2022-12-17

藏书辞典

前言
数字开头
1. 1st edition, thus
2. 1st thus
3. 4to
4. 8vo
字母 A 开头
1. A.N.
2. AB Bookman’s Weekly
3. ABA
4. ABAA
5. ABDASC
6. acceptable
7. Advance Review Copy
8. AEG
9. age tanned
10. age toned
11. ALA
12. ANZAAB
13. ARC
14. As New
15. Association copy
字母 B 开头
1. BAL
2. BCE
3. bds
4. beveled
5. Biblio
6. binder’s copy
7. binders copy
8. binding copy
9. blindstamp
10. blurb
11. boards
12. BOMC
13. Book Breaker
14. book club edition
15. bookplate
16. Brendan Sherar
17. Brodart
18. broken (spine)
19. buckram
20. bumped
21. bumping
22. Bumps
字母 C 开头
1. calf
2. Case bound
3. chapbook
4. chipped
5. chipping
6. chppd
7. clamshell box
8. closed tear
9. Closed tearing
10. Cloth
11. cocked
12. colophon
13. completist
14. Copyright page
15. Coptic Binding
16. cracked
17. crisp
字母 D 开头
1. Deboss
2. Deckle edge
3. dedication copy
4. dentelle
5. device
6. diaper
7. DJ
8. doctored
9. duodecimo
10. dust jacket
11. dustwrapper
字母 E 开头
1. e-book
2. e.p.
3. edges
4. endband
5. endpaper
6. erasures
7. errata
8. Ex-library
字母 F 开头
1. facsimile
2. Fair
3. ffep
4. FFEP or ffep
5. fine
6. fine binding
7. First Edition
8. first state
9. first thus
10. flap(s)
11. flatsigned
12. fly-leaf
13. foi
14. folio
15. fon
16. fore edge
17. foxed
18. frayed or fraying
19. front free endpaper
20. frontise
21. frontispiece
字母 G 开头
1. Galleys
2. Gathering
3. Gauffered Edges
4. gilt
5. glassine wrapper
6. goatskin
7. Good
8. good+
9. gravure
10. gutter
字母 H 开头
1. half bound
2. half title
3. headband
4. heel
5. hinge
6. hyper-modern
字母 I 开头
1. IAMA
2. IBOOKNET
3. ILAB
4. Incunabula
5. Independent bookseller
6. inscribed
7. instructor’s edition
8. International Edition
9. International Standard Book Number
10. IOBA
11. ISBN
字母 J 开头
1. jacket
字母 K 开头
1. laid-in
2. later state
3. leaves
4. Letter line
5. library binding
6. limp bound
7. Little Magazine
8. LOC
字母 L 开头
1. Marbled boards
2. marbled paper
3. marginalia
4. MARIAB
5. Mass Market
6. Mass market paperback
7. Mildew
8. miniature
9. MM
10. morocco
11. movie tie-in
字母 N 开头
1. nd
2. near mint
3. New
4. NF
5. NrFine
6. number line
字母 O 开头
1. o.w.
2. o/w
3. octavo
4. offprint
5. offset
6. OOP
7. OP
8. or. cl.
字母 P 开头
1. paper-over-boards
2. Parchment
3. paste-down
4. pb
5. PBFA
6. pbo
7. pc
8. pebbled
9. pictorial wraps
10. plate
11. POD
12. Poor
13. price clipped
14. Print on Demand
15. pub
16. Publisher’s cloth
17. publisher’s slip
18. Pulp magazines
字母 Q 开头
1. quality paperback
2. quarto
字母 R 开头
1. raised band(s)
2. re-backed
3. reading copy
4. rear free endpaper
5. rebacked
6. rebound
7. recto
8. remainder
9. remainder mark
10. reprint
11. review material
12. rfep
13. RMABA
14. rolled
15. rubbing
字母 S 开头
1. sans dw or sans dj
2. second state
3. shaken
4. shelf wear
5. shelfwear
6. sl.
7. slip case
8. soiled
9. spine
10. spine label
11. spine strip
12. spinestrip
13. sunned
字母 T 开头
1. tail
2. tailband
3. TBA
4. TEG
5. text block
6. tight
7. tipped in
8. title page
9. TOC
10. top edge gilt
11. tp
12. TPB
13. trade paperback
14. tray case
字母 U 开头
1. Unbound
2. uncorrected proof
3. Uncut pages
4. Uniform Edition
5. unopened
字母 V 开头
1. vellum
2. verso
3. Very Good
4. vignette
字母 W 开头
1. Worldcat
2. wrappers
3. wraps
字母 X 开头
1. x-library
字母 Y 开头
1. yapp binding

前言

西文藏书者惯用的一些行话、术语或缩写词，不在其中浸淫时日，简直不可能理解这些晦涩难懂的“黑话”！本辞典从网络中搜罗常见的藏家行话，并辅以简要文字或图片说明之，希望能够对广大同好有所帮助，稍许解决淘书过程中的语言习惯差异所带来的沟通问题。

数字开头

1st edition, thus

近初版。表明此书虽然不是初版印刷，但是首次出现如此不同格式。例如，插图初版，或者精装初版后的平装初版，或者是不同出版社的首次印刷等等。

字母 A 开头

A.N.

参考 As New

AB Bookman’s Weekly

一种西文古籍行业出版物，在1948年至1999年间出版发行关于西文古籍交易的相关资讯。
在互联网交易市场成熟之前，如Biblio，AB Bookman's 是交易商和收藏家间最主要的交易市场。在这种传统方式下，AB Bookman's 关于西文古籍的说明指南形成了行业标准。

ABA

此缩写所指代的含义完全取决于书籍销售商的所在地。它可能指代以下几个不同组织：

美国书商协会，American Booksellers Association (USA)
英国古籍书商协会，Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association (UK)
澳洲书商协会，Australian Booksellers Association (AU)

ABAA

美国古籍书商协会，Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America

ABDASC

美国南卡罗莱纳古籍书商协会，Antiquarian Book Dealers Association of South Carolina

acceptable

可接受。表示书况不错或者很好。但不是标准用法，因为它可以指代的范围太广了。

Advance Review Copy

见 ARC

AEG

书口三面刷金。是 All Edge Gilt 的缩写，指书页的书顶、书口、书底均有刷金。参考下图：

All Edge Gilt

age tanned

书页老化，有褐黄色斑点。如果只是书页边缘有褐黄色斑点的情况，则称为edge tanning。
age tanned

age toned

见 age tanned

ALA

美国图书馆协会，American Library Association

ANZAAB

澳洲新西兰古籍书商协会，Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (AU / NZ)

ARC

Advance Review Copy, a specially printed copy of the book, generally paperback, which has been produced and distributed by the publishers for promotional purposes, given to bookstores, editors, and reviewers. Issued in advance of the official publication date of the trade edition, it is often distributed with other promotional materials, such as a publisher’s letter or a photograph of the author. It may also…

As New

The book is pristine and free of any defects, in the same condition as when it was first newly published. The textblock is tight, showing no signs of prior use. The dust jacket, if there is one, is similarly free of any wear, flaws or defects.

Association copy

An association copy is a copy of a book which has been signed and inscribed by the author for a personal friend, colleague, or person of historical significance. In addition to the signature, the author will generally address the person to whom they are inscribing the book with a salutation and perhaps a personal note.

It is important to distinguish between an association copy and an inscribed…

字母 B 开头

BAL

Bibliography of American Literature (commonly abbreviated as BAL in descriptions) is the quintessential reference work for any student of american literature. BAL was originally published in 9 volumes by the Bibliographical Society of America by Yale University Press between 1955 and 1991 with Jacob Blanck as it’s lead editor and later finished by Michael Winthrop and Virginia L. Smyers it provides descriptive bibliographic reference for more than…

BCE

See book club edition

bds

See boards

beveled

Beveled edges, or beveled boards, describe a technique of binding in which the edges of book boards have been cut into slanted angles. This is a purely esthetic look created for books.
Crushed or torn beveled edges, as pictured below, can reduce the price of a collectible book.

Biblio

The Greek root for a variety of words referring to the book, such as bibliography, bibliomania, etc. Also, one of the world’s largest internet book search services.

binder’s copy

See binding copy

binders copy

See binding copy

binding copy

Binding copy refers to a book that desperately needs rebinding. The cover suffers from significant damage, or can be detached or absent completely. The text should still be completely intact, unless otherwise noted. Note that this is quite different from an advanced review copy (ARC), or advanced reading copy.

This kind of book is valued primarily for the information in it. In some cases rare books…

blindstamp

A blindstamp is a stamped impression, usually an image, logo, words, or design on the cover or spine of a book, without color or other decoration. Sometimes also indicated with the phrase “stamped in blind,” “blind” refers to the lack of ink, foil, or other distinguishing coloring. Older books often have quite decorative designs embossed into their covers in this way.

Blindstamps are also…

blurb

The blurb refers to the commentary that appears on the dust jacket flaps or the rear of the dustjacket. In the case of a paperback, this might appear on the rear cover of the book. Although it is less common in modern books, previously publishers have also used the front of the book or jacket for blurbs.

Often a blurb contains a mixture of plot synopsis and promotional pitch…

boards

Common term for the covers of a hardbound book. The term ‘boards’ refers to the thick cardboard under the paper or cloth covering on the outside of the book. The cardbaord manufactured and used for that specific purpose is called binder’s board.

Some of the earliest forms of bound books would have used actual wooden boards, often covered with leather, sewn over the pages…

BOMC

Book-of-the-Month Club

These are popular books republished and sold at a discounted price by one of these many clubs, the best-known being the Book-of-the-Month Club aka BOMC.

The books are printed in a smaller text format on cheaper paper, using cheaper boards, and the dust-wrapper is thinner or printed on uncoated paper stock. Book club editions can be identified by a small blind-stamped dot, square,…

Book Breaker

An informal name for a dealer who makes a practice of dismantling a book in order to sell individual leaves (typically plates or maps). The practice is controversial in cases where the book that is being pieced-out was complete and whole, but in cases of heavily damaged or incomplete books, it can be seen as a method of preserving what is otherwise beyond…

book club edition

A generic term denoting a book which was produced or distributed by one of any number of book club organizations. Usually the overall quality of the book’s materials is lower than the same book as printed by a traditional publishing house.

bookplate

Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former owner, of a book. Most often bookplates are affixed to the endpaper of a book. Book plates have a long tradition, and some are collected solely for their artistic or historical value. Others show ownership by famous personages, and can help tell a…

Brendan Sherar

The CEO of Biblio.com. A harmless drudge.

Brodart

Generally used to refer to a clear plastic cover that is sometimes added to the dustjacket or outside covering of a book. The name refers to the company by the same name which produces many book repair and archival products.

broken (spine)

Damage to a book from improper handling or shelving that creates a break in the spine which can cause the cover to be creased, the book to open or stop at a certain section, or the pages become loose and fall out.

buckram

A plain weave fabric normally made from cotton or linen which is stiffened with starch or other chemicals to cover the book binding or when rebinding. Buckram covering is strong, moisture resistant and mildew resistant best used when covering repeatedly handled books, such as library books.

A book bound in buckram:

bumped

See bumping

bumping

Indicates that the affected part of the book has been impacted in such a way so as to cause a flattening, indention, or light bending.

Bumps

See bumping

字母 C 开头

calf

Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the skin to create different decorative looks.

Calf skin bindings include:

Diced Calf: Decorative diamonds or squares cut or scored into the leather.
Marbled: The leather is stained with diluted acid to produce a swirling effect.
Mottled Calf: The diluted acid from marbling is…

Case bound

A hardcover book where the entire textblock is bound separately from the covers by means of either glue or stitching. The pages of the text are bound together and then united to the outside coverings by means of endpapers. The endpapers are attached to the back of the textblock and then glued to the book covers.

chapbook

A very short, cheaply produced volume, of a few leaves. Modern chapbooks may be a collection of folded leaves loosely held in a folded cardboard or stiff paper cover, or the pages might be stapled. Historically, chapbooks were introduced in the 16th Century to meet the demands of a growing literate populace by allowing for very cheap books. The term chapbook was introduced in the early…

chipped

A defect in which small pieces are missing from the edges; fraying or small pieces of paper missing the edge of a paperback, or a dust jacket.
A chipped dust jacket, or book cover is best preserved in a protective covering.

chipping

See chipped

chppd

See chipped

clamshell box

A protective box designed for storing and preserving a bound book or loose sheets. A clamshell box is hinged on one side, with the remaining three sides of both the top and bottom of the box extending in such a way that one side neatly fits into the other when closed. Clamshell boxes are used for archival and decorative purposes in library…

closed tear

Closed tear indicates a torn page in which no material has been lost. A closed tear can be pressed back into place or sometimes fixed with archival repair tape.

Closed tearing

See closed tear

Cloth

“Cloth-bound” generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers.
The cloth is stretched over the boards, and is mainly to protect and shield the book from any damage. The cloth can then be printed on, embossed, or stamped for decorative purposes or with designs of book information details.
A decorative cloth binding can also consist of embroidery in…

cocked

Refers to a state where the spine of a book is lightly “twisted” in such a way that the front and rear boards of a book do not align when the book is lying flat. Severity may differ.

colophon

The colophon contains information about a book’s publisher, the typesetting, printer, and possibly even includes a printer’s device.

The term colophon is Latin for top, summit or finishing. In early books, the colophon was usually found at the end of the text, register, or index. Later this became known as the title page.

Modern books still contain the colophon, often located at the end…

completist

A completist is a book collector who seeks all collectible editions of a particular title, subject, author, or other focus of their collection. Rather than just seeking the first edition of a book or work, a completist may seek all first appearances, including foreign publications, and works and objects ancillary to the book. A completist that collects a particular author seeks to…

Copyright page

The page in a book that describes the lineage of that book, typically including the book’s author, publisher, date of publication and generally the printing history of that book. This page is typically within the first few pages of a book on the verso of the title page. It is referred to as the copyright page for the simple reason that it…

Coptic Binding

相传是古埃及基督徒用来装订经书的方法，属于一种手缝装订方法。

preview

（图片来自wikipedia）

cracked

In reference to a hinge or a book’s binding, means that the glue which holds the opposing leaves has allowed them to separate, revealing the stitching or binding underneath.

crisp

A term often used to indicate a book’s new-like condition. Indicates that the hinges are not loosened. A book described as crisp will not have ‘well-read’ pages, i.e., where the book will naturally open to certain pages or sections.

字母 D 开头

Deboss

An imprinted decoration or mark on the outside cover of a book. Publishers will press a design or mark into a book’s cover for various reasons, such as the convention of the publisher Alfred A Knopf who presses their logo into the back board, near the hinge on their hardcover editions.
Book club edition publishers would historically mark their editions by placing a…

Deckle edge

Deckle edge is the feathered edge of a page. Traditionally and historically, this was a side effect of the process of making paper. At the semi-liquid stage of paper making, a form called a deckle was used to create the size and shape of the sheet. Some of the paper seeping below the edge of the deckle would form an uneven edge…

dedication copy

A copy of a book inscribed by the author and personally presented to the dedicatee mentioned in the book.

dentelle

Borders on the inner edge of a book with a lacy pattern, most often gilt. Popular in France during the 18th century on covers of books, used more on the inside of modern books.

device

Especially for older books, a printer’s device refers to an identifying mark, also sometimes called a printer’s mark, on the title page or the colophon. A device can be quite ornate, and stylized. Printing houses relied on this mark as their brand, far more than bindings or book covers, since in previous centuries books could be rebound several times over its life.

diaper

aka Diapering

A decorative design of repeated diamonds or geometric shapes on the cover, usually on cloth boards. The design is usually in gilt, raised pressing, or ink print.

DJ

详见护封。

doctored

The restoring of a book to the original condition; repairing or mending a book to working order.

duodecimo

十二开本。其他书籍规格尺寸对开本、四开本、八开本。

十二开本书籍大小约7*4.5英寸，即17.8*11.4厘米。现代大量印刷出版的书籍多为十二开本。

dust jacket

护封。用来保护书籍不被弄脏，或者起到装帧美化、宣传等的作用。有护封、没护封的情况下对书籍价格影响不小。

dust jacket

dustwrapper

详见护封。

字母 E 开头

e-book

A book which is produced and supplied in an electronic form only, rather than a printed edition, known also as a digital book or e-edition.
Ebooks are book publications in digital form which contain text, images, or both. Ebooks can be opened and read on a computer or other e-book formatted electrical devices.

e.p.

See endpaper

edges

The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a book not covered by the spine. Often referred to in combination as all edges, EG: All Edges Gilt (AEG).

endband

Endbands, also called headbands or tailbands, are portions of colored material sewn or adhered at the head and tail of a book spine, slightly hidden under the headcaps of the leather covering.

This technique adds strength to the binding head and tail at the joints. Endbands provide a firm grip to the text pages across the spine.

endpaper

The double leaves bound into a book at the front and rear after printing. These pages consist of a double-size sheet that is folded, one half is pasted against the inside cover and the other is serving as the first free page in the book. These endpapers are usually left blank and in rare cases printed information is placed here.

erasures

Erasures indicates marks where someone has removed bits of text or content from a book.

In Book Arts, erasures can also mean a type of poetry where the contents of a book is narrowed and picked apart to create a poem.

errata

Errata: aka Errata Slip

A piece of paper either laid in to the book correcting errors found in the printed text after being printed and intended corrections to book content.

Erratas are commonly placed in the book after the first publishing and later corrected in future editions.

Ex-library

A former library book, generally containing library acquisition and ownership stamped markings, and other typical indications of the library’s use.

Books legitimately released from institutional libraries such as a school library, public library, historical society, university, etc. Also named “ex-lib” will be lower in resale value due to library card pockets, rubber stamp identification information on spine or title pages, catalog numbers inked or stamped…

字母 F 开头

facsimile

An exact copy of an original work. In books, it refers to a copy or reproduction, as accurate as possible, of an original source, whether a book, map, manuscript, or other historical item.

Fair

is a worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half-title, etc. (which must be noted). Binding, jacket (if any), etc., may also be worn. All defects must be noted. (defined by AB Bookman’s Weekly)

ffep

A common abbreviation for Front Free EndPaper. Generally, it is the first page of a book and is part of a single sheet that also spans across the inside of the front board (called the front pastedown) via a fold along the gutter with the purpose of connecting the boards to the stitched textblock.

As a result of this purpose, the paper quality of the ffep is generally…

FFEP or ffep

See ffep

fine

A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the crispness of an uncirculated, unopened volume. Any flaws of any kind must be clearly noted as exceptions to fine condition, as in “small crease on FFEP, else fine”. Fine condition is abbreviated as “F”, or “F/F” when describing a book…

fine binding

An elaborate and decorative binding, example including a leather-bound book with gilt edges, raised blind stamps, raised ribs, or even a cover that is embedded with jewels or embroidered.

More Info

First Edition

In collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in cases where it has been published in multiple forms, including foreign releases or editions with substantially changed content such as an illustrated or a limited edition. Typically, the earliest version of the book is considered the first edition, with subsequent releases…

More Info

first state

used in book collecting to refer to a book from the earliest run of a first edition, generally distinguished by a change in some part of the binding or correction of the text which has been made in later versions of the first edition print run.

More Info

first thus

See 1st edition, thus

flap(s)

The portion of a book cover or cover jacket that folds into the book from front to back. The flap can contain biographical information about the author, ISBN, a short summary of the book, date of publishing or publisher name, and the cost of the book.

The flap also protects the book edges from wear and spine from shelf wear or other damage.

More Info

flatsigned

A flatsigned book is signed, and not inscribed, directly on a page of the book, rather than on a bookplate or with an accompanying inscription. The term is generally attributed to Stephen King who appears to have coined it in 2000.

Typically a book that is signed without an accompanying inscription is a more collectible copy than an inscribed book (association copies notwithstanding).

While commonly used to describe…

More Info

fly-leaf

The additional blank page or leaf that immediately follows the front or back endpapers.

More Info

foi

former owner’s intials.

More Info

folio

A folio usually indicates a large book size of 15” in height or larger when used in the context of a book description.

Further, folio sizes are often sub-divided and described as being one of:
Crown folio (15” - 18”)Medium folio (18” - 20”)Royal folio (20” - 23”)Elephant folio (23” - 25”)Atlas folio (25” - 50”)Double elephant folio (50” and up)However, folio also has a distinct meaning when…

More Info

fon

former owner’s name. Indicates that the previous owner of the book has written their name in the book.

More Info

fore edge

The portion of a book that is opposite the spine. That part of a book which faces the wall when shelved in a traditional manner.

Depending on context, may refer to either the text edges, or the board edges. The fore edge of the text block may be decorated in some cases, such as gilding, stain, or deckle edge, or in the most opulent…

More Info

foxed

frayed or fraying

Indicates that the cloth, paper, or other outer shell which covers the books boards has been worn to a point that it has exposed the boards beneath, and leaving the outer fringes aroung the exposure jagged or torn.

More Info

front free endpaper

See ffep

frontise

See frontispiece

frontispiece

A portrait or illustration on the page opposing the title page.

字母 G 开头

Galleys

A pre-publication state of a book. A galley proof edition has already undergone all basic edits for content and corrections, but is still prior to the final commercial production of a book. The term refers to the historic process of book printing using moveable block letters. The letter blocks would be laid into the galleys to that held the type, and…

More Info

Gathering

A term used in bookbinding, where a gathering of sheets is folded at the middle, then bound into the binding together. The gathering can be seen from the top or bottom of the book.

Older books are gathered and sewn together while newer books are glued at the gathering called “perfect binding”.

More Info

Gauffered Edges

A decorative pattern pressed into the edges of the text block, typically in combination with gilding.

More Info

gilt

The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in the front cover of the boards, for example.

It is added by applying gold powder or a thin sheet of gold (Gold Leaf) to a cover, board or pages.

Gilting is not only for decorative reasons it also serves…

More Info

glassine wrapper

A thin, partially transparent or translucent paper covering often used as the protective outer layer for a book dust jacket. The glassine wrapper is sometimes printed on, most the time just a clear covering.

More Info

goatskin

Goatskin, leather made from goat, is durable and easy to dye. The original and finest examples of Morocco binding are goatskin.

Batiked goatskin binding

More Info

Good

Good describes the average used and worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Any defects must be noted. (as defined by AB Bookman’s Weekly).

The oft-repeated aphorism in the book collecting world is “good isn’t good.” However, this can be a little misleading: while generally not considered an acceptable condition for collectors (except in cases of very scare material), a good condition book usually suffices…

More Info

good+

A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than Good.

More Info

gravure

A type of intaglio printing using plates or cylinders to create a carved or sunken design.

More Info

gutter

The inside margin of a book, connecting the pages to the joints near the binding.

字母 H 开头

half bound

aka Half Binding, this indicates a book bound at the spine and corners with one material and the rest in another material.

More Info

half title

书冠。
The blank front page which appears just prior to the title page, and typically contains only the title of the book, although, at times, the author’s name and/or other information may appear. A half title can be decorative or just a plain page with typeface of the book title.

More Info

headband

A strip of colored material attached to the text block at the top of the spine of a hard cover book. The same treatment applied to the bottom of the spine is called the tailband. Both may also be called endbands.

Traditionally these were made of mercerized cotton or silk sometimes wrapped around a leather core. The endbands were then sewn or stitched onto the…

More Info

heel

The lower most portion of the spine when the book is standing vertically.

More Info

hinge

The portion of the book closest to the spine that allows the book to be opened and closed.

More Info

hyper-modern

A very recently published book where the market price has increased quickly due to book collectors speculating on the future value.

字母 I 开头

IAMA

International Antiquarian Mapsellers’s Association
More Info

IBOOKNET

Independent Booksellers’ Network (UK)

More Info

ILAB

International League of Antiquarian Booksellers

More Info

Incunabula

Incunabula (incunable or incunabulum) refers to a book printed before 1501 - a pamphlet, a book or document that was not handwritten, but produced with movable type before the start of the 16th century in Europe.

Two types of incunabula in printing are the typographic book, made with individual pieces of cast metal movable type on a printing press. The other type is the…

More Info

Independent bookseller

A proud, but humble professional practitioner of the venerable tradition of book purveying. The independent bookseller hand selects the finest books, and can provide knowledgeable recommendations for a wide variety of reader or collector.

More Info

inscribed

When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been written in the book (usually on the ffep or front pastedown) and is generally accompanied by a signature.

An inscribed book can be categorized in three ways.

A book that has an inscription that is neither to or from the author (or a person of historical…

More Info

instructor’s edition

An edition of a textbook produced for teachers or professors, sometimes containing supplementary material intended for assisting the professor in creating lesson plans.

More Info

International Edition

An international edition textbook has been printed or produced for distribution in markets outside of the United States, usually at a substantially lower cost. An international edition will typically share many of the same characteristics of the original edition, but vary in characteristics such as a difference ISBN, the inclusion of CD ROMs or other supplementary materials.

More information on international editions can be found in our…

More Info

International Standard Book Number

See ISBN

IOBA

Independent Online Booksellers’ Association (IOBA)

More Info

ISBN

International Standard Book Number is a unique identifier for commercial publications.

While it was in sporadic use earlier, it was first standardized in 1970 as a 10-digit number (sometimes X can appear in the last position, which is an algorithmic checksum), it was later expanded to 13-digits in 2007 in order to make it more compatible with common point of sale systems for products…

字母 J 开头

jacket

Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps around the binding of a book

字母 K 开头

laid-in

“Laid In” indicates that there is something which is included with, but not attached to the book, such as a sheet of paper.

The paper item can be a letter, picture, press release, map, or postcard which is loose inside the book. In rare book collecting, an autograph from the author can sometimes be laid-in, increasing the value of the book.

More Info

later state

used in book collecting to refer to a book from a later run of a first edition, generally distinguished by a change in some part of the binding or correction of the text which has been made during the first edition print run.

More Info

leaves

书页。

装订之后的书页通常有正反两个页码，正面页码称为recto page，而反面页码则称为verso page。
recto and verso
recto and verso(right to left)

还有loose-leaf pages，指的是散页。市面上常见散页装帧的笔记本，但有些西文古籍也采用散页形式装帧。与此相对应的是binding，采用线或胶将书页装订在一起。

折叠分组的书页称为gathering。

书籍按书页高和宽尺寸来分类，见folio、quarto、duodecimo和octavo。

Letter line

A letter line is a convention occasionally used by publishers to denote the printing of a particular book. It is generally located on the copyright page and consists of a sequence of letters, the lowest alphabetically of which generally indicates the number of the printing (for example, “A” indicates a 1st printing, “B” a second printing, “C” a third printing, etc.).

Below is a letter…

More Info

library binding

A type of reinforced binding designed for libraries, schools, or other applications where a book might experience high circulation. In some cases a library or institution will replace the original binding of a book or periodical with a strong, utilitarian binding. In other cases, a publisher will offer a library binding edition as an option directly from the publisher or distributor, especially as an…

More Info

limp bound

A book bound in a flexible leather or cloth. The covering material is not affixed to boards, as are traditional hardcover books. Instead, limp bound books rely on the stiff paste-downs to retain their form. The resultant volume is flexible, similar to a paperback, but covered in leather or cloth. Limp bindings are sometimes also pared with yapp edges.

More Info

Little Magazine

Little magazines are periodicals that publish experimental and non-conformist work of relatively unknown writers and artists. They are often noncommercial in their outlook and occasionally irregular in their publication. Little magazines played a significant role for the writers and artists who shaped the avant-garde movements like Modernism and Post-modernism across the world in the twentieth century.

More Info

LOC

Library of Congress

字母 L 开头

Marbled boards

A hardcover book with a decorative colored paper that imitates marble using a mottled, veined, or swirling pattern.

marbled paper

Decorative colored paper that imitates marble with a veined, mottled, or swirling pattern. Commonly used as the end papers or covering for the outside of a hardcover book.

marginalia

Marginalia, in brief, are notes written in the margins, or beside the text of a book by a previous owner. This is very different from an inscribed book. An inscription is a short signed note written in the front of a book.

At first glance marginalia would seem to detract from a book’s value, and this can be true. From a collector’s perspective however,…

MARIAB

Massachusetts and Rhode Island Antiquarian Booksellers

Mass Market

See Mass market paperback

Mass market paperback

Mass market paperback books, or MMPBs, are printed for large audiences cheaply. This means that they are smaller, usually 4 inches wide by 7 inches tall, and the text is in a smaller font. These smaller sized books are often called pocket books, and they do fit easily into a purse or a back pocket.

Despite the drawbacks in quality, lower prices mean that this…

Mildew

Mildew is an all-too-common affliction that plagues books and erodes their collectibility, value and preservation. A fungus caused by an abundance of moisture and lack of proper airflow, it can readily discolor and distort cloth and paper. Left unattended, mildew will progress and further damage a book. In addition, it can pose a health risk to those living around books that suffer from mildew.

While the damage caused by…

miniature

A book that is less then 3 inches in width and length. Books created this small were usually adaptations of larger books for easier transport and whimsy. Miniatures can be as small as half an inch with elaborate details such as raised bands and gilt.

MM

See Mass market paperback

morocco

Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye.
(see also Goatskin)
There are several types of bindings for Morocco goatskin:
Crushed Morocco: No noticeable grain, as it has been flattened by pressing, ironing, or rolling the goatskin.
Levant Morocco: Exquisite elegant style of Morocco where the large grain is left and the goatskin…

movie tie-in

an edition of a book which is produced in conjunction with a movie which is usually based on the book, often with a cover image taken from the movie.

字母 N 开头

nd

no publisher’s date given

More Info

near mint

a synonym for Near Fine.

New

A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, “new” is not actually a description of condition as a new book may possibly display shelf wear from the shop or distributor supplying it or printing errors or defects from publishing that were not detected. The actual specifics…

NF

Near fine condition

NrFine

See NF

number line

A series of numbers appearing on the copyright page of a book, where the lowest number generally indicates the printing of that particular copy (e.g., a “1” would mean a first printing, and a “29” would indicate a 29th printing).

The following example is of a book that is in its 4th printing from Citadel Press. Note that despite the apparent declaration of “First…

字母 O 开头

o.w.

其他(otherwise)的缩写。

o/w

其他(otherwise)的缩写，见o.w.。

octavo

八开本，8vo同。其他书籍规格尺寸对开本、四开本、十二开本。

标准纸的四次对折，裁成八张书页，即十六个印页。其他类似书籍规格尺寸如对开本仅一次对折，四开本对折两次，十二开本则是采用特殊裁法而产生十二中张印页。

offprint

A copy of an article or reference material that once appeared in a larger publication.

offset

A technique of printing where the inked image or text is transferred from a plate to a rubber blanket, and finally to surface of a page or paper, thus “off-setting” the print.

There were two main kinds of off-set printing - one used in 1875 in England for printing on tin, and in 1904 in the United States for use with printing on paper.

OOP

See OP

OP

Out of print. A book which is no longer being printed by the publisher. Generally only used copies of an out of print book are in distribution.

or. cl.

orginal cloth

字母 P 开头

paper-over-boards

A hardcover book designed to be presented without a dust jacket. In modern hardcover publishing, the dust jacket covering the outside of a book was meant as the decorative portion of a book. In paper-over-boards, the covering materials on the front and back covers are typically decorated, eliminating the need for a separate dust jacket.

Parchment

Pages or book covering made from a prepared animal skin. Parchment describes any animal skin used for books, while vellum is a specific form of parchment made exclusively from calf skin. Parchment is one of the oldest methods of creating book pages, predated, of course, by stone or clay tablets, paprys, tree bark among others. Parchment dates as early as 2000BC, and lasted as…

paste-down

The paste-down is the portion of the endpaper that is glued to the inner boards of a hardback book. The paste-down forms an essential part of a book’s structure, and along with the exterior binding of the book, comprises the hinge of the book’s cover. The paste-down keeps the text pages of the book in place, and fixed to the cover.
In addition, the…

pb

A paperback book. These books can be a mass-market paperback editions, or trade paperback editions.

PBFA

Provincial Booksellers’ Fairs Association

pbo

paper back original. Indicates that the paperback release is the first publication of the book, without a hardcover edition preceding.

pc

Partially chipped (dustjacket)

pebbled

Pebbled cloth or leather describes the covering of a hardcover book with a decorative texture of repeated small raised bumps, somewhat resembling tiny pebbles one supposes. First introduced around 1860, pebbled decoration on the cloth or leather covering the boards of a book became a common method of adding a decorative texture and is still used in some cases by contemporary publishers, although more commonly…

pictorial wraps

彩封，纸面装帧书籍的封面。在西文世界中，为了扩大受欢迎书籍的销量，出版社在精装书之后，会再出版平装书。平装书为了吸引读者眼球，其封面设计经常是多彩多姿的。追溯到19世纪，维多利亚时期的读者们就已经很熟悉这种“伎俩”了。这类书籍多为重印版，仅有少数作品会先出平装书，比如马克吐温的作品。

plate

Full page illustration or photograph. Plates are printed separately from the text of the book, and bound in at production. I.e., they are not sewn as parts of gatherings.

POD

See Print on Demand
Points of Issue
Points are physical attributes that are specific to a printing or edition of a book, such as a typo on a specific page that was corrected in later printings of a book. An issue of a book is a specific change in the book during the printing of an edition. A first edition of a book may sometimes have two or more states, which would…

Poor

A book with significant wear and faults. A poor condition book is still a reading copy with the full text still readable. Any missing pages must be specifically noted.

price clipped

When a book is described as price-clipped, it indicates that the portion of the dust jacket flap that has the publisher’s suggested retail price has been cut off. This may have been done by the original retail bookseller to avoid customer confusion, or when a person gives the book as a gift, or even by the publisher when remaindering the book. Generally, this is the top corner of…

Print on Demand

A book which is printed by special order. Often a paperback printing, reproduced by scanning or photocopying the text from a copy of a book, reproduced with permission.

More Info

pub

Common abbreviation for ‘published’

More Info

Publisher’s cloth

A hardcover book comprised of cloth over hard pasteboard boards. Beginning toward the middle of the 19th Century, publishers began moving toward a tradition where the book had a finished binding as it was offered directly from the publisher. Prior to this change, the binding that a book was first produced with was considered to be a temporary covering awaiting a book binder to finalize with…

More Info

publisher’s slip

A piece of paper from the publisher included in an advance review copy or an uncorrected proof copy of a book. A publisher’s slip usually provides information such as the anticipated publication date, the number of pages, and possibly contains advance marketing information such as publicity tours, or books signings.

More Info

Pulp magazines

Magazines published primarily in the 20th Century named for the cheaply produced wood pulp paper on which they were printed. The quality of the materials used in production was in keeping with the stories printed in the magazines. Cheap and accessible, but not intended to last very long. These magazines became popular diversions for readers, offering hard working writers a steady income, and…

字母 Q 开头

quality paperback

Quality paperback is simply another term for a trade paperback, describing a paperback generally the approximate size of a hardcover book.

More Info

quarto

四开本。见4to

其他书籍规格尺寸对开本、八开本、十二开本。

The term quarto is used to describe a page or book size. A printed sheet is made with four pages of text on each side, and the page is folded twice, and cut to fit inside the binding. 4 leaves, or 8 pages of text are created this way. It is one of several standard sizes of books, including folio, octavo, and duodecimo.

Traditionally, books…

字母 R 开头

raised band(s)

Raised bands refer to the ridges that protrude slightly from the spine on leather bound books. The bands are created in the binding process, and show the structure of cord-bound books. On modern books bound by machines, these bands are sometimes introduced artificially to heighten the air of dignity on a newer edition.

Interestingly, in the past book binders sometimes tried to eliminate the bands using a technique called…

More Info

re-backed

Describes a book that has had the material covering the spine replaced or joints mended.
More Info

reading copy

Indicates a book that is perfectly serviceable for reading. It may have a defect or damage.

As such, reading copy is not a collectible book, except perhaps on occasion as a placeholder in a completist’s collection until a desirable copy can be acquired. A reading copy should not be confused with an advance review copy or advance reader’s copy, both of which can have appeal to book…

More Info

rear free endpaper

The portion of the endpaper which is left loose after binding. The first loose page upon opening a book from the rear. It may be plain or decorative.

More Info

rebacked

having had the material covering the spine replaced. The practice of rebacking is relatively common as the spine of a book often is exposed to the greatest damage and ware, both due to the fact that the spine is typically the portion of the book most exposed to damage from sunlight and dust while on a bookshelf, and as a natural effect of the stresses…

More Info

rebound

A book in which the pages have been bound into a covering replacing the original covering issued by the publisher.

More Info

recto

The page on the right side of a book, with the term Verso used to describe the page on the left side.

More Info

remainder

Book(s) which are sold at a very deep discount to alleviate publisher overstock. Often, though not always, they have a remainder mark.

More Info

remainder mark

Usually an ink marking of some sort which indicates that the book was designated a remainder. In most cases, it can be found on the edges of the text block in the form of a marker stripe or a stamp of some sort.

Remainder marks considerably lower the overall collectibility of a title, although, in some cases, they are acceptable to a collector.

More Info

reprint

Any printing of a book which follows the original edition. By definition, a reprint is not a first edition.

More Info

review material

Any number of a variety of possible promotional and publicity information included with copies of a book which has been distributed for reviewers and members of the book trade.

More Info

rfep

See rear free endpaper

RMABA

Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Association

More Info

rolled

rolled spine or spine rolled. Damage to a book created by pressure to the spine making it fold or crease in the cover. Damage can be from storing the book incorrectly, folding the book cover back, or during the books fabrication.

More Info

rubbing

Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book’s boards or dust-jacket.

字母 S 开头

sans dw or sans dj

Lacking the dustjacket.

More Info

second state

used in book collecting to refer to a first edition, but after some change has been made in the printing, such as a correction, or a change in binding color.

More Info

shaken

A hardcover in which the text block is loose, but still attached to the binding.

More Info

shelf wear

Shelf wear (shelfwear) describes damage caused over time to a book by placing and removing a book from a shelf. This damage is caused by the book rubbing against the shelf, causing the edges and cover to become worn down or even torn. The book can also receive damage from neighboring books rubbing against the front and back covers causing warping and other damage….

More Info

shelfwear

Minor wear resulting from a book being place on, and taken from a bookshelf, especially along the bottom edge.

More Info

sl.

slight

More Info

slip case

A protective sleeve, often made of decorative cardboard or leather which houses a book. It is open on one end, so as to allow the book to “slip” in.

More Info

soiled

Generally refers to minor discoloration or staining.

More Info

spine

The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf. Also known as the back.

More Info

spine label

The paper or leather descriptive tag attached to the spine of the book, most commonly providing the title and author of the work. With the tradition of fine bindings, the spine label was added after the book was bound so it was not integral to the covering of the book as is typical with modern publishing practices. The title on the spine label may…

More Info

spine strip

See spinestrip

spinestrip

The material covering the spine, or the rear portion of the outside of a book.

More Info

sunned

Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight sunning to a book.

Sunning can fade out the design on the cover and it can also sometimes warp or melt the dust jacket.

字母 T 开头

tail

The heel of the spine.

More Info

tailband

A strip of colored material attached to the text block at the bottom of the spine of a hard cover book. See also headband and endband.
More Info

TBA

Texas Booksellers Association

More Info

TEG

See top edge gilt

text block

Most simply the inside pages of a book. More precisely, the block of paper formed by the cut and stacked pages of a book. Collectively, the bound pages of a book as distinct from its covers, boards, end papers, dust jacket or other accoutrements.
More Info

tight

Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.

More Info

tipped in

tipped in用来描述被粘连到书中的内容，
粘连的内容可能是照片、插图、作者签名、明信片等。有时候修复或松散的书页，可能会被粘连内容进去，这种情况会大大降低书籍的价值。

title page

A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the publisher or publishing house name, the printer, and in some books the date and time the title was printed, colophon, and devices. It is a relatively modern innovation, as early books such as incunabula did not contain a title page.

The title…

More Info

top edge gilt

Top edge gilt refers to the practice of applying gold or a gold-like finish to the top of the text block (the edges the pages that are visible when looking directly down at the top of a closed book). This may be done using actual gold leaf, an alloy with other metals, a gold dust, or a synthetic material made to appear like gold leaf.

This…

More Info

tp

See title page

TPB

See trade paperback

trade paperback

Used to indicate any paperback book that is larger than a mass-market paperback and is often more similar in size to a hardcover edition.

The term “Trade Paperback” derives from the standard practice within the publishing trade of issuing a version of a hardback book in a less expensive form. Trade paperbacks are issued in the same size and format as a hardcover edition of…

More Info

tray case

A protective box designed to store books or documents consisting of a closed sided box (tray) with a hinged cover. See also clamshell

字母 U 开头

Unbound

A book or pamphlet which does not have a covering binding, sometimes by original design, sometimes used to describe a book in which the cover has become removed.
More Info

uncorrected proof

An uncorrected proof is a printed copy of a book that needs to be reviewed for errors and corrections. They are released prior to official publication, and generally are very plainly bound, and distributed only for final editing or promotion. This kind of edition is similar to an advance review copy, though technically those copies are supposed to be finished. Often the terms “proof copy”…

More Info

Uncut pages

‘Uncut pages’, or simply ‘uncut’, traditionally refers to a book which has not been trimmed by rebinding. Prior to the mid-nineteenth century publishers often sold books with a paper or cloth binding intended to be temporary. The purchaser of the book would then make arrangements with a binder to have the book cut and suitably bound, typically in leather. Each time a book is…

More Info

Uniform Edition

A collection or series of individual volumes of an author’s work bound to match with a uniform size and style. Especially common in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries for successful authors who had attracted a large readership over along period of time. Publisher’s advertisements in the rear pages of a book may have advertised other titles from that same…

More Info

unopened

A state in which all or some of the pages of a book have not been separated from the adjacent pages, caused by a traditional method for printing and binding books in which a large sheet of paper was printed with several pages, folded, and bound into the book. Sometimes inappropriately called uncut.

字母 V 开头

vellum

Vellum is a sheet of specialty prepared skin of lamb, calf, or goat kid used for binding a book or for printing and writing.

Vellum is a translucent material produced from the skin of a young animal. The skin is removed, cleaned with chemicals, drawn over a frame to dry, and then cleaned up to create a paper like surface. Print ink and colors…

More Info

verso

The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.

More Info

Very Good

Very Good condition can describe a used book that does show some small signs of wear - but no tears - on either binding or paper. Should not have markings or highlighting, except names inside the front cover. Any defects must be noted. (definition based on AB Bookman’s Weekly)

A book in very good condition is often cited as the minimum condition requirement for most collectors….

More Info

vignette

A decorative design or illustration placed at the beginning or end of a book. They can also be located at the beginning or end chapters in a book. It may also specifically refer to an illustration without a border that fades into the background.
In the middle ages, “vignettes” referred to an engraved design that was placed over a printed letter press page.

字母 W 开头

Worldcat

Worldcat是世界上容量最大的图书馆藏书目录，能帮助你在线查找全球各地的图书馆资料。它由 OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) 发起的、并由全球72,000 家图书馆支持协作的在线图书目录，目前已有超过300万条记录。

wrappers

见wraps

wraps

软装书的封面。见彩封(Pictorial Wraps)。

字母 X 开头

x-library

见Ex-library

字母 Y 开头

yapp binding

A limp bound book where fore edges of the front and rear covers extend beyond the front and back of the book to fold over the of the textblock. Named for the 19th Century British book binder William Yapp who introduced the technique for pocket sized Bibles. This form of binding is still quite common for contemporary Bibles and has been adopted for some…

前言

数字开头

1st edition, thus

1st thus

4to

8vo

字母 A 开头

A.N.

AB Bookman’s Weekly

ABA

ABAA

ABDASC

acceptable

Advance Review Copy

AEG

age tanned

age toned

ALA

ANZAAB

ARC

As New

Association copy

字母 B 开头

BAL

BCE

bds

beveled

Biblio

binder’s copy

binders copy

binding copy

blindstamp

blurb

boards

BOMC

Book Breaker

book club edition

bookplate

Brendan Sherar

Brodart

broken (spine)

buckram

bumped

bumping

Bumps

字母 C 开头

calf

Case bound

chapbook

chipped

chipping

chppd

clamshell box

closed tear

Closed tearing

Cloth

cocked

colophon

completist

Copyright page

Coptic Binding

cracked

crisp

字母 D 开头

Deboss

Deckle edge

dedication copy

dentelle

device

diaper

DJ

doctored

duodecimo

dust jacket

dustwrapper

字母 E 开头

e-book

e.p.

edges

endband