Inspired-Quill » Resources

Book Glossary – A, B

Sara Slack — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:00:25 +0000

Have you ever been confused when buying a book online thanks to all of the peculiar abbreviations and terminology? I know that I certainly have, and it’s a source of irritation when I have to go traipsing around the Internet in order to find out what each thing actually means. Because of this, I have decided to attempt to create a comprehensive list; an ‘A-Z of Books’, if you will. Hopefully, you will find this new feature informative enough so as not to need to go anywhere else.

A

AEG – (Abbreviation), All Edges Gilt

B

Biennial – An item which is printed every two years

Blank – A page which has not been printed on

Book Glossary – C, D, E

Sara Slack — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:00:17 +0000

C

Closed Tear – A tear with no material missing

D

DEC – (Abbreviation) Decorated

E

ED – (Abbreviation) Edition, or Editor

Book Glossary – F, G, H

Sara Slack — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:00:59 +0000

F

Fore-edge – The unbound edge where a book opens, opposite to the spine.

G

Guard – A piece of protective paper (usually thin), which covers an illustration or plate.

H

Half-cloth – Paper covered boards, with the spine bound in cloth.

Book Glossary – I, J, K

Sara Slack — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:00:19 +0000

I

Inscribed – Signed by the author or another individual related to the book, but with wording (such as ‘To John’ or ‘All the best’) instead of just being a signature.

IP – Abbreviation; ‘In Print’

J

Joints – Where the spine is attached to the exterior sides of the book. Also referred to as the ‘gutter’, as this creates the centre crease in the book.

K

None Yet!

Book Glossary – L, M, N

Sara Slack — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:00:52 +0000

L

None Yet!

M

Misbound - When the pages of a book are printed in an incorrect order, upside down or back to front.

N

ND – ‘Not Dated’, When a book shows no indication of a publication date.

Notice Sheet – A way to determine a check for colour schemes prior to bookbindery processing.

Book Glossary – O, P

Sara Slack — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:00:01 +0000

O

OOP – Out of Print

Open Tear – A tear which has resulted in some of the material being removed

P

Pagination – The numbering of pages

Book Glossary – Q, R

Sara Slack — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 22:40:06 +0000

Q

None Yet!

R

Recto – The right-hand page of a book when open and facing the handler

RET – Abbreviation; ‘Returnable’

Rubbed – Where the book’s colour or text has been worn away from the pages

Book Glossary – S, T

Sara Slack — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:00:37 +0000

S

Shelf-Back – The book’s spine

Spine – The backbone of a book. Most books have their titles printed here to facilitate easy-viewing when on a shelf.

T

TP – The ‘Title Page’ of the book. Located inside, before the main text.

Book Glossary – U, V, W

Sara Slack — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:30:09 +0000

U

Uncut – Edges of a book which are left raw instead of being trimmed.

V

Vellum – A type of parchment/paper made from animal skin (usually that of a calf). It iwas primarily used in the middle ages in single pages for writing and printing, as well a the as material for binding books.

W

Woodcut – An early method of illustration dating back to 8th century China. A picture or some text is carved into a piece of wood which is then rolled over with an ink and pressed onto a surface in order to make a print.

Book Glossary – X, Y, Z

Sara Slack — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:00:15 +0000

X

* No Definitions Yet

Y

* No Definitions Yet

Z

* No Definitions Yet