Anna’s Archive is the most epic data visualization project ever

At the beginning of 2025 Anna’s Archive (yes, that portal of data and books :)) had announced a reward of 10,000 dollars to achieve the best possible visualization of their data made increasingly difficult by technical complications. Here the post: https://annas-archive.org/blog/all-isbns-winners.html

Exploring the universe of ISBNs through an interactive map: a surprising project for publishing and data visualization enthusiasts

The project created by Phiresky (exposed very clearly here: https://phiresky.github.io/blog/2025/visualizing-all-books-in-isbn-space/ ) proposes an innovative visualization of the international ISBN system. Through an interactive graphic representation, it is possible to explore in a structured and intuitive way the distribution of books in the numerical identification space that distinguishes them.

What is the ISBN Space Map

A graph representing the entire ISBN space, with connections based on numerical proximity between codes It allows you to observe clusters of books that share similar sequences It facilitates the identification of structures and patterns within the global publishing system

It offers a new perspective to analyze the logic of the bibliographic identification system Useful for librarians, publishing scholars, developers, and anyone who works with structured data

This map organizes books not by content, but by numerical identity, offering a deep understanding of the ISBN system and its architecture. A perfect combination of IT rigor and cultural curiosity.

Explore the project here : https://phiresky.github.io/isbn-visualization/?

And the open project on GitHub: https://github.com/phiresky/isbn-visualization

If you’re in book management, data science, or just want to see books through a new lens… this is a resource you don’t want to miss.