Antiquarian and rare book glossary of terms you should know. Abaa about rare books book glossary book collecting advice. The alphabetical list contains unapproved terms and references. Hopefully, our glossary will help you unravel some of the jargon used by book collectors and book sellers.
We take our book descriptions seriously as our online bookshop sales are completely dependant on customers buying what they expected from our catalogue. Fine f a book that has no defects in book or jacket, but not as crisp as it was when new. Gutter the inner margins adjoining the spine of a page. A book collectors glossary by carl noe scot kamins, editor. It was founded with the aim of fostering interest in rare books and manuscripts and maintaining high standards in the antiquarian book trade. Antiquarian bookseller a term, in todays usage, that describes a bookseller whose stock in trade is primarily old, rare, andor collectible books. A loose term implying collectible books rather than used books.
Whether youd like to sell, buy, or just ask a question, wed love to hear from you. Ioba book terminology independent online booksellers. Association copy a book once belonging to the author, or signed or annotated by the author to someone closely associated with the author of the book or the book itself in some way. The terms soft cover, paperback, and wraps also refer to a paper binding.
One collector, dealer or society may define a term in one way, while others will use the term in a slightly different way. Collectible book terms glossary this section of bookpoi provides one of the most comprehensive glossaries, with definitions, of book terms available. Here are some resources to help you decode bookcollectorspeak. Each glossary is an alphabetically arranged list of a subjects terms, with definitions. Occasionally the text of a book will be put into a specialized book press and painted, often with a scene from the book or a landscape, so that the painting is invisible when the book is closed but visible when somebody bends the text and fans the pagesknown as a foreedge painting. Thats why all our used book listings contain a condition code. For anyone interested in book collecting, understanding the terminology used in the book buying and selling industry is essential. Antiquarian and rare book glossary of terms you should. The front free endpaper or ffep is also a common place to encounter signatures or inscriptions. If you have any questions regarding any first edition books or any rare books, please contact us today. Below youll find a list of terms and their definitions to common book printing terms.
A glossary for book collectors, booksellers, librarians, and others berger, sidney e. A morgan or peace dollar considered scarce or rare may be much more plentiful than a liberty seated dollar described as such. The mostsuccinct definition of how to identify a book s spine probably comes from tom congalton and dan gregory of between the covers rare books, inc the part of the book that faces you when it is properly shelved on a bookshelf. Find some of the common jargon booksellers and book collectors often use.
A glossary for book collectors, booksellers, librarians, and others. This consists of two paragraphs, the first of which describes the physical book, the second its bibliographic history and information about it. Prior to shelving, each book is graded appropriately. Indicates that this is not the first appearance of a book in print, but that this is the first appearance in a substantially. Raptis rare books is an antiquarian book firm that specializes in fine first editions, signed and inscribed books, and landmark books in all fields. Tipped in is used to describe something which has been glued into a book. To further these objectives the abac sponsors book fairs and endeavours to stimulate interest in book collecting by. Symptoms include weakness, numbness, tingling and increased sensitivity that spreads over the body. Glossary of historical collectible terms heritage auctions. The new grisham, grafton, or cornwell novel you bought to read on your vacation is one of these. This 2007 publication is a revision of descriptive cataloging of rare books, 1991, itself a revision of bibliographic description of rare books, 1981t. 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. This page has words starting with the letter a, click on the letter links below for other words as needed.
It is not complete, but is a work in progress, and a labor of love for those who collect books, published here as a service to those whove requested it. Some booksellers prefer the term mellowed, a term best perhaps reserved for. Fair a book in very worn condition, but all of its important parts and dust jacket if one was issued must be present. This descriptive cataloging of rare books bibliographic. Antiquarian books a loose term implying collectible books rather than used books. A rare neurological disease characterized by loss of reflexes and temporary paralysis. Usually sewn and glued, hardcover books are then bound with cardboard covers that are reinforced with a stiff cloth before being covered with a paper dust jacket. On wikipedia, a glossary is a special kind of list. The association fosters the appreciation and sales of antiquarian books, prints and manuscripts and promotes professional and ethical standards for its members.
Glossary of rare book terms letter t books tell you why. Booksellers use these terms, as well as unique terms not included in this list, based on their own criteria. While glossaries are most commonly associated with nonfiction books, in some. To us, a rare book is one which we may handle every few years. A glossary of book binding terms books tell you why, inc. Books are frequently described as rare when they are merely valuable.
The numbering of leaves not pages, commonly found in manuscripts. Abaa glossary of book collecting terms abc for book collectors pdf bookbinding and the conservation of books catalogers desktop classification web estc estc web matching heritage of the printed book hpb lc. Catalogue entries each old and rare book in our online store is described using our old and rare book cataloging style. A book described as good will not usually appeal to the fastidious collector unless the book is extremely rare, but books in good condition may prove a bargain for the general collector or when fine copies are priced out of budget. Book printing glossary below youll find a list of terms and their definitions to common book printing terms. Also, a book inscribed by its author to a famous person, or owned by someone of interest.
This guide contains resources and terms frequently used in the library. Additional or supplementary material generally found at the end of a book. Abaa sponsors three annual rare book fairs, the best of their kind in america. A work whose authenticity or authorship is in doubt. Some of the terminology used in book collecting can be arcane, indeed. Traditionally, a glossary appears at the end of a book and includes terms within that book that are either newly introduced, uncommon, or specialized. Glossary of rare book terms letter f books tell you why. Each term is followed by one or more explanatory encyclopediastyle definitions. Describes the average used worn book that has all pages or leaves present. There may be exceptions to some of our definitions our main concern is to provide you with general concepts relative to commonly used book jargon. Contact us the first edition rare books rare books by. Also, the gutter between the ffep and front pastedown is a very common place to encounter damage to a book, notably a cracked binding.
Abebooks glossary of book terms our glossary was designed to help visitors to our website understand unfamiliar book related terms. A glossary, also known as a vocabulary or clavis, is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Mass market paperback is the format in which most popular fiction is published. A more complete guide to book sizes, book conditions and binding terms can be found through the aforementioned links. Abaa antiquarian booksellers association of america. If a book or other library item is located at another location, you can page, or summon the book to be sent to your location. For example, see glossary of architecture in order to explain jargon for wikipedias broad audience, each of its glossaries contains a working vocabulary. This is the first full edition of a book collectors glossary. This by architecture, john henry parker is available at bauman rare books. Abebooks glossary of book terms our glossary was designed to help visitors to our website understand unfamiliar bookrelated terms.
Here is our ash rare books guide to the common terms and abbreviations. A book description is the language we rely on to convey to you, the buyer, an accurate picture of the book we have for sale. Here is our ash rare books guide to the common terms and. A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. See gilt als autographed letter signed antiquarian bookseller a term, in todays usage, that describes a bookseller whose stock in trade is primarily old, rare, andor collectible books association copy a book once belonging to the author, or signed or annotated by the author to someone closely associated with the author of the book or the book. Taken together with our other glossaries, we hope this list of book condition terms will help you kickstart your book collecting efforts. Abaa glossary of book terms antiquarian booksellers. The mission of the abaa is to promote ethical standards and professionalism in the antiquarian book trade, to encourage the collecting and preservation of rare and antiquarian books and related materials, to support educational programs and research into the study of rare books, and to facilitate collegial relations between. Glossary of terms used in architecture bauman rare books. Bauman rare books offers an extraordinary selection of rare books and autographs in all fields. Glossary of book termssome common abbreviations used in the world of collectible books. The first half of the glossary contains terms az and is followed by two book anatomy illustrations, descriptions of the various book sizes, a guide to condition ratings, and the most common abbreviations used in the world of.
This abbreviated glossary covers only the most commonly encountered terms. Glossary pearson, as an active contributor to the biology learning community, is pleased to provide free access to the classic edition of the biology place to all educators and their students. Muscle paralysis starts in the feet and legs and moves upwards to the arms and hands. Glossary of terms used on vaccines and immunizations website.
The south carolina book dealers association is made up of persons and businesses in south carolina usa, engaged in the selling of rare and outofprint books. To view a term record, click on its first letter from the list below. The introductory text from the print edition is available. The following shows a book open, exposing its pastedown and endpapers these are called marbled endpapers. To further these objectives the abac sponsors book fairs and endeavours to stimulate interest in book collecting by private collectors and public institutions. The glossary of geology is available as an online subscription, via ip address, to libraries, university departments, corporations, etc. A list of terms and definitions particular to the subject of the book. Most libraries keep their rare books in special collections to which access is restricted. When you order a used book from, youll know exactly what kind of shape its in. If you have additional questions regarding the glossary, please contact our special services. When it comes to a book s binding, there are many descriptors that are used. For example, to obtain a book from grand avenue library, an offsite usc library, will require you to page the item and pick it up from leavey library.
Book terms and book conditions used by book collectors. Not only will this allow the novice to correctly describe a book, this page will provide an easy reference to unknown book words allowing an intelligent decision before purchasing or describing a book to sell. If a book includes rare, unfamiliar, specialized, or made up words or terms, the glossary serves as a dictionary for the reader to reference throughout their reading of the book. As issued a term used to describe an aspect of the book that might be perceived as a flaw but was the original state of the book. What is a glossary in a book how to write a glossary for. As one of the premier rare book sites on the internet, alibris has thousands of rare books, first editions, and signed books available.
Glossary of geology american geosciences institute. You may encounter some of these terms used to describe books listed on. Bindings a term generally used in the antiquarian book world to mean fine bindings, of which there are numerous styles. We have put together definitions for dog words that you may not be familiar with. Glossary of historical collectible terms find common terms and definitions related to collecting historical collectibles. Boards the stiff material commonly referred to as the covers. Valuable book which so difficult to find that it seldom appears for sale. Although we offer extended due dates for the convenience of our users, these due dates are not guaranteed.
And please let us know if any of our definitions still leave you puzzled. Here are some resources to help you decode book collectorspeak. Here is a helpful compilation of rare book terms commonly used in the manuscript and rare book market. Glossary of terms used in architecture rare book for sale. A book from the stan lee or forrest ackerman collection would be an example of a value adding provenance. Dec 08, 2017 if a book includes rare, unfamiliar, specialized, or made up words or terms, the glossary serves as a dictionary for the reader to reference throughout their reading of the book.
A brief workgenerally between 1 and 35 pages in lengthon a topic. Sellers of used, rare, and outofprint books often use jargon to precisely describe the condition of their titles. Prison terms for two or more offenses to be served at the same time, rather than one after the other. Describes a book that shows some small signs of wear but no tears on either binding or paper. Like terms describing condition, statements of rarity are somewhat subjective. Looking for help understanding commonly used book collecting terminology, or abbreviations and references used in book sellers descriptions. Antiquarian and rare book glossary of terms you should know raptis rare books fine rare and antiquarian first edition books for sale. The online glossary provides access to the more than 39,000 glossary entries contained in the fifth edition of the print glossary. Pulp cheaply produced magazine made from low grade newsprint. A thesaurus for use in rare book and special collections cataloging. Please let us know if there are any more expresssions you would like us to include. All edges gilt the top, foredge and foot of the book are colored in gold.
Approval of a plan of reorganization by a bankruptcy judge. But there is a proper way of doing things and books have long had a wideranging, welltried and welltrusted language of description. Mathematics terms and definitions look up the meaning of math words. Visit us online, at our galleries in new york or las vegas, or call us at 180099bauman. The book s interior will only be printed in black ink, with one color black on both sides of the page. Buying used books online shouldnt require any more guesswork than buying new copies. It pays to become familiar with the basic descriptive terms used by used and rare booksellers to communicate a particular books condition. When the owner of a book is known and is stated for the purpose of authenticating and documenting the history of the book.
An illustration appearing before the first pages of a book. Alphabetical list rare books and manuscripts section. Tippedin items can include photos, book plates, author signatures, postcards etc. The edge of a book opposite the spine sometimes inscribed, decorated, painted, or gilt. There is merit in precision and we try to use the most precise and professional terminology. A street car token of 1880, of which 500 are known to exist, would be considered to be common in the context of street car tokens. Search the glossary of book terms to unravel the puzzling language you may have found in the description of your book. Glossary of library terms library terminology research. Beinecke cataloging manual yale university library. Collect rare and outofprint books as one of the premier rare book sites on the internet, alibris has thousands of rare books, first editions, and signed books available. Two fiveyear sentences and one threeyear sentence, if served concurrently, result in a maximum of five years behind bars.
Bowed a condition where the boards of a hardcover book have turned either inwards or outwards in relation to the leaves. Boards were historically made of wood, but most modern binders use cardboard. There may be exceptions to some of our definitions our main concern. Precise definitions for many philatelic terms do not exist. Pagination the numbering of pages is rare in books printed before 1475. May 21, 2015 this glossary defines nearly 300 terms frequently encountered by stamp collectors and cover collectors.
Share flipboard email print math is already its own language, so make sure you know the meaning of words used to describe it runphoto, getty images science, tech, math. It pays to become familiar with the basic descriptive terms used by used and rare booksellers to communicate a particular book s condition. Let us help with this glossary of book binding terms. The books interior will only be printed in black ink, with one color black on both sides of the page.
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