| |
|
| Antiquarian |
Older,
more collectable books, rare, or out-of-print |
| |
|
| Appendix |
Additional
material or information, generally at the
end of a book |
| |
|
| Autographed |
Signed
by the author |
| |
|
| Backstrip |
The
covering to the spine of the book |
| |
|
| Binding |
Covering |
| |
|
| Boards |
The
main covers which contain the book |
| |
|
| Bookplate |
An
ownership label, usually fixed inside the front
cover |
| |
|
| Bowed |
The
condition whereby the cover boards have distorted
due to incorrect or inappropriate storage |
| |
|
| Breaker |
A
copy of a book which has parts damaged or missing
but which may be matched with a copy in similar
condition to produce a good copy - a trade term |
| |
|
| Buckram |
A
coarse cotton cloth, heavily starched, used in
bookbinding |
| |
|
| Bumped |
A
description whereby the corner tips of the cover
boards have received a knock which has caused
them to bend |
| |
|
| Case-Bound |
A
hardback |
| |
|
| Chipped |
Used
to describe where pieces of the book are missing,
usually to the dust jacket |
| |
|
| Cocked |
A
distortion caused by incorrect storage. The
leading edges of the front and rear cover boards
are out of line with one another instead of
level, giving an angled appearance. Most apparent
when looking at the spine whilst the book
is standing upright |
| |
|
| Dent |
An
accidental impression to the cover boards |
| |
|
| Dog-Eared |
The
cover or page tips have been bent over |
| |
|
| Dust
Jacket |
The
outer cover which goes around the cover boards,
also known as the wrapper |
| |
|
| Edition |
The
run of a book issue which is printed from
the same typeset |
| |
|
| Endpaper |
The
paper pasted to the inside surfaces of the
cover boards |
| |
|
| Errata |
Errors,
usually in the text |
| |
|
| Ex-Library |
Indicates
that the book was a library copy. It will
contain stamps, ticket pockets and markings
to one degree or another |
| |
|
| FEP |
Front
End Paper |
| |
|
| Front
Free Endpaper (FFP) |
A
free endpaper, which isn't pasted down |
| |
|
| Fine |
The
book is in excellent condition and bears
only slight traces of ownership |
| |
|
| First
Edition |
The
first printing of a book or publication |
| |
|
| Fly-Leaf |
A
blank page, (sometimes more than one) either
after the Front End Paper, or at the very
end of the book |
| |
|
| Frontispiece |
The
picture or diagram inside the front cover
of the book, usually after the FEP |
| |
|
| Full
Binding |
The
situation where the complete book,
including the spine, is covered with the
same material |
| |
|
| Gauferred |
The
design on the edges of a book |
| |
|
| Gilt
Edged |
Where
the page edges have been coated in gilt or gold |
| |
|
| Good |
General
wear with minor faults, creases or marks
accepted |
| |
|
| Gutter |
Where
the inner page adjoins the spine of the book |
| |
|
| Half-Binding |
Where
the spine and corners have a
different binding to the rest of the book |
| |
|
| Hinge |
Where
the book covers actually open |
| |
|
| Illumination |
A
hand-painted piece of decorative type,
usually at the beginning of a passage,
as in ancient manuscripts |
| |
|
| Incunabula |
A
book printed before 1501. From the Latin for in,
or at, the cradle, because of its early
origin. |
| |
|
| Index |
The
alphabetical list of the contents of a book |
| |
|
| Jacket |
The
wrapper, or dust cover of a book, aka the Dust
Jacket |
| |
|
| Large
Print |
Large
typeface for visually impaired readers |
| |
|
| Leaf |
The
single sheet or page in a book |
| |
|
| Mint |
A
copy which is as new, absolutely perfect |
| |
|
| Morocco |
Goatskin
leather binding |
| |
|
| No
Date (n/d) |
There
is no date of publication printed in the book |
| |
|
| Obverse
(or Recto) |
The
pages on the right |
| |
|
| Out-of-print |
A
book no longer being produced |
| |
|
| Paste-Down,
or Stick-Down |
The
part of the endpaper pasted to the inner
cover boards |
| |
|
| Pictorial |
With
a picture |
| |
|
| Plate |
A
picture separated from the text |
| |
|
| Poor |
As
stated, a copy which may be damaged and
tattered but the text is still readable.
Below a 'reader' copy |
| |
|
| Preface |
Introduction |
| |
|
| Price-Clipped |
The
price has been cut from the corner of the
dust jacket |
| |
|
| Proof |
One
of various forms of a book before the final
published copy |
| |
|
| Publication
Date |
The
date the book is placed on sale |
| |
|
| Reader
Copy |
A
book too worn to be collectable but still
complete and readable |
| |
|
| Recto |
The
right hand pages of an open book. The front
of the page |
| |
|
| Remainder |
A
term used to describe the stock a publisher
is left with after a print run |
| |
|
| Reverse,
or Verso |
The
reverse side, or back of a page. The left
hand side of an open book |
| |
|
| Very
good |
A
little under Fine, slight foxing or fading,
slight rubbing to the dust jacket, nice and
clean with no general faults |
| |
|
| |
|
