An ISBN is a unique identifier for all published books, which allows for easy searching of specific books. They are located on the back of most books, near the bar code. It will be a 10 or 13 digit code. Posting this number into the search bar can allow you to find the book you’re looking for instantly. If your professor or teacher asked you to get a textbook, they also probably gave you the ISBN for the book. This will most likely be located on your syllabus.
Many books have new and old versions. Using an ISBN will direct you to the exact edition of the book that you need as well. Additionally, you should ask your professor if an older version of the textbook will be sufficient for the class. While it may add some complications about page numbers, it will also save you a lot of money to avoid high new textbooks prices. The ISBN can also be used as a fast search tool. You can use your ISBN to search the prices of many sites quickly, and hopefully you won’t waste much time in your endeavor to get a fair price.