Buried Antiques Glossary of Rare Book Collecting Terms

Buried Antiques: Glossary of Rare Book Collecting Terms
This glossary will help you find common book term language among book dealers and collectors

Advance Copy -- A copy of a book, generally bound in plain or decorated wraps, (although it may occasionally be bound with a review slip laid-in) which is circulated to reviewers, booksellers, etc. prior to publication. Generally used for promotional purposes. Although collectable in their own right, they do not represent a first edition or first issue of the book, and do not detract from the value of a true first printing.

Association Copy -- A book with great literary associations. This book may be inscribed by the or close friend or associate, be from the library of someone famous, or may even have been owned or inscribed by the person for whom one of the characters was modeled. Collecting 'association copies' can be one of the more exciting areas of book collecting.

Authorized Edition -- First Edition published with the author's consent. In rare situations, as unauthorized edition my be much more valuable than the first authorized edition!

Autographed -- VERY IMPORTANT! In the booksellers world, autographed means handwritten (as opposed to typed, or a copy from a printer or a press). It does not mean signed by the author, unless the description specifically indicated this. A signed, autographed letter is a letter written and signed entirely in the author's hand.

Back strip -- The spine or back of a book.

Bastard Title Page -- See Half-title page. The page that more often than not precedes the title page. It may only contain the title of the book and no additional information.

Beveled -- Boards (edges or boards) that are cut at an oblique angle prior to covering, as opposed to the standard 90 degree cut.

Bibliography -- 1. A list of titles, generally located at the rear of a book, referenced by the author; 2. The Study of Books - a bibliographer is one who studies, collects, and/or is an expert on books.

Binding -- The covers and spine of a book.

Bindings -- A term generally used in the antiquarian book world to mean Fine Bindings, of which there are numerous styles. A highly collectible and generally expensive category. Some examples of fine binding styles are Antique, Cambridge Style, La Greque, Dos-A-Dos, Etruscan, and Spanish Calf.

Binding Copy -- a quality book needing, and generally deserving to be rebound.

Blanks -- A blank page intentionally left in the book by the publisher.

Blind Stamping -- An uncolored (or "blind") stamp or embossing on the pages or boards of a book.

Blurb -- A reviewer's comment, generally written by another author, or by a reviewer for a newspaper or magazine. Blurbs can be printed on wraps, on dust jackets, on front pages and on wraparound bands.

Boards -- The covers, front and rear, of a hardbound book.

Book Plate -- An indication of ownership in the form of a plate on the front PASTEDOWN or FLYLEAF (Unless it is the book plate of a well-known personality, this usually decreases the value of the book. The bane of mort booksellers!)

Bound -- A book is bound by sewing the pages to the boards prior to the gluing of the covering material.

Broadside/Broadsheet -- A large piece of paper with printing on only one side.

Calf -- The most common leather used for binding books, made from the hide of a calf.

Calligraphy -- Fancy penmanship used in inscriptions, diplomas, manuscripts, and such.

Cancel -- A correction added after a book has been bound. May be anywhere from a small inserted piece of paper to an entire new page pasted in.

Caption -- An inscription under an illustration.

Colophon -- Publishers information at the end of the book (as opposed to the copyright page) including the title, author, printer, place of printing, date, etc. A colophon is generally considered to be a formality in today's books and is not often used.

Copyright Page -- The page is usually located on the verso of the title page, and contains the publisher's information, copyright notices, disclaimers, and the Library of Congress Information. This page is the most important page for collectors of Modern First Editions.

Copy -- A document ready to set into type for printing.

Curiosa -- A subject heading with an extremely broad range. It includes anything from erotica to medical texts. The Internet has broadened this spectrum considerably.

Deckle -- Cherished by collectors, a deckled edge is the rough and irregular edge of hand-made paper.

Dedication Copy -- The page on which the author writes his dedication, usually the page after the title page.

Dentelle -- A lacy rim, or border along the inner edge. In the 18th century the dentelle was usually on the outside of the book. Today most dentelles are used on the inside.

Dust Jacket -- A paper cover protecting a book from dirt and wear.

Dust Wrapper -- Same as Dust Jacket.

Doctored -- Restored or repaired, but usually used by booksellers as a negative term. As is the case with antiques, a book is generally more valuable when undoctored.

Edges --
a.) Fore -- the edge to the right when facing the book
b.) Top -- the edge at the top of the book
c.) Tail -- the edge at the bottom of the book.

Edition -- All copies of a book printed from on type-set. An edition may have multiple printings.

Engravings -- An illustration or decoration printed from a metal plate or wood block.

Ephemera -- Items usually created for reading and subsequent disposal. Some examples include letters, advertisements, magazines and newspapers.

Errata -- Errors or misprints discovered after a book has been printed. A list of errata may have been printed on a spare page, or part of a page, or on a slip tipped-in.

Ex-Library -- Previously owned by a lending library, and usually accompanied by the library stamps, marks, packets, cards, stickers etc. Ex-Library books are generally not valued by collectors, except as reading copies.

Facsimiles -- An exact copy or fake of an original.

Fair Market Value -- Fair market value is the amount a dealer or reseller may pay for your book or ephemera item.

First Edition -- The first appearance of an author's work in book form.

Fly Leaf -- The flyleaf is a binder's blank located at the front and rear of a book, adjacent and medial to the front and rear pastedown.

Fly Sheet -- Similar to a broadsheet, but smaller and printed on both sides.

Folio --
a. A book of FOLIO size (see book sizes)
b. A page numbered on the front.

Frontispiece -- A graphic facing the title page of the book, (most commonly an illustration or photograph).

Gift Binding -- A special binding, usually leather, used for gift giving.

Gilt Edges -- All three edges of a book are cut smooth and gilded, usually with gold paint.

Grooves -- The front and rear indentations (or troughs) between the boards and the spine.

Half-Title Page (a.k.a. Bastard-Title Page) -- The leaf located just prior to the title page containing only the title of the book.

Impression -- The number of copies of an edition printed from one type setting. One editions may have more than one impression.

Incunabula -- A term used to describe books that were published prior to the year 1501, during printing's infancy.

Inscriptions -- VERY IMPORTANT! Writing in the book, particularly on the end papers, or front flyleaf, which is totally unconnected with the author or any other famous person. It usually is the name or a note written by the book's previous owner, and may be considered a detriment when describing a book's condition.

Issues (See States) -- A edition of a book may be composed of several issues or states, and is described as such when a change has been made during the same edition.

Jacket-Flap -- The parts of a dust jacket tucked inside the front and rear endpapers of a book. This keeps the dust jacket on the book and may contain a synopsis of the book as well as several blurbs. The front jacket flap may also (hopefully) lest the price of the book.

Label -- Title information printed on a separate piece of paper or leather, and pasted to the front and spine of a book.

Limited Edition -- Any edition limited to a declared number of copies, such as copy #2/500 copies. The lower the number, the more valuable the copy.

Marbled -- A faux-marble pattern often used for endpapers.

Modern First Editions -- A very vague term, but generally used for books published in the last 100 years.

Morocco -- Beautiful leather made from goatskin and used for fine binding.

Mounted -- An illustration can be mounted (as opposed to printed directly) on a blank sheet in a book.

Out-of-Print -- Books that are only available for purchase second hand, due to the Publisher's exhausted supply.

Paste-Down -- See Endpapers.

Parchment -- Specially dressed sheepskin used for writing.

Pirated Edition -- A book published, or copied without the permission of, or payment to the author.

Plates -- Whole sheet illustrations, as opposed to "cuts", which are illustrations printed on text pages.

Points -- An error or peculiarity in a book that helps differentiate it from other copies and may indicate a priority of issue. A point may increase the value of a book dramatically.

Presentation Copy -- A book that is a gift of the author of publisher.

Press Books -- Books that are the product of a private press.

Privately Printed -- A term that is generally used to describe a book that was printed solely for use and /or distribution by the author.

Proofs -- A trial print used for proofreading.

Publication -- A published work (book, map, etc.) offered to the public.

Reading Copy -- A book in fairly poor, and not collectable condition, good only for reading.

Remainder -- Publisher's overstock that is subsequently discounted, and marked as such. Most remaindered books are sold for reading copies, and are generally not collectable. These books are identified by a remainder mark.

Remainder Mark -- A mark on a book with permanent marker, spray paint or a stamp that identifies a Remainder, or publisher's overstock. This mark is usually located on an outside edge, or on the binding of the book.

Replacement Value -- The amount you would expect to pay for the book or ephemera item from a dealer or retailer.

Review Copy -- A copy of a book sent out for review prior to publication. Review copies may be marked by a note on an endpaper or flyleaf (rare today), or by a slip of paper inserted into the book, which is more common at present.

Slip Case -- A box made to contain a precious volume, open on one side to enable viewing of the book's spine.

Spine -- The back edge of a book that is visible when a book is placed on a bookshelf.

Tail -- The bottom of a book.

Tipped-In -- A leaf document or slip that is attached loosely in the book using past or gum.

Title page -- The page after the half-title page. The title page generally contains the title of the page, the author, the publisher, and occasionally the publication date.

Vellum -- Specially treated calf-skin used for bindings, writing or printing on.

Verso -- the back of a page, or the left side of a page when the book is open.

Vignette -- A decoration used on a headpiece to a chapter, or to divide a book into sections. A vignette may also be located on the title page.

Wrappers -- See wraps.

Wraps -- A paperback. Most books are described today as either hardcover or wraps.