Book club question (again)

Jon:

Thanks for your comments. As I noted in another post, I discovered that
virtually every Simon & Schuster I've got has the "numbers in a box" or at
least something like a product or serial number in contrasting color on the
back cover. I'm quite sure that's what I was thinking of. I've changed the
picture on my website to show ONLY books with "numbers in a box" (it used to
have a sample of a number not in a box) and based on your post any my
research in my own library, I've changed the text to read:

"A brief string of numbers in a box of contrasting color on the back cover
may be a book club marker. This appears to be a fairly reliable book club
indicator for science fiction books, but be careful when applying this to
other types. A few mainstream publishers present a short code like this on
regular books. Simon & Schuster appears to be using it currently.
McGraw-Hill and Prentice-Hall were in the practice of using it before the
ISBN became standard."

I will be happy to credit you with the info you provided if you wish. (I
don't like to put people's name on the net without their prior permission,
but I also like to give credit where credit is due. Just let me know!)

Alice


"Jon Meyers" wrote in message
...
"my-wings" wrote...
I know identification of book club editions comes up here often, but
I've
got a very specific question about a very specific "marker." Googling,
I've
found four references, given below, to the placing of "serial numbers"
or
"numbers in a box" on the back jacket, in lieu of the ISBN number. I
thought
this was pretty cool, so I added it to my "visual aids" for identifying
book
clubs ( http://home.att.net/~my_wings/problems/bomc01.html -- it's at
the
bottom) but then I ran into a book that I know isn't a book club,
because
it
still had the store sticker on it, but it also had the "numbers in a
box"
on
the back. I can't for the life of me lay my hands on that book right
now,
but I noted it at the time.

Is the "numbers in a box" really a marker? Does it only apply in certain
circumstances, say, from a particular publisher? I'd appreciate any help
anyone could offer to clarify this.

The numbers-in-a-box marker primarily applies, I think, to Science Fiction
Book Club editions.

There are a few publishers--McGraw-Hill and Prentice-Hall, as
examples--that
at one time (before ISBNs became the standard) assigned their books
in-house
code numbers. These numbers were stamped on the rear board and printed on
the jackets, often in a box on the rear panel. The book you remember
might
have been one of those.

And, as Doug noted, BCEs are often sold as remainders, so the bookstore
price sticker is not proof that the book is a publisher's edition.


--
Jon Meyers
[To reply,
lose your way.]