

This information provides a computer system with the necessary data to split 13 digit ISBNs issued by any national ISBN agency into the segments of:

 

[EAN.UCC prefix]-[Registration Group element]-[Registrant element]-[Publication element]-[Check-digit]

 

Data from this file can also be used to detect ISBNs that are invalid because a particular Registration Group Element within an EAN.UCC Prefix or a specific Registrant Element Range within a Registration Group has yet to be defined.

 

XML File Format Structure

Message and Header Tags

The following group of tags provides general information about the xml file:

<ISBNRangeMessage>

<MessageSource>

<MessageSerialNumber>

<MessageDate>


EAN.UCC Prefix Tags

 

The following group of tags provides data that describes the length of the Registration Group segment of an ISBN within a particular Registration Group Element range of a particular EAN.UCC Prefix. This data may indicate that a particular range of an EAN.UCC Prefix is not defined for use at this time.

 

<EAN.UCCPrefixes> - envelope for all EAN.UCC Prefixes

<EAN.UCC> - envelope for particular EAN.UCC Prefix

<Prefix> - [EAN.UCC Prefix]

<Agency> - always “International ISBN Agency”

<Rules> - envelope for all Registration Group range length rules for this EAN.UCC Prefix

<Rule> - envelope for a particular range length rule

<Range> - [range] (padded to maximum 7 digits)

<Length> - [length] defined for range (zero indicates range not defined for use)


Registration Group Element Tags

 

The following group of tags provides data that describes the length of the Registrant (Publisher) segment of an ISBN within a particular range for a particular Registration Group Element. This data may indicate that a particular range within a Group Registration Element is not defined for use at this time.

 

<RegistrationGroups> - envelope for all Registration Group Elements

<Group> - envelope for particular Registration Group Elements

<Prefix> - [composed of EAN.UCC Prefix-Registration Group Element]

<Agency> - [National ISBN Agency name]

<Rules> - envelope for all Registrant range length rules for this Registration Group Prefix

<Rule> - envelope for a particular range length rule

<Range> - [range] (padded to maximum 7 digits)

<Length> - [length] defined for range (zero indicates range not defined for use)

 

Available formats

 

Information about valid ISBN ranges is available:

  •  in .pdf format, sorted by group registration element or sorted by national ISBN agency name, and
  •  in XML format

You can either choose the format of the range message that you require by selecting the appropriate radio button below or you can retrieve the information automatically using the HTTP GET method. To retrieve the messages in this automated way, then after the base URL (www.isbn-international.org) insert one of the following:

export_rangemessage.xml
export_rangemessagebyagency.pdf
export_rangemessagebyprefix.pdf