Glossary of book collecting terminology
Looking for help understanding commonly used book collecting terminology, or abbreviations and references used in book sellers' descriptions? Some of the terminology used in book collecting can be arcane, indeed! Hopefully, our glossary of book collecting terminology will help you unravel some of the jargon used by book collectors and book sellers!Book collecting definitions
1
12mo An abbreviation for duodecimo, a book size describing a book whi...1st edition, thus Indicates that this is not the first appearance of a book in pri...
1st thus Indicates that this is not the first appearance of a book in pri...
4
4to Or quarto. A term used generally to describe the approximate siz...8
8vo Short for Octavo, A book whose page size is approximately 8-10 i...A
A.N. When used to describe the condition of a book refers to As New, ...ABA American Booksellers Association (USA) or Antiquarian Bookseller...
ABAA Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America...
ABDASC Antiquarian Book Dealers Association of South Carolina...
acceptable A non-traditional book condition description that generally refe...
Advanced Review Copy A specially printed copy of the book, generally paperback, which...
AEG All Edges Gilt. Describes a book in which the top, fore edge an...
age tanned Used to describe a light brown or tan color that paper can somet...
age toned Used to describe a light brown or tan color that paper can somet...
age-tanned Used to describe a light brown or tan color that paper can somet...
age-toned Used to describe a light brown or tan color that paper can somet...
ALA American Library Association...
ANZAAB Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Bookseller...
ARC Advanced Review Copy, a specially printed copy of the book, gene...
As New "the book is in the same immaculate condition in which it was pu...
As New/Fine "the book is in the same immaculate condition in which it was pu...
Association copy A copy of a book which has been signed and inscribed by the auth...
B
BCE Book Club Edition...bds An abbreviation used for boards, used to describe the front and ...
beveled The boards of the book have been cut at an angle....
Biblio The Greek root for a variety of words referring to the book, suc...
binder's copy A copy of a book that requires rebinding. The covers may be det...
binders copy A copy of a book that requires rebinding. The covers may be det...
binding copy A copy of a book that requires rebinding. The covers may be det...
blindstamp An indentation deliberately placed on the board of a book. Often...
blurb The commentary appear on the dust jacket flaps or the rear of th...
boards Common term for the covers of a hardbound book....
BOMC Book-of-the-Month Club...
book club edition A generic term denoting a book which was produced or distributed...
bookplate A device (often decorative) affixed to the book, usually on the ...
Brendan Sherar The CEO of Biblio.com. A harmless drudge. ...
Brodart Generally used to refer to a clear plastic cover that is sometim...
buckram A cloth made of cotton or linen which is used to cover a book....
bumped Indicates that the affected part of the book has been impacted i...
bumping Indicates that the affected part of the book has been impacted i...
Bumps Indicates that the affected part of the book has been impacted i...
C
calf Leather binding made from calfskin. Most common form of leather ...chipped A defect in which small pieces missing from the edges....
chipping A defect in which small pieces missing from the edges....
chppd Abbreviation for chipped, describing a defect in which small pie...
closed tear A tear in which no material has been lost. ...
Closed tearing A tear in which no material has been lost. ...
Closed tears Tears in which no material has been lost. ...
Cloth Generally refers to a hardcover with cloth covering the outside ...
cocked Refers to a state where the spine of a book is lightly "twisted"...
colophon The last text portion of a book, which contains information abou...
cracked In reference to a hinge or a book's binding, means that the glue...
crisp A term often used to indicate a book's new-like condition. Indic...
D
device A printers mark which usually appears on either the colophon or ...DJ Short for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper...
dust jacket A protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper...
dustwrapper Another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative ...
E
e-book A book which is produced and supplied in an electronic form only...e.p. When used to describe a book, the endpaper(s), The first and las...
endpaper The double leaves bound into a book at the front and rear after ...
endpapers The first and last two pages (verso and recto) from the front an...
ep When used to describe a book, the endpaper(s), The first and las...
errata a list correcting errors found after a book has already been pri...
Ex-library A former library book, generally containing library acquisition ...
F
F+/F+ A slightly better than Fine condition book, with a slightly bett...F+/F- A slightly better than Fine condition book, with a slightly less...
F+/VG A slightly better than Fine condition book, with a Very Good con...
F-/F+ A slightly less than Fine condition book, with a slightly better...
F-/F- A slightly less than Fine condition book, with a slightly less t...
F-/VG A slightly less than Fine condition book, with a Very Good condi...
F-/VG+ A slightly less than Fine condition book with a slightly better ...
f/f Fine condition book, with fine condition dust jacket. Fine cond...
F/F- Fine condition book, with a slightly less than fine condition du...
F/VG Fine condition book, with a Very Good condition dust jacket. Fin...
facsimile An exact copy of an original work....
Fair is a worn book that has complete text pages (including those wit...
fair+ Used to describe a book in slightly better than Fair condition. ...
fair- Used to describe a book in slightly less than fair condition. F...
ffep Front free endpaper. Generally, the first page of a book....
FFEP or ffep Front free endpaper....
Fine-/Fair Fine condition book with a Fair condition dust jacket. A slight...
Fine-/Very Good+ A slightly less than Fine condition book with a slightly better ...
Fine-/VG A slightly less than Fine condition book with a Very Good condit...
Fine-/VG+ A slightly less than Fine condition book with a slightly better ...
Fine/Fair Fine condition book with a Fair condition dust jacket. Fine a...
Fine/VG A Fine condition book with a Very Good condition dust jacket. ...
first state used in book collecting to refer to a book from the earliest run...
first thus Indicates that this is not the first appearance of a book in pri...
flap(s) The portion of a dust jacket which folds around the edges of a b...
flatsigned signed, and not inscribed, directly on a page of the book....
foi former owner's intials....
folio a large book size, generally 15" in height or larger. ...
fon former owner's name. Indicates that the previous owner of the bo...
fore edge The portion of a book that is opposite the spine. Depending on c...
foxed A discoloration to paper, brown and yellowish spots....
frayed or fraying Indicates that the cloth, paper, or other outer shell which cove...
front free endpaper The portion of the endpaper which is left loose after binding. T...
frontise A portrait or illustration on the page opposing the title page....
frontispiece A portrait or illustration on the page opposing the title page....
G
g+ A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than Goo...G- A term used to denote a condition a slight grade lesser than Goo...
gathering(s) The group of pages or leaves formed by folding the original prin...
gilt The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion...
glassine wrapper a transparent or translucent paper covering often used as a prot...
good+ A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than Goo...
gutter The inside margin of a book, the edge of the pages nearing the b...
H
half title The leaf which appears just prior to the title page, and typical...head band The upper most portion of the spine when the book is standing ve...
heel The lower most portion of the spine when the book is standing ve...
hinge The portion of a book near the spine that is intended to flex to...
I
IAMA International Antiquarian Mapsellers's Association ...IBOOKNET Independent Booksellers' Network (UK)...
ILAB International League of Antiquarian Booksellers...
Incunabula A book printed before 1501, referring to the earliest period of ...
Independent bookseller A proud, but humble professional practitioner of the venerable t...
inscribed a short note written by the author or a previous owner in the be...
instructor's edition An edition of a textbook produced for teachers or professors, so...
instructors edition An edition of a textbook produced for teachers or professors, so...
International Edition A textbook that has been printed at a discounted price for distr...
International Standard Book Number A industry standard method for identifying books developed in 19...
IOBA Independent Online Booksellers' Association ...
ISBN International Standard Book Number...
J
jacket Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and...L
laid in something which is included with, but not attached to the book, ...laid-in something which is included with, but not attached to the book, ...
later state used in book collecting to refer to a book from a later run of a...
leaves When used to refer to a part of a book means the book's pages....
LOC Library of Congress...
M
Marbled boards A hardcover book with a decorative, multi-colored paper on the o...marbled paper A decorative, multi-colored paper, sometimes used as end papers,...
marginalia Notes written in the margins, or beside the text of a book by a ...
MARIAB Massachusetts and Rhode Island Antiquarian Booksellers...
Mass Market Also known as the pocket paperback. A small format paperback usu...
Mass market paperback Also known as the pocket paperback. A small format paperback usu...
MM Mass Market Paperback. Often thought of as the pocket paperback....
movie tie-in an edition of a book which is produced in conjunction with a mov...
N
nd no publisher's date given...near mint a synonym for Near Fine....
NF Near fine condition...
NrFine Near Fine condition...
O
o.w. An abbreviation for otherwise...o/w An abbreviation for otherwise...
octavo A book whose page size is approximately 12 inches by 9 inches. ...
OOP Out of print. A book which is no longer being printed by the pu...
OP Out of print. A book which is no longer being printed by the pu...
or. cl. orginal cloth...
P
paste-down The portion of the endpaper that is glued to the inner boards of...pastedown The paper glued to the inside cover of a hard cover book....
pb paperback...
PBFA Provincial Booksellers' Fairs Association ...
pbo paper back original. Indicates that the paperback release is th...
pc Partially chipped (dustjacket)...
pictorial wraps Indicates that the covers of a paperback are decorated with a pi...
plate Full page illustration or photograph. Plates are printed separat...
plates Full page illustrations or photographs. Plates are printed separ...
POD Print on Demand. A book which is printed by special order. Oft...
price clipped The portion of the dust jacket flap where the publisher prints t...
price-clipped The portion of the dust jacket flap where the publisher prints t...
Print on Demand A book which is printed by special order. Often a paperback pri...
pub Common abbreviation for 'published'...
publisher's slip A piece of paper from the publisher included in review copies of...
Q
quality paperback another term for a trade paperback, describing a paperback gener...quarto A term used generally to describe the approximate size of a book...
R
raised band(s) On leather bound books, the ridges that protrude slightly from t...re-backed having had the material covering the spine replaced....
reading copy Indicates a book that is perfectly serviceable for reading. It m...
rear free endpaper The portion of the endpaper which is left loose after binding. T...
rebacked having had the material covering the spine replaced....
rebound A book in which the pages have been bound into a covering replac...
recto The page on the right side of a book, with the term Verso used t...
remainder Book(s) which are sold at a very deep discount to alleviate publ...
remainder mark Usually an ink marking of some sort which indicates that the boo...
reprint Any printing of a book which follows the original edition. By d...
review material Any number of a variety of possible promotional and publicity in...
rfep Rear free end paper. The last blank sheet of paper bound into t...
RFEP or rfep rear free endpaper...
RMABA Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Association...
rubbing Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a...
S
sans dw or sans dj Lacking the dustjacket....second state used in book collecting to refer to a first edition, but after s...
shaken A hardcover in which the text block is loose, but still attached...
shelf wear Minor wear resulting from a book being place on, and taken from ...
shelf worn Minor wear resulting from a book being place on, and taken from ...
shelfwear Minor wear resulting from a book being place on, and taken from ...
sl. slight...
slip case A protective sleeve, often made of decorative cardboard or leath...
soiled Generally refers to minor discoloration or staining....
soiling Generally refers to minor discoloration or staining....
spine The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The...
spine strip The material covering the spine, or the rear portion of the outs...
spinestrip The material covering the spine, or the rear portion of the outs...
sunned The affected portion of the book has been discolored from exposu...
T
tail The heel of the spine....TBA Texas Booksellers Association...
TEG Top Edge Gilt...
testedit testedit...
tight Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loos...
tipped in used to describe something which has been glued into a book, for...
tipped-in used to describe something which has been glued into a book, for...
title page A page where the title of the book, the author's name and public...
TOC table of contents...
top edge gilt The top of the text block (the edges the pages that are visible ...
tp title page...
TPB Trade paperback, indicating a paperback which is generally simil...
trade paperback Often used to indicate any paperback book that is somewhat large...
U
Unbound A book or pamphlet which does not have a covering binding, somet...uncorrected proof Released prior to the general release, and prior to final editin...
Uncut pages Traditionally, a book which has not been trimmed by rebinding, a...
unopened A state in which all or some of the pages of a book have not bee...
V
vellum A fine quality of parchment made from hide produced for binding ...verso The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto...
vg Very Good condition. can describe a used book that does show som...
VG+ A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than VG....
VG+/VG A book in slightly better than Very Good Condition with a Very G...
VG+/VG+ A book in slightly better than Very Good Condition with a dust j...
VG+/VG- A book in slightly better than Very Good Condition with a dust j...
VG- A term used to denote a condition a slight grade lesser than VG....
VG-/VG+ A book in slightly better than Very Good Condition with a dust j...
VG-/VG- A book in slightly less than Very Good Condition with a dust jac...
VG/VG Very Good Condition book with a Very Good Condition dust jacket....
W
wrappers Paperback or softbound. Also, wraps....wraps The paper covering on the outside of a paperback....