What are Bookland EAN Bar Codes?

The European Article Number (EAN) is used by virtually every other country while most retail products in the US are marked with a UPC symbol. To provide worldwide standardization in the sale and handling of books, a special EAN prefix of “978” has been assigned exclusively for the book category within the EAN system.  An EAN which begins with the 978 prefix is called a Bookland EAN bar code and is used on books and book related products internationally. The 978 prefix precedes the first 9 digits of the ISBN and then a new check digit is calculated in order to form a 13-digit ISBN number which is then encoded to create the bar code symbol used on books.