Glossary at Handee Books!

Glossary

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12mo or Duodecimo (book format): A work between 7 and 8 inches tall.
Advance Reading Copy (or ARC): Copy sent out to reviewers and booksellers prior to the official publication of a work. Modern Advance Reading Copies tend to be in trade paperback format. See also: Galley, Uncorrected Proof.
All Edges Gilt (or AEG): Gilt has been applied to the top-edge, fore-edge and bottom-edge of the text block. Common variation: T.E.G., or Top-Edge Gilt.
ALS or Autograph Letter, Signed: A letter handwritten by the person signing the letter.
As New: Used by us to denote a book in Fine condition which was either sent to us directly by a publisher or selected from the shelf of a new bookstore. An As New copy will be flawless in every way and will only be signed by the author if the signature appears on a tipped-in or bound-in sheet affixed prior to publication (for example, Easton Press, Limited Editions Club or Franklin Mint editions). e.g. “An unread copy, As New in dustjacket”.
As Usual: Denotes that a flaw in a book is a common one; e.g., when describing a book printed in the U.K. sometime between 1975 and 1995, a statement such as “pages tanned at the edges, as usual” means that finding a copy without tanned pages is virtually impossible - the quality of the paper, in this case, is such that the pages tan quickly.
Association Copy: A copy, usually signed, once owned by the author or someone associated with the author or the contents of the particular work. For example, a copy belonging to an author's agent, relative, friend or someone with whom the author has a close working relationship.
Autograph: Signature, usually the signature of the author of a particular item. If the signature is of someone other than the author, whether it be an illustrator, editor, associate of the author, or a previous owner, the relationship will be explained. If the signature is accompanied by an inscription, the inscription will be reproduced in our description. See also “Signed, “Inscription”, and "Gift Inscription".
Autograph Letter, Signed or ALS: A letter handwritten by the person signing the letter.
Backstrip: The covering of a hardcover book’s spine, usually with the title, author and (sometimes) publisher printed on it.
Blind (or Generic) Inscription:: The item bears a dedication signed by the author, such as “Best Wishes” or “Be Well” but mentions no specific individual.
Blind Stamp: A plain impression or tooling without addition of color applied to the boards or binding of a book. Most commonly used to denote Book Club editions, as in “blind stamp to the lower corner of the rear board near the spine”. Also used to describe names or other information impressed on a page of a book, e.g. “previous owner’s blind stamp at the bottom of the title page”.
Binding: The method of holding the pages of a book together. Examples are stapled, sewn, sattle stitched. Used by some dealers interchangeably with "backstrip". "Binding" actually refers to the work beneath the backstrip.
Binding Copy: A copy lacking the original binding or with the original binding in such poor condition rebinding is necessary.
Boards: The covers of a hardbound book, usually made of cardboard covered with cloth, paper or leather.
Book Club Edition (or BCE): Usually manufactured utilizing cheap materials, issued by one of the literally thousands of book clubs which have existed in the past 150 years or so. In the past these have been throwaway items of little interest to collectors. In recent years, however, interest in select book club editions has developed. These include first hardcover editions of paperback originals (e.g. The Practice Effect by David Brin), omnibus editions which collect several novels by the same author (e.g. The Belgariad by David Eddings), and copies of titles prohibitively expensive in their original form to most collectors (e.g. Roger Zelazny’s Lord of Light).
Book Formats: The terms used to describe book formats - Elephant Folio, Folio, Quarto, 8vo, 12mo and 16mo, come from the size of early handmade sheets of paper. When a single sheet is printed on both sides and bound, the format is called Elephant Folio. When four pages, printed on both sides of a sheet of paper are folded once and bound, the format is denoted “folio”. A “quarto” is eight pages printed on both sides of the same size sheet and folded twice. The word “oblong” is used in concert with these terms to denote a book that is wider than it is tall, e.g. “oblong 8vo” would describe a book 8 to10 inches tall and at least 9 to 11 inches wide.
Bookplate: Label, often decorative and sometimes beautiful, pasted into a book, usually on the front pastedown.
Broadside: Literature printed on one side of a single sheet; often used in publishing poetry, lyrics or announcements. If printing occurs on both sides, it is called a “broadsheet”.
Bumping: An indentation, most commonly to the spine ends or tips of the boards, caused by the striking of the book against a hard surface (or another book).
Cancel: Some element of the finished book has been changed by the publisher after printing and binding. Most common is the practice of pasting a new publisher’s name or additional information over the existing information on a title or copyright page. For example, a book published in the U.K. by Allen Lane might be imported into the U.S. by St. Martin’s Press. Rather than printing additional copies of the book with the Allen Lane name replaced, St. Martin’s might paste a strip of paper printed with the St. Martin’s name over the Allen Lane name.
Chapbook: A small, stapled (saddle-stitched) or string-bound book or pamphlet of stories.
Chipped (or chipping): Refers to a condition in which a (usually small) piece of the item being described is missing. For example, "The dustjacket has shallow chipping from the spine ends" means that small pieces of the dustjacket have been worn away with time. Larger pieces will be described as a "loss" and the approximate size of the blemish will be noted, e.g. "There is a 2" loss from the heel of the spine". Chipping occurs most often when paper has become brittle due to age or exposure to the elements.
Closed Tear: A tear where all pieces fit together to form a complete whole. The tear will likely be noticeable but nothing will be missing. Accompanying the notation of a closed tear will be a description of the tear’s length, either as “short” (one inch or less) or with specific detail (2.5”, 3”, etc.). For the opposite of this condition, see “chipped”.
Cloth: Literally, the cloth which covers the boards of a hardbound book. Some dealers, however, use this term interchangeably with “boards”, “hardbound” or “hardcover”; for example, “Fine in cloth with dustjacket” or “cloth (or clothbound) issue, Fine in a Fine dustjacket”.
Codex: The format of the modern book, with pages bound together between covers. Developed by the Romans as a replacement for the scroll. Historically the term is reserved for books made between 300 and 1500 AD.
Colophon: A statement at the rear of a book which imparts information about the physical aspects of the book such as the typeface, binding elements, grade of paper or name of the printer or bookbinder. The most common examples of colophons in modern mass-market publishing are those at the back of books published by Alfred A. Knopf.
Condition: The physical state of a book, usually expressed in one or two words followed
by a description of the deterioration of the book. In the book world,
accepted terminology is (from bottom to top): Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good,
Near Fine, Fine, As New. Some sellers abbreviate some of the terms, some add
a + or - to their descriptions, some use the term “mint” - a term borrowed
from the coin, stamp and comic book worlds. We only use the term "mint" when
describing comics and we never use + or -.
Cut Edge or Trimmed Edge: The edges of the text block have been trimmed before binding. Prior to the invention of machines that can do this, trimming the edges of a text block was done by hand and was a mark of craftsmanship. Now that cut edges are the norm, deckle or untrimmed edges are sometimes used to make a book look classy.
Dampstain: Stain caused by water or other liquid. Also referred to as “moisture stain”.
Deckle Edges: Rough, uneven page edges. In the past, this was a natural byproduct of book production as the necessary machinery didn’t exist earlier in the 19th century to trim page edges evenly. Now that such machinery exists, deckle edges are a sign of either a handmade book or one which a (major) publisher wants to “dress-up”.
Decorative Boards: Describes a book, often one without a dustjacket (whether it has been lost or was issued without one), the boards of which have an additional design element beyond the color of the cloth, leather or paper or the binding style. Examples would be a sigil stamped in gold leaf or an elaborate designed tooled into leather-covered boards.
Disbound: Refers to a book which has been removed from its binding. The term "unbound" refers to a book which has never been bound, typically a salesperson’s, binder’s or editor’s dummy.
Duodecimo or 12mo (book format): A work between 7 and 8 inches tall.
Dustjacket: The separate outer covering of (usually) a hardcover book, usually made of paper or plastic. The dustjacket was originally intended to protect the book but quickly became a marketing tool bearing illustrations and information about the book and author. In the case of a collectible book a dustjacket may account for 90% of the value.
Edges: Refers to the three outer edges of the leaves, e.g. the top-, bottom- and fore-edges of the pages.
Endpaper: A single sheet, one half of which lines the inside of the cover (this is known as the pastedown), the other half of which hangs free before the text block (this is called the free endpaper).
Ex-Library: A book which was once part of a library’s collection but which has been removed or discarded from the library. Typically ex-library copies are of lesser value to the collector owing to the presence of stamps, labels, card pockets, barcodes and other modifications made by the library and by heavy wear from patrons. However, in recent years some ex-library copies have become desirable as lower-priced options to scarce and expensive books, and are often prized by dealers for their dustjackets.
Ex-Libris: A Latin phrase, frequently found on bookplates, which essentially means “from the library of”. Distinct from “Ex-library” (though some dealers use the terms interchangeably) in that this term refers to a private collection as opposed to a public library.
Fair or Poor: A copy which doesn't meet the standards set for a "Good"copy, i.e. A copy which has been more than well-loved. A Fair or Poor copy will display a combination of blemishes such as tears, chips, bookplates, water damage, underlining, etc. and may be suitable as a reading copy in a pinch, but not much else.
Fine: A gently-read, well cared-for copy presenting minimal signs of use. The book will not be as fresh or sharp as the day it was removed from the publisher's shipping carton or from the bookstore's shelves, but it will be very close. Any minor blemishes will be noted in the description. Examples of acceptable, natural wear would be mild rubbing to the dustjacket or wear to the spine ends.
First Appearance: The first time a work appears in print. For example, the serialization of a novel in a magazine prior to its publication in book form would be referred to as a First Appearance.
First Edition: A much-debated term, but according to the Antiquarian Booksellers of America, a First Edition is defined as “all of the copies printed from the first setting of type; can include multiple printings if all are from the same setting of type”. A later edition will have changes or additions to the text, design or binding or be brought out by a different publisher than the First Edition. A later edition may add or delete illustrations, forewords or biographical notes or be completely reset with new type. Confusion arises because collectors (and book dealers) typically use the term as shorthand to refer to the First Printing of the First Edition. To avoid confusion, we state “First Edition, First Printing” and clearly note later printings or later editions in our descriptions.
First Printing: The first time copies of a work are generated using a setting of type. When a publisher must go back to press to meet the demand for additional copies but makes no major changes to the work, the publisher generates a second, third (or later) printing.
Fix-Up: A novel made up of previously published short stories. Most common in the science fiction genre, some classic fix-ups are "The Dying Earth" by Jack Vance, "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury and "Children of the Atom" by Wilmar H. Shiras.
Flyleaf (also Fly): The blank page following the front free endpaper and preceding the half-title page. Often used, incorrectly, to describe the front free endpaper.
Folio (book format): A work that is more than 13" tall.
Foxing: A chemical reaction of a micro-organism usually caused by damp or lack of ventilation. Basically a component of the paper has reacted badly to something in the air and this reaction has caused small brownish-yellow spots to form. e.g. “faint foxing to the fore-edge and endpapers...”
Fraying: The wearing away at the edges of a piece of paper. Most commonly used to describe the separation of layers at the edges of a dustjacket or corners of the cover of a paperback book.
Frontispiece: An illustration directly preceding and facing the title page. Sometimes the frontispiece will be a portrait of the author, sometimes it will be an illustration of a scene from the book.
Galley: Pre-publication state, the first such state, usually produced in the editing stage to enable an author, editor or typesetter to make corrections to the text. Galleys usually contain no artwork, publishing details or dedications and may be unbound copies of the manuscript.
Generic (or Blind) Inscription:: The item bears a dedication signed by the author, such as “Best Wishes” or “Be Well” but mentions no specific individual.
Gift Inscription: Signed, handwritten statement, usually appearing on a front endpaper or half-title page, indicating the book was a gift. For example: “Christmas 1972 For Scott Enjoy! Grandpa and Grandma”. See also “Presentation Copy” and “Association Copy”
Good: The book will be complete but have several major flaws. A well-read copy intended as an affordable reading copy only.
Grooves: The pushed-in space between the spine and the boards.
Gutter: The blank inner margin of the pages of a book. Used in context: “Code L15 present in the gutter of page 236, identifying this book as a first printing”.
Half-title page: The leaf prior to the title page with the title of the book but usually lacking other identifying marks such as the author's name or the publisher.
Hinge: The point inside the book where the spine meets the boards.
Holograph: An item entirely in the hand of the author, e.g. a handwritten letter or manuscript.
Impression: In publishing, “impression” is a synonym for “printing”. Putnam, in particular, used to refer to subsequent printings as “impressions”, e.g. “seventh impression”. In describing the physical condition of a book, the word refers to an indentation. For example, “light pen impressions to the rear panel of the dustjacket” would imply a book was used as a writing surface.
Imprint: In modern publishing, a subsidiary of a larger publishing house. For example, Harmony Books is an imprint of Crown Publishing. Often, longtime employees (usually editors) are awarded their own imprint, e.g. Nan Talese at Doubleday.
Inscription: Signed, handwritten statement from the author (unless otherwise stated) to a specific recipient. For example: “To Scott Best Wishes Joyce Carol Oates”. Usually appears on a front endpaper, half-title or title page. See also “Presentation Copy” and “Association Copy”
ISBN (International Standard Book Number): A unique ten- or 13-digit code which identifies a particular book. ISBNs came into use in the late 1960s.
Issue: A portion of an edition containing planned differences from the rest of the printing such as size, paper quality or binding elements. For example, publishers occasionally release titles simultaneously in paperback and hardcover. A catalog entry might state “Paperback issue” or “issued simultaneously in hardcover and paperback”.
Joint: The point on the outside of the book where the spine meets the boards.
Later Printing: Any printing which is not a First Printing.
Leaf: The basic unit of a printed piece, a single piece of paper usually printed on both sides and bound with other such items to form a text block. (Note that a page is one side of a leaf).
Limited Edition: An item limited to a stated number of copies. Beware the "Limited Edition" in which the number of copies is not stated; it is a popular marketing ploy to slap these two words on a book to make it more attractive to the casual buyer.
Marbled: The endpapers of a book or edges of a text block have been treated to resemble to coloration of marble.
Mass Market Paperback: Pocket-size paperback, so called because mass market paperbacks are available in venues other than bookstores.
Mint: Borrowed from the comic book, stamp and coin collecting worlds in which it is an appropriate and accepted term. It is used by some book collectors to describe a book which is As New (see above). We don’t use this term.
Moisture Stain: Stain caused by water or other liquid. Also referred to as “dampstain”.
Morocco: Leather binding made from goat hides.
Near Fine: Similar to "Fine" , but with one or two minor flaws. Examples would be remainder marks, previous owners' names on the endpapers and perhaps one short, closed tear to the dustjacket.
No Date (or N.D.): No date of publication is present on the book. When an approximate date can be surmised through ads in the book, a date at the end of an introduction or even a dated inscription, an estimate may be offered in the following manner: “N.D. circa 1855”.
Obverse: The front of the leaf, the side with the odd page numbering.
Octavo (book format): A work that is between 8 and 10 inches tall.
O.P.: Abbreviation of Out-of-print. Refers to an item no longer available from the publisher.
Out-of-print (or O.P.): Refers to an item no longer available from the publisher.
Paperback Original (PBO): A book which was first published as either a mass market or trade paperback. A favorite format for new and “mid-list” authors, the paperback original is an endangered species.
Parts: The individual units of a serialized work. For example, Stephen King's "The Green Mile" was originally issued as six thin mass market paperbacks, and a description of the work as a whole in its original form might read, “the complete novel in the original six parts”.
Pastedown: The half of the endpaper which lines the interior of the boards. The other half of the endpaper is called the “free endpaper”.
Pictorial Boards: Describes a book which has no dustjacket but which has an illustration depicting a scene from the book covering the boards. A common variation is “glazed pictorial boards”; see also “Pictorial Cover Label”.
Pictorial Cover Label: An illustration, usually depicting a scene from the book, that has been applied to one or both of the boards in the form of a label. This differs from “pictorial boards” and variations thereof in that the illustration has been attached to the board after binding, usually with glue.
Plate: An illustration generally printed on higher-quality paper than the text of the book but bound-into the book during the binding process, as opposed to a tipped-in plate.
Points: Marks such as spelling or punctuation errors, broken type, misplaced or missing illustrations, changes in binding elements or styles or any other items deemed necessary for “correction” by someone in the editorial or production staff after a book has gone to press. For example, someone discovers a word is misspelled after the first 238 copies of a title have come of the printing press. The press is stopped and the correction is made without changing the First Edition identifier. A Point of Issue has been created: the misspelled word in the first 238 copies.
Presentation Copy: A book with a signed, handwritten statement from the author (unless otherwise specified) indicating the book was a gift. For example: “Christmas 1999 For Scott Stephen King”
Previous Owner's Name (or PON): A former owner has written their name somewhere on the item. The usual places are the front endpapers, but I've seen peoples' names pretty much everywhere. We'll always note the location of a previous owner's name, e.g. "previous owner's name written in marker on the top-, bottom- and fore-edge".
Price-clipped: The publisher’s price has been cut away, usually from the upper or lower corner of the front flap of the dustjacket.
Printing: See "First Printing" and "Later Printing"
Quarto (book format): A book measuring approximately 10 - 13 inches tall
Reading Copy: A very used, well-worn copy not suitable for collecting due to its condition, but perfectly usable as a copy to be read.
Reading Crease: Term reserved for paperbacks. Refers to a crease to either cover, running along the spine (but not to the spine itself) created when the reader bends back the cover.
Re-backed: The original backstrip, usually worn beyond simple repair, has been replaced with new material. Differs from “re-binding” in that in this case only the spine is affected, whereas in re-binding the boards will also be replaced.
Reverse: The back of the leaf, with the even page numbering. E.g. "bookplate affixed to the reverse of the half-title page".
Rubbing: The gloss from the cover of a paperback or a hardcover’s dustjacket has been rubbed dull, usually from contact with another book.
Saddle-stitched: Folded sheets or signatures of paper are gathered together, one inside the other, placed over a "saddle", and stitched or stapled along the spine with wire. This is the manner in which most magazines, comic books and pamphlets are bound.
Sagging: Common with thick hardcover books. The center of the text block, because of its weight, has pulled away from the spine at the top.
Shaken: The signatures of a book are loose, sometimes literally hanging by a thread, but are still attached to the binding.
Signed: A contributor, usually the author or illustrator, has written their name somewhere on the item, most often on the front free endpaper, half-title page or title page. This differs from "Inscribed" in that a signed item will bear only the signature (and possibly the date signed), as opposed to an inscribed item which will contain a short note from the contributor as well. Examples of our usage of the terms: "Signed and dated 11/12/06 by Daniel Handler on the title page" and "Inscribed and signed by Daniel Handler on the front free endpaper thus: 'Best wishes Daniel Handler 11/12/06'". See also "Gift Inscription" and "Previous Owner's Name (PON)".
Slipcase: A box open on one side into which a book is slid and stored. Sometimes issued by publishers to house multi-volume sets, slipcases have become popular selling points for small press limited editions.
Spine: The part of the book which connects the front and back covers. Frequently used interchangeably in catalogues with “backstrip”.
State: A portion of a printing containing unplanned differences from the rest of the printing such as corrections to the text, the insertion of ads or the changing of the price. For example, the price of the first edition of “Salem’s Lot” was changed several times prior to the second printing, creating a different state dustjacket.
Tanning: The paper has taken on a yellowish or light brown shade from age and exposure to elements or contact with other, cheaper paper.
Text Block: The leaves of the book, taken as a single item. For example, "text block virtually separated from the boards" means that the hinges have split and the pages, though still connected to each other, are falling out.
Three-Quarter Leather: The spine and corners of the boards are covered in leather; the remainder of the boards are covered in some other substance such as paper, cloth or leather with a different texture.
Tipped-In: An illustration, photograph, letter or other item added to a book by being glued along one edge, usually the top, after the binding process has been completed.
TLS or Typed Letter, Signed: A letter composed on a typewriter (or word processor) and signed by the author of the letter.
Trade Paperback: Originally used to refer to paperbacks which were only sold through bookstores. Now denotes a paperback book larger than a pocket book.
Trimmed Edge or Cut Edge: The edges of the text block have been trimmed before binding. Prior to the invention of machines that can do this, trimming the edges of a text block was done by hand and was a mark of craftsmanship. Now that cut edges are the norm, deckle or untrimmed edges are sometimes used to make a book look classy.
Typed Letter, Signed or TLS: A letter composed on a typewriter (or word processor) and signed by the author of the letter.
Unbound: Refers to a book which has never been bound, typically a salesperson’s, binder’s or editor’s dummy. The term “disbound” refers to a book which has been removed from its binding.
Uncorrected Proof: Traditionally, the final pre-publication state prior to the production of Advance Reading Copies sent out for promotion or review. Uncorrected Proofs are usually typeset, and frequently bear intended artwork but may not include publishing details or other material such as dedications, author bios, etc. These days, however, even publishers may not distinguish between Advance Reading Copies and Uncorrected Proofs.
Unopened: The top- or bottom-edges of the pages have never been trimmed, making it impossible to read the book without first slitting the edges or “opening” the book with a sharp knife.
Variant:: Used in conjunction with “edition”, “issue”, “cover” or another word to denote differences in some element of a book. For example, a catalog description might read, “Variant issue bound in blue cloth”, which would let the potential buyer know that there exist multiple states of a particular book, in this case identifiable by the color of their binding cloth.
Very Good: A copy which has been read once or twice and which displays several flaws, but which still presents as an attractive, collectible copy. The dustjacket may have a couple of closed tears, fraying to the spine ends or be price-clipped. The book itself may have a bumped corner, foxing to the edges or endpapers, a bookplate, previous owner’s name or gift inscription. In the case of a paperback, a faint spine or corner crease is allowable.
Wrappers or "wraps": The paper covers of a pamphlet, paperback or magazine. Often used to distinguish between a softcover or hardcover item.