library books with two different ISBNs

[Neesie]

Hello, does anyone know why a library book might have a different ISBN on the back cover than on the copyright page? Twice now I have gotten a book like this. They were both children's picture books, and the strange thing is, one of them literally was a paperback book bound inside of a hardback cover. The first one I didn't bother asking to add to Goodreads, because it was such a mysterious phenomenon, and I didn't want the trouble. We just recorded it as the "internal" paperback.

The one I have now though has three! The back cover (9780329944186, which does not exist here) and TWO on the copyright page. Those two have formats listed next to them, and those formats match Goodreads, but neither matches my book. They are for a board book and a paperback, but we have a hardback.

Thanks so much to anyone who can explain this confusing situation to me!

[Miriam]

Without having the books on hand, I can't be sure.
But it sounds like the books are "library bound" editions. Some publishers will produce an edition specific for libraries and schools that are more like a hardcover book. That might explain the extra ISBN.

[Neesie]

Up until now, library-bound editions I've read or owned have an ISBN on the back cover that matches the copyright page.

I found this online, and I'm thinking it might be related here:
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-there-d...

"There are circumstances under which you will find two different ISBNs on the imprint page of the same book (but only one on the cover). That's generally where you have an early paperback edition coming out for, say, airport bookshops during the hardback publication window. The publisher may decide print the same book block (the actual pages) for both editions and bind some blocks in paperback and some in hardback. Putting both on the imprint page saves a little bit of hassle."

That doesn't totally explain it, but it sounds more related than anything else I'm finding.

Is it appropriate to request a new edition be added to Goodreads in these situations where I cannot find good enough proof online to make a decent listing? I wouldn't want to upload pics of the copies I have, since they are covered in various library stickers. (edited to add: One of them is an interlibrary loan, so it even has a sticker with my entire name on it!)

[Suzi]

I have had several books lately that have have the ISBNs for other editions listed on the copyright page. Most of them have the ISBN listed next to the format: paper, library, signed edition, etc.

BUT I have seen a few that list the ISBNs in a manner similar to that used on Worldcat, with every possible ISBN, and only the one that goes with the edition in hand on the back next to the bar code.

Not a trend I am a fan of.