Other
Arcane Terms
Boards: the covers of hardcover books.
Wraps: the covers of paperback books.
Creased:
pages or covers or spine are folded or dog-eared or have been cracked from someone opening the pages too far.
Chipped: pages or covers are torn or even missing pieces.
Darkened: pages or dustjacket are browned or tanned with age.
Bumped:
usually applies to corners, sometimes to edges; means that they're folded under or otherwise slightly warped/creased.
Edgewear: the edges of the wraps or boards look worn, the color's coming off, there's slight
chipping or bumping.
Spine starting: the spine is so cracked that one can
see the binding through the hole; means the pages may soon come loose or fall out.
Cocked:
the book is no longer square but has been squished by other books, transport, or poor storage so that one cover now hangs
farther over than the other.
Warped: the book has been wet or squished so
that the pages or boards are wavy and will no longer lie flat.
Rubbed: the
color's coming off the covers, especially on embossed/raised lettering. Or there are indentations or scratches.
Shelfwear: how a book, even sitting on a shelf, can get dusty or dirty, or obtain small creases
from the motion of pulling it out or putting it back.
FEP/BEP: front-end
papers and back-end papers. The paper on hardcovers that's glued to the insides of the boards. Especially on older
books, often has pictures or maps. Often where a person attaches a bookplate.
Foxing:
yellow or brown speckles on the pages or dustjacket, usually from age.
Price-clipped:
when someone has cut off a corner of the dj flap to get rid of the pre-printed price.
DJ/DW:
dustjacket or dustwrap. The paper cover on hardcover books to protect the boards. If a book was issued with
one and no longer has it, it will automatically be worth much less than any book that still has one, no matter the condition.
O/W: otherwise. As in, "despite the chipping and foxing, the book is otherwise in very
good condition."
Titlepage: The page that has the book's title, the
author, the publisher, often the series name, sometimes the publication date.
Halftitle
page: The page before the titlepage that has only the title.
Copyright page:
Usually the back of the titlepage, it has the copyright date, the person owning the copyright, the publisher's name, the publication
date, usually the edition information, and often the ISBN (for modern books).
Frontispiece:
An illustration facing the titlepage.
Plate: A illustrated page
with no writing on the other side. Often photographs in old books; sometimes they had onionskin paper over them
to protect the image.
ISBN: International Standard Book Number. This
is how the publishers track their books. No book printed before 1970 will have one. Before 2007:
10 digits. After 2007: 13 digits.
Tipped in: any page or
other piece of paper that has been added to the binding (usually with glue) after the regular printing.
Laid in: any loose page or other piece of paper that is stored between the pages.
Inscription: writing dedicating the book as a gift to someone. Often by the
book-giver, sometimes by the author signing it.
Ex-lib: Formerly a library
book, now a library discard. Often first editions, as libraries get many books very early, but the stickers and
barcodes, etc, often devalue the book.
MMPB: Mass-market paperback.
The standard small paperback book (6-7" tall).
TPB: Trade paperback.
What I used to call an "oversized paperback." The ones that are almost the same size as a hardcover and cost
about twice as much as a normal paperback. (anything over 7" tall).
Boardbook:
toddler books made entirely of cardboard with no actual paper pages. Ones that are round or any other design are
called "shaped boardbooks."
Die-cut: covers with special
cut-outs or shapes, especially "windows" to show the page underneath.
Stapled
wraps: often pamplets or other small volumes where the flat pages were stapled in the middle and then folded to make
the book.
Ephemera: any paper writing that wasn't really meant to last very
long, such as programs for plays or weddings, handouts for exhibitions, postcards, etc.
Edge: the three sides of a book that are merely paper. Referred to as "all edges red," for
example.
Spine cover: the one side of a book that protects the pages where
they're bound. On paperbacks, this is usually the same paper that forms the wraps.
Gilt: anything gold-colored or actually gold-covered. Usually applies to lettering and edges.
Imprint: pictures or designs on boards besides the lettering.
Pictorial: having an illustration. Usually applied to boards and endpapers to distinguish them from
ones that have no pictures.
Inset: when a board has an illustration actually
glued to it (instead of imprinted upon it).
Ex-libris: "From the library
of." Having a bookplate of a former owner.
B/W: black-and-white.
Usually about illustrations or photographs.
Remainder mark: writing
or stamping on the top and/or bottom edge of a book that shows a publisher had too many of one volume and sold them in bulk
to dealers for a lower price.
BCE: Book Club Edition. Reprints
of popular titles, usually smaller than the original and without their own ISBNS, frequently on cheaper paper and
with different illustrations. Often collections of more than one volume by the author. Usually worth less than
the original volume by the original publisher.
Omnibus: 2-in-1 (or
more) books bound in the same volume.
First edition: to true
collectors, the very first publication AND PRINTING of a book.
Anthology:
collection, usually of short stories, often by more than one author.
Historical
fiction: a story based in a time earlier than the author's own. (NB: does not have to be historically accurate,
and is not a history in itself).