Retrieval and manipulation of electronically stored information via pointers embedded in the associated printed material

An apparatus for retrieving and manipulating information in printed materials, comprising:

• a sole initialization designator uniquely marked to printed materials, as a first pointer having a first format, located outside the printed materials for identification purposes and initializing the apparatus when activated;
• one or more embedded machine-readable markings, which may be of the same or different format from the first format, as a second pointer, located within the printed materials, independent of the initialization designator and initiating executable tasks when activated;
• a scanner that recognizes the sole initialization designator once and thereafter recognizes at least one embedded machine readable marking in the printed document independent of the sole initialization designator in retrieving and manipulating information, each embedded machine-readable marking being associated with at least one printed item, each embedded machine-readable marking further being associated with a specific machine-executable task;
• and
• a processor that interprets the initialization designator, as the first pointer, and the embedded machine-readable marking, as the second pointer, and performs the specific machine-executable task after recognition of the initialization designator and the embedded machine-readable marking, wherein the initialization designator includes an International Standard Book Number (ISBN),
• wherein special embedded machine-readable markings, layered with printed text, are invisible to the human eye, and wherein a portion of the at least one printed item associated with each embedded machine-readable marking indicates the existence of each embedded machine-readable marking.