A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Aberrant Copy :

A book that has unmistakable binding or printing errors.

Academic Reprints :

A scholarly work published by a photographic process usually for the academic market.

Accession :

Recording of books added to a collection in the order of their acquisition.

Accession Number :

The serial number assigned to a book in accessioning.

Accession Record :

A record, which lists a description and facts of a book’s history.

Addendum, Pl. addenda :

A supplement to a book. Usually printed on a slip of paper and tipped in, or pasted in.

Ads, advts, adverts :

Advertisements placed in the binding of the book, usually on the endpaper.

Advanced Copy / or Advanced Reading Copy :

A copy for reviewers and booksellers, bound in paper wraps or a trade edition with a review slip laid in or pasted on the endp

All Edges Gilt :

The top, fore – edge, and foot of the book are coloured in gold.

Antiquarian Books :

A term for collectible books rather than used books. Refers to old, rare, hard to find and out of print books.

Antique Binding :

A modern binding  in the style of an earlier period.

Apocryphal :

A work whose authenticity or authorship is in doubt.

Appendix :

Additional or supplementary material generally found at the end of a book.

As Issued :

A term indicating a given book is in the original condition as published.

As Usual :

A favourite term used by book dealers, to describe defects, such as ex library stamps and ex library copy.

Association Copy :

A book, which belonged to or was annotated by the author, someone close to the author, a famous or noteworthy person, or someone especially associated with the content of the work. An association copy should have documentary evidence of its association such as the author’s bookplate.

Autographed Letter :

A handwritten letter signed by the writer.

ALS :

Autograph Letter Signed

A la fanfare :

An elaborate style of French binding developed in the late Sixteenth century

A repetition :

A style of French binding incorporating a design element repeated over the entire cover.

All published :

Usually used of serially published work to indicate that all issued parts are present.

Americana :

A classification of books, prints etc. having to do with America, its people and their history.

Annotated :

Including critical and explanatory notes.

Antiquarian :

Old and rare books.

Aquatint :

An etching method widely used in late-Eighteenth and early-Nineteenth century illustrated books, frequently coloured by hand after printing.

Arabesque :

A style of ornament  of  Moorish origin often used in the tooling of bindings.

Arms :

An armorial device was often used on bindings, bookplates and the like as a mark of ownership.

Australiana :

A classification of books, prints etc. having to do with Australia its people and their history.

Attrib.:

(Authorship) attributed to.

Author’s copies :

Complimentary copies of the first edition of a book given to the author by the publisher.

Autograph :

The author’s signature.

Avant la Lettre :

A term used in describing French  illustrated books to indicate that the plates are in the earliest state, before the addition of titles.

Azured :

(A binding ornament) decorated with a pattern of thin parallel lines.

Back Strip :

The covering of the book’s spine

Back Bone :

A book’s back strap, back strip or spine.

Bar Code :

Term for  Universal  Product  Code .

Before Letters :

As avant la lettre, although not pertaining specifically to French books.

Belles Lettres :

Fine arts literature.

Biblio :

From the Greek: Signifying or pertaining books.

Biblioclast :

A destroyer of books.

Bibliognost :

Having a deep knowledge of books.

Biblioklept :

A stealer of books.

Bibliomaniac :

Many book dealers and collectors.

Bibliophile :

A lover of books.

Bibliophobia :

A fear of books.

Binding :

The cover of the book

Binding Copy :

A book that needs to be rebound  and is worth rebinding

Bifolium, Bifolia (pl.) :

Two conjugate leaves from a folio work.

Binders’ Ticket :

A small slip of paper pasted into a book with the name of the bookbinder.

Blank :

An unprinted leaf, usually included as part of a signature to make an even count.

Blind – Stamping :

An impressed mark, decoration, or  lettering, appears usually on the binding.

Blind- Tooling :

Decoration of a binding by embossed impressions without gilt.

Blurb :

A comment from a review (often from another author praising the particular book) printed on the dust jacket.

Boards :

The stiff binding material for most modern books.

Book-Arts :

Typography, calligraphy, papermaking, bookbinding & related disciplines.

Book Block :

The entire book sewn together before it is bound.

Book Club Edition :

Edition of a book printed especially for a book club. All books are of a uniform size  (often smaller then the original edition) and usually produced with cheaper materials.

Book Label :

A label indicating the ownership of a book. Generally smaller than a bookplate.

Boss :

On early bindings, a raised metal stud intended to protect the cover of a book from abrasion.

Bookplate :

A pasted – in sign of ownership.

Bound :

A book with a cover of any type.

Bowed :

A condition of the covers or boards of a hard cover book. Bowed covers may turn inward toward the leaves or outward away from the leaves. The condition results from moisture in the air.

Bowdlerization :

The practice of censorship by publication of expurgated texts (after engl. editor Thomas Bowdler).

Browning :

An overall discolouration found in the paper of some older books.

Buckram :

A heavy linen cloth used in book binding

Calf :

Calfskin with a smooth finished used in binding

Cancel :

A tipped – in  (pasted in) page that replaces a page that is removed after a book has been bound.

Case – Bound :

The book is hardbound , as opposed to a paperback.

Chapbook :

A cheaply printed book sold by street vendors in the 18^th & 19^th centuries.

Chemise :

A sleeve wrapping around the spine and covers of a binding to protect it from wear when inserted into the slipcase.

Chiaraoscuro :

“Clear-obscure,” in the context of  print-making, a technique for producing colour prints from wood by multiple blocks, used for the reproduction of old master drawings and objets d’art from the 16^th century   on.

Chipped :

Used to describe where small cover pieces are missing or where fraying has occurred on a dust jacket or the edge of a paperback.

Chromolithography :

Colour printing from multiple impositions of lithographic stones or similar lithographic printing surfaces.

Chromoxylography :

Colour printing from wood blocks.

Clamshell case :

A  protective case with hinged side that securely retain the book within while permitting easy inspection.

Cloth :

A clothbound book. The covering can be linen, buckram, or another textile.

Cocked Spine :

Refers to a spine that is angled so that the boards will not line up evenly with each other.

Codex :

An ancient volume of manuscript.

Collation :

The act of checking a book for completeness. A collational formula is an algebraic expression of the arrangement of the leaves and signatures in a book.

Collotype :

A photomechanical process of reproduction capable of producing results of exceptional fidelity. It does not use a screen (like a half-tone) but produces continuous tones.

Colophon :

An identifying inscription or emblem from the printer or publisher appearing at the end of a book.

Colour Plate Book :

A volume illustrated with hand-coloured aquatints, engravings or the like.

Comb Binding :

A bookbinding similar to a spiral binding but using a round tubular plastic piece with teeth, which fit, through small rectangular holes punched into the binding edge of the book.

Compartment :

On the spine of a book.The areas between the raised bands. These are considered from top to bottom; the title label is usually in the second compartment.

Condition :

As New, Fine, Very Good, Fair, Poor / Reading Copy - See our guide on book sizes and conditions

Conjugate :

Joined at the gutter margin..

Conjugate Leaf :

The unservered second half of a printed page.

Contemporary :

Refers to bindings and hand coloured plates (generally of the period when the book was published) and author inscription (dated the year of publication).

Cornerpiece :

In a binding, the decorative elements in the corners of the covers in the angles of the fillets.

Covers :

The binding of the book, most particularly the front and back panels of the book.

Covers Bound-In :

The original cloth covers, usually including the spine, bound into the book when a new binding is made.They are normally mounted as pages at the end of the book.Also refers to the covers of books originally issued in boards or paper wrappers, but in these cases the covers are usually bound in their proper positions.

Cut :

Most modern books are smooth-trimmed after binding so that all edges are even, or flush.

Damp Stained :

A light stain on cover or on the leaves of a book.

Darkening :

A book cover exposed to light, the colour darkens or becomes more intense.

Deckle Edges :

Another term for uncut or untrimmed edges.

Decorative Stamped Binding :

A highly detailed impression stamped into the cover and or spine of a book.

Dedication Copy :

The copy of the book inscribed by the author to the person to whom the book is dedicated.

Definitive Edition :

The most authoritative version of a work.

Dentelle :

“Lace.” The thin strip of turned-in material inside a binding, often elaborately decorated and frequently the location of the binder’s stamp.

Dents :

Damage to the edges of the cover or hardcover book.

Device :

A printer’s ornament. Also an insignia that is the publisher’s identifying mark.

Disbound :

Term refers to a book or pamphlet, once bound, from which the binding has been removed.

Dos-a-Dos :

Two separate books  bound together so that each cover represents the cover for a different title.

Doublure :

The paste down of a binding when covered with decorated paper, silk, leather or a similar material.

Duodecimo :

A book format formed by a single sheet folded into twelve sections.

Dust Jacket or Dust Wrapper :

Usually the decorative paper wrapper placed around a book to protect the binding.

Edges :

The three exposed outer edges of the leaves (top, fore-edge, and tail). The fore-edge is the edge opposite the spine or bound edge.

Edge Worn :

Wear along the edges of hardcover books and covers.

Edited :

Prepared for publication.

Editio Princeps :

The first printed edition of a work previously available only in manuscript.

Edition :

All the copies of a book printed from the same plates or typesetting.

Endpapers :

The sheets of paper pasted onto the inner covers, joining the block to the covers. One side of the sheet is pasted to the inside cover, the other is left free.

Engraving :

The preparation of a printing surface by cutting or etching the surface.

Errata :

Mistakes or errors. Generally encountered in the term “errata slip”, a small sheet of paper laid into a book by a publisher who discovered errors prior to publication.

Etching :

The chemical treatment of a printing surface to incise a design or lettering.

Example :

A particular copy of an edition.

Ex-Library :

A term used to indicate that a book was once in a library .

Ex-Libris

A bookplate printed with the owner’s name or initials.

Extra Illustrated :

Enhanced with the addition of plates from other sources, autograph material etc. Also grangerised.

Facsimile Edition :

A reproduction of an original book.

Fading :

The colour of some book covers fades or becomes less intense when exposed to light.

Fair Condition :

A worn book with defects such as a torn dust jacket, loose binding, foxing etc.

Festschrift :

A publication honouring an individual with a series of scholarly essays.

Fillet :

A rule in gilt or blind  on the cover of a book, usually around the circumference of the cover.

Fine Condition :

A subjective indication of  condition, generally taken to mean a fresh, largely unimpeachable copy of a book.

Fine Printing :

The art of producing beautifully designed and executed books.

First Edition :

Generally used by book dealers and collectors to mean the first appearance of a work in book or pamphlet form, in its first printing.

First Separate Edition :

The first appearance as a complete book or pamphlet of a work that has previously appeared as part of another book.

First Thus ;

Means not a first edition, but that something is different or new. It may be revised, updated, have a new introduction by the author or someone else, or be the first by another publisher.

First Trade Edition :

The edition produced for the general public.

Flyleaf :

A blank leaf, sometimes more than one, following the front free endpaper, or at the end of a book where there is not sufficient text to fill out the last few pages.

Folio :

A single sheet of paper once folded. Commonly used to indicate an oversize volume.

Fore Edge :

The trimmed edge of the leaves of a book; the edge of the page opposite the spine, bound or back edge of the book.

Fore Edge Painting :

Different painting appearing according to which way the book is fanned or single; the fore edge may also be concealed beneath gilt.

Foxing or Foxed :

Brown spotting of the paper caused by a chemical reaction. See our visual guide to imperfections.

Format :

The size of a book based on the number of times the original sheet has been folded to make leaves.

French Fold :

Pages joined at the fore edge and printed on the outer side only, also accordion fold.

Frontispiece :

An illustration at the beginning of a book, usually facing the title page.

Front Matter :

The pages preceding the text of a book, in the following order; bastard title or fly title, frontispiece, title page, copyright page, dedication, preface or forward, table of contents, list of illustrations, introduction, acknowledgments, half title.

Full Binding :

A binding in which the spines and boards are uniformly covered with the same material.

Galleys :

Sometimes called galley proofs or loose galleys to distinguish them from bound galleys. Long sheets of paper bearing the first trial impression of the type.

Gathering :

A group of sheets folded together for sewing or glueing into the binding.

Gauffering :

A technique of decorating the edges of a book by embossing the gilt edges. Sometimes this method is combined  with painting to produce spectacular results.

Gilt Edge :

A smooth cut leaf to which gilt has been applied.

Gilt Extra :

An old fashioned cataloguing term for a richly gilt binding.

Glassine :

A transparent paper dust jacket.

Gutter :

The inner margin of a leaf near the spine of a book.

Good Condition :

A description of condition implying some degree of wear but structural soundness and reasonably good appearance.

Half Binding :

A book in which the spine and corners are bound in a different material than  the rest of the covers.

Half Cloth :

Paper cover boards with the spine bound in cloth.

Half Leather :

A term indicating that the spine and the corners of a book are bound in leather, while the rest of the binding may be cloth or paper.

Half Title :

An extra leaf before the title page and bearing the title of the book.

Hand Coloured:

Of prints and illustrations, the colouring of plates by hand.

Hand Made Paper :

Laid paper made by hand in a mould.

Head :

The upper margin of a leaf, cover or endpaper. Also referred to as the top.

Headband :

A decorative cloth band, sometimes coloured or multicoloured, appearing inside the back strip at the top (sometimes bottom) of the spine of a book.

Headpiece :

A decorative type ornament found at the start of a chapter or division of a book.

Hinge :

The joint (either outer or inner) of the binding of a book – the part that bends when the book is opened.

Holograph :

A term indicating the handwriting of the author.

Hors Commerce :

A portion of an edition not offered for sale.

Hors Texte, Versos Blank :

“Hors texte” is French for “outside of the text,” and the term usually refers to plates without printing on the reverse sides. The plates may be tipped in to paper of a different stock from that of the text.

Hypermodern :

Collected first editions published within the last ten years or so. Most were published so recently that there is no track record on author or book.

Illum :

Refers to polychrome illustrations. It usually means an illuminated manuscript.

Illumination :

Decoration applied by hand in gold, silver or coloured paint.

Illustrated :

Containing illustrations.

Illustration :

A picture, photograph, plate, diagram, design, chart, or map printed within the text.

Impression :

Often misused term, but one that, when accurately employed, means the copies printed during any given press run.

Imprimatur :

A statement of permission to print found in early printed books, now largely confined to the Catholic Church as an indication that the work contains no doctrinal error.

Imprint :

A term that can refer either to the place of publication or publisher.

Incunabula :

Books, printed before 1501

Index :

An alphabetical listing of names or topics mentioned in the book, with their page numbers. For serials and journals, the index is usually published after the volume is completed and is usually found in the last issue.

India Paper :

An extremely thin and relatively opaque paper used to help reduce the book weight and size.

Inscribed :

Usually indicates a book signed by the author or a previous owner, either with an inscription to a specific person or bearing some brief notation along with his signature.

Intaglio :

The class of reproductive process to which etching, engraving and mezzotint belong.

Integral :

A leaf or page is said to be integral when it is one that was sewn and bound into a book during its manufacture.

Interleaved :

When blank leaves alternate with the printed leaves, a book is said to be interleaved.

Issue :

Synonymous with “state,” referring to the priority of copies within the first edition.

Jacket :

The printed or unprinted cover, placed around the book  (dust jacket, dust wrapper, dust cover or book jacket).

Jansenist Binding :

A binding with an austere exterior, sometimes with elaborate doublures.

Japan Vellum :

A smooth, glossy paper made in imitation of vellum, generally a light tan colour.

Joint :

The exterior junction of the covers and spine of a book.

Juveniles :

Books originally or primarily written to be read by (or to) children.

Juvenilia :

Work written when an author was extremely young.

Laid Down :

Mounted to a blank. Sometimes used of detached leaves.

Laid In :

A letter or other sheet inserted but not glued in the book.

Laid Paper :

A handmade paper showing parallel lines of the papermaking frame, visible when held up to the light.

Large Copy :

Of early books, with margins substantially uncut and untrimmed.

Large Paper :

A portion of an edition issued on paper with oversize margins for an effect of luxury.

Large Print :

A book that is made with large type for the visually impaired.

Leaf :

A single sheet in a book; each leaf contains two printed pages, one on each side.

Letterpress :

Printing from metal type (“hot metal”).

Levant :

A variety of goatskin of high quality used in bookbinding.

Library binding :

Reinforced bindings used by public libraries.

Limited Edition :

A publication restricted to a small number of copies, usually numbered and often signed by the author and/or illustrator.

Limitation :

Statement of edition size.

Limp :

Describing a flexible binding in suede or imitation leather such as that used on the early titles of the Modern Library.

Lithography :

One of a class of processes termed Plano graphic, in which the printing surface (stone etc) is not incised but instead treated with a medium that selectively absorbs (or repels) printing ink.

Livre D’artiste :

A (generally) French artist book.

Loose :

Starting to detach or detached.

Made-Up Copy :

A copy of a book whose parts have been assembled from one or more defective copies.

Maquette :

Model for a binding or book layout.

Marbled :

Paper decorated with an imitation marble pattern.

Marginalia :

Notes written in the margins of a page around the text. Used by students and others when studying a text.

Mezzotint :

A type of intaglio engraving in which the plate is roughened with a tool called a cradle and those areas which are not to take ink are smoothed.

Mint Copy or in Mint Condition :

An absolutely perfect copy.

Misbound :

Pages or signatures sewn together in an improper order.

Modern Firsts :

All books that were published in this century.

Mis-en-page :

The arrangement and design of page elements (type, illustrations and margins).

Monograph :

A work, generally short, dealing with a single subject and usually issued in pamphlet form.

Morocco :

A type of fine leather made from goatskin.

Nature Printing :

A method for printing impressions of great accuracy from botanical specimens by impressing them in a soft lead plate.

No Date :

No date of publication mentioned within the book.

Nom de Plume :

“Pen name,” the pseudonym and authors uses.

No Place :

No place of publication mentioned within the book.

Number :

An issue of a periodical.

Obverse :

The right-hand page of a book, more commonly called the recto.

Octavo (8vo):

Octavo is the most common size for current hardcover books. To make octavo books, each sheet of paper is folded to make eight leaves (16 pages).

Offprint :

A separate printing of a section of a larger publication.

Offset :

The transfer of ink from one page to another, as either a printed page or an engraving.

On Laid :

Of a leather binding, a design built up from cut scraps of leather in mosaic manner.

Out-Of-Print :

A book no longer being printed.

Out of Series :

Refers to overruns or extra copies of limited editions.

Page :

One side of a leaf. The front side of a leaf is called the recto or obverse and the backside of the leaf is called the verso or the reverse.

Pamphlet :

A small separate work issued in paper wraps.

Paperback :

Books in paper wraps published since the 1930s, although it can describe any book with a paper cover. Also mass market paperbacks.

Paperback Grading :

A letter grade system is sometimes used for describing the condition of a paperback.”A” grade/as new. “B” grade/very good to good.”C” grade/reading copy.

Paper Boards :

Stiff cardboard covered in paper.

Parchment :

Animal skin (usually sheep) used as writing material.

Parts :

The practice of publishing novels in separate monthly instalments in magazine format.

Paste-Down :

The portion of the endpaper pasted to the inner cover of a book.

Paste Paper :

Paper decorated by manipulating a combination of pigment and gum with combs, stamps, brushes etc.

Perfect Binding :

Used for softcover books that have too many pages to be stapled. The page edges are glued together, and then placed in the covers. A less expensive process than traditional book binding and stapling.

Pictorial :

Describes a book with a picture on the cover.

Pirated Edition :

Any edition of a work issued without permission of the author and without payment of royalties to the author or copyright holder.

Plates :

Whole-page  illustrations printed separately from the text. Illustrations printed in the text pages are called cuts.

Plaquette Binding :

An ornate binding (or portion of a binding) decorated from a single plate rather than separate tools.

Pochoir :

A method for colouring prints and illustrations by hand through multiple stencils, capable of very rich and elaborate effects.

Pointille :

A type of binding ornamentation using a field of tiny gilt dots.

Points :

Distinguishing characteristics, usually errors that occur within a first edition and indicate the priority of copies.

Portfolio :

Unsown sheets in a simple folder. ornament or art books were issued in this fashion.

Preface :

Author’s introductory statement.

Presentation copy :

A copy of a book actually given by the author to someone of his acquaintance, usually with an inscription .

Price-Clipped :

The price has been clipped from the corner of the dust jacket.

Printed Cover :

Used to describe a dust jacket or paper cover that is only lettered.

Printing :

Another word for “impression”.

Private Press :

A small press, often operated by one person, usually devoted to the production of small quantities of finely printed books.

Privately Printed :

Books printed for private circulation, not public sale.

Proofs :

Precede the published book. The normal course of events would be galley proof, uncorrected bound proof, and advance reading copy bound in paper wraps.

Prospectus :

A publisher’s announcement of a forthcoming book, set, or periodical, with information about the price, contributors or authors, date of publication, and binding.

Provenance :

The history of ownership or possession of a given book.

Publication Date :

The date a book is formally placed on sale

Publisher’s Cloth :

A cloth binding issued by the publisher.

Quarter Leather :

A book with a leather spine.

Quarto :

A book between octavo and folio in size.

Raised Band :

On a binding, the raised areas on the spine through which the cords that attach to the cover boards are passed.

Rare :

Implies the book is extremely scarce.

Reading Copy :

A copy of a book that is worn out.

Rebacked :

A book that has been repaired by getting a new spine and mended hinges.

Recased :

A book that has been glued back into its covers after having been shaken loose.

Recto :

The front side of a leaf in a bound book – the right hand page of an opened book. Also called the “obverse”.

Rejointed :

Means the book has been repaired preserving the original covers, including the spine.

Relief Printing :

The class of reproductive process to which letterpress and woodcuts belong, in which the raised areas of the block or plate are the principle-printing surface.

Remainder :

When a book has ceased to sell and a publisher sells his overstock, usually in bulk, to a reduced price.

Remainder Mark :

The publisher will mark the bottom edges of books sold as remainders with a stamp or marker.

Remarque :

A small sketch in the margin of an etching or engraving.

Remboitage :

The transfer of a binding from the work it originally contained to another. Some times simply an act of salvage, this is more frequently sophistication.

Retree :

A copy of a vellum book assembled  from excess sheets and not accounted for in the statement of edition.

Reverse :

The rear side of a leaf in a bound book; in other words, the left-hand page of an opened book. Also called the verso.

Rule, Gilt Rule :

A gilt line on a binding.

Russia :

A reddish brown calfskin impregnated with birch bark oil.

Self Wraps :

Wrappers which have vestigial flaps that imitate a dust jacket.

Seme :

A variety of binding decoration constructed from an evenly spaced array of gilt ornaments.

Series :

A group of volumes with a common theme issued in succession by a single publisher.

Sextodecimo (16m0):

A small book, approximately 4 inches wide and 6 inches tall. To make it, each sheet of paper is folded four times, forming 16 leaves (32 pages).

Shagreen :

Sharkskin.

Shaken :

An adjective describing a book whose pages are beginning to come loose from the binding.

Sheet :

The piece of paper on which the printer prints.

Shelf Wear ;

The wear that occurs as a book is placed onto and removed from a shelf.

Signature :

In bookmaking, this does not mean the author’s name written out in his hand. It refers rather to the group of pages produced by folding a single printed sheet, ready for sewing or gluing into a book.

Signed :

A book, which the author has autographed.

Silked :

(A leaf) restored by lamination with a thin, almost invisible application of Japanese tissue.

Slipcase :

A cardboard case covered in paper, cloth, or leather that holds a book with only the spine exposed.

Sophistication :

An attempt to increase the value of a book by “improving” it, by adding missing leaves from another copy, by heavily restoring it etc.

Spine :

The book’s backbone, where the signatures are gathered. The spine is covered with the back strip.

State :

Closely allied to the definition of “issue.” “State” generally refers to a change other than a correction of a misprint.

Stereotype :

A cast impression in from set up type or another plate into which stereotype metal is poured. The result is a durable plate whose use saves wears to the original type.

Stapled Wraps :

Wrappers without a spine and bound with staples instead of glue.

Stiff Wraps :

Wrappers thicker than normal.

Stub :

A narrow strip of paper usually remaining where a leaf has been cut away.

Suite :

In luxury book illustration (usually French), a separately printed, hors texte unbound set of the illustrations.

Sunned :

Faded from exposure to light or direct sunlight.

Tail :

The lower margin of a leaf, cover or endpaper.

Tailpiece :

Decorative element at the end of a page.

Thousands :

Some publishers in the 19^th century added a note on the title page stating, for instance, “Eighth Thousand” to indicate a later printing. These are not first editions.

Three Decker :

A book in three volumes, almost exclusively used to describe Victorian novels of the late 19^th century.

Three Quarters Binding :

A binding with the spine and corners amply covered with the specified material, usually leather.

Tipped-in :

Means the plate, autograph, letter, photo, et cetera, is actually attached to the book.

Tirage :

French for “printing.” Usually used for a limited edition, often numbered and dated.

Tissue :

The leaf found in most books bearing the title, author and publishing information etc.

Title Page :

The title page, near the beginning of a book, lists the title and subtitle of the book, the authors, editors, and/or contributors, the publisher or printer, and the half-title page or covers, should be used for cataloguing.

Title Page Index :

Used in describing periodicals, to indicate that the title page and index are present. Without a title page and index, the volume is incomplete.

Tooling :

The decoration of a binding by various bookbinding tools.

Trade Edition :

The regularly published edition.

Trimmed :

Indicating that the pages have been cut down to a size smaller than when originally issued.

Typed Letter Signed :

A typewritten letter signed by hand.

Uncut :

The pages of the completed book have not been shaved down to a uniform surface.

Underlining :

Using a pencil or pen to underline passages in a book to draw attention to the underlined text.

Unopened :

The leaves of the book are still joined at the folds, not slit apart.

Unpaginated :

The pages are not numbered (although each signature may be designated by letter).

Unsewn :

In original folded sheets, never bound.

Unsophisticated :

Pure, genuine, unrestored, and if a book is so described, it can mean trouble as far as condition is concerned.

Vanity Publisher :

Who publishes a book or books paid for by the author

Variant :

A book that differs in one or more features from others of the same impression, but a positive sequence has not been established.

Vellum :

A thin sheet of specially prepared skin of calf, lamb, or kid used for writing or printing, or for the cover.

Verso :

The second, or rear, side of a leaf in a book; in other words, the left hand page of an opened book. Also called the reverse.

Very Good Condition :

A description implying some slight wear. A book so described would usually be acceptable to all but most condition conscious of collectors.

Washed :

A method of removing foxing or staining by treatment of paper with a mild oxidizing agent.

Watermark :

A translucent design, often emblematic, in a sheet of paper indicating the papermaker.

Water Stained :

Discolouration and perhaps actual shrinking of the leaves or binding.

Widow :

A single word or partial line.

Wood Cut :

A method of illustration in which a block of wood is carved with special tools to prepare a raised printing surface.

Wood Engraving :

Similar to the wood cut in which a design is incised as a series of fine lines. This technique is of later development and is capable of far more detailed effects than the woodcut.

Worming :

Small holes left by the action of the book worm.

Wove Paper :

Paper which, when held to the light, appears to have an even pattern of fine mesh, distinct from laid paper.

Wraparound Band :

The band of printed-paper the length of the dust jacket of a book. Favourable reviews are printed on the wraparound bands, which are put around some copies of books. They are of interest to collectors.

Wrappers :

The outer covers of a paperbound book or pamphlet. Not to be confused with “dust wrapper.”

Yapped :

Refers to the edges of the cover of a book bound in paper or another soft material. Overlapping flaps around the edges.

Yellowing :

A gradual change from the original appearance of a material, such as paper, due to aging or environmental changes, or both.

Zincograph :

A zinc etching.