lazylionbooks.com - A Book Collector's Glossary

Acid migration: The acidification of a book or part of book by contact with something that is acidic. Acid is destructive to paper and cloth in that it breaks the long fibers of into shorter fibers thus making them more fragile. It also often causes discoloration. One of the most common scenarios may be seen in older books where the pastedown end paper, and often the free endpaper as well, have been discolored from proximate contact with the board that forms the front and back cover of a hard cover book. This discoloration may look much like foxing, and indeed, is frequently incorrectly described as "foxed endpapers". Typically, staining from acid migration damage to the end paper is more solid in coverage than real foxing. Often, you will see a distinct line of demarcation near the edge of the endpaper where the turn-in of the binding material has blocked or neutralized the acid. Often the mull, the linen strip beneath the endpaper near the spine will have the same effect. Acid migration may also come from cardboard boxes, or even wood shelving. It is a slow and gradual process. The rate cannot be predicted as it will vary enormously depending on the relative pHs of the materials, and is heavily dependent on environmental factors.

AEG: All edges gilt, gilt applied to top edge, bottom edge & fore edge of the volume (see also GT and AEM).

AEM: All edges marbled, marbling applied to top edge, bottom edge& fore edge of volume (see also AEG and GT).

ALS: Autograph letter signed, letter handwritten by the person signing the letter as opposed to LS, which is a manuscript letter written by someone other than the signer (see also ADS, ANS, LS TLS).

Advance copy: a copy of a book usually sent to reviewers prior to publication, may be in a different format and may or may not be bound.

Advance sheets: the unbound sheets of a new book, often galleys, distributed prior to publication.

Advertisements: Many books & pamphlets, especially of the 19th century contained ads, especially ones advertising others books by the same publisher, often located at the back of the volume, following the text pages.

All published: the book or set is complete as is, and any additional parts or volumes were never published.

ARC: Abbreviation for Advance Reading Copy. A copy of a book released in advance of the publication date, for the purpose of promotion and or review. ARCs are usually sent to booksellers, to drum up advance orders, and to allow the bookseller to talk it up prior to release. ARCs are usually in bound in wraps, typically with information on the cover or inside regarding intended date of release; promotional budget and other information intended to whet the appetite of the bookseller. See: Review copy. Galley proof.

Bibliophile: Book lover. As individuals or in groups, a particularly pleasant and enjoyable category of humans to associate with, especially when well informed.

Binding: the method of holding pages or sheets together; may be simply stapled or sewn, or sewn and enclosed in wrappers, but most often refers to a "hard" binding or covers. This type of binding may be covered with cloth, various leathers, or paper over boards or other more exotic materials. The binding can be done by hand or by machine as in a publisher's "trade binding". The following terms relate primarily to leather bindings:

Full binding: volume is entirely encased in leather (calf, sheep, morocco, etc.)

Three quarter binding: volume has leather spine and corners which occupy approx. 3/4 of the space along top edge of board (cover). The remainder of the board is covered with marbled paper, plain paper, cloth, different leather, etc.

Half binding: the spine and corner leather occupy only approx. 1/2 of top edge.

Quarter binding: usually lacks leather corners and leather of the spine occupies only approx. 1/4 of the top edge.

Binding copy: a book lacking the original binding or with a binding in poor condition, i.e. a book in need of a new binding - can also be referred to as a reading copy.

Blind: Also known as "blind stamped" or "stamped in the blind" This refers to stamping or impressions on the cover of a book that have not been filled in with color or gilt.
Use the word "embossed" if you are talking to someone who is secure in their ignorance.
Book clubs have often used a small blind stamp in the form of a circle, square, small leaf on the bottom right corner of the back cover of a book to distinguish their issue from that of the regular publisher’s edition.

Boards: the covers of a hard bound book; the boards are the stiff cardboard or paperboard which is usually covered with cloth or leather; and when covered with paper, the covers are properly referred to as "boards". Many pre-1850 books were issued by the publishers bound in boards (paper covered), allowing for an inexpensive binding which could later be replaced with leather by a hand book binder. Early (medieval) manuscript volumes were often bound between two oak boards, hence the probable origin of this term.

Book club edition: usually an inexpensive reprint utilizing poor quality paper and binding and sold by subscription to members of a book club; in general, of little interest to book collectors and of low monetary value.

Book jacket: the paper, often with illustrations and information about the book and author, used as a protective covering over the book; usually referred to as a "dust jacket" or "dj", sometimes called a "dust wrapper". Dust jacket art work is used to promote and sell the book.

Book formats: the traditional terms in use for describing book formats are derived from early printing methodology and the size of early handmade sheets of paper. When two leaves (four pages when printed on both sides) were printed on a sheet so that it could be folded once, collated with other folded sheets and bound, the format of the volume was a "folio". When four leaves (eight pages) were printed on the same size sheet, which would later be folded twice, the format of the resultant volume was a "quarto" (four leaves). The term "octavo" relates to the sheet having eight leaves printed on it. Today some booksellers are providing the height of a book in inches or centimeters rather than using these early terms which do not relate directly to the sheet size or process used for printing today. The following is offered as a guide to convert book formats to approximate book sizes:

There are smaller and larger books, i.e. many miniatures are 64mo, and most hard bound books are either octavo or duodecimo in size.

Bookworm: any of a number of moth or fly larvae which tunnel through the pages of books leaving behind small channels, holes in individual leaves. Very early books often have some evidence of bookworm damage.

Broadside: a printing, often an official announcement or poem or music, which occurs on a single sheet of paper and only on one side; the verso (other side) is blank. When printed on both sides, the sheet becomes a "broadsheet".

Broadsheet: a printing which occurs on both sides of a single leaf (see also broadside).

Browned: The severe discoloration of book paper by poor storage and age. See Yellowing for a more detailed discussion.

Buckram: a stiff, coarsely woven, filled cloth used for less expensive, but stronger wearing, cloth book binding material; often used for library books.

Bumped: A defect in a book caused by, you guessed it, being bumped. You may see this clearly by taking a closed book in your hand, and striking one of it's corners smartly on a hard surface. Now throw the book away.

Calf: book binding leather from a calf hide or cattle hide; a commonly used material for leather binding (see also morocco, sheep, and vellum).

Cancel leaf: a new leaf, often the title page, to which changes have been made, which is glued onto the narrow stub left by the removed leaf which has been excised.

Chipped: Small flakes or tears to the edge(s) of a dust jacket, pages or spine of a book.

Cloth: book binding material woven from cotton, linen, wool or synthetic fibers.

Collation: used in descriptive bibliography as the term which describes the non-binding portion of the book, verifying the proper sequence and completeness of pages & their gatherings (signatures).

Colophon: a statement occurring at the rear of a volume following the text, relating information about the printing history and physical aspects of the book; often includes name of printer, type of paper, typeface, size of edition, date of printing, etc. Early books often had a colophon instead of a title page imprint and modern private press or other examples of fine printing often use a colophon.

Condition: The state of preservation of a book. The primary grades are VERY FINE; FINE; VERY GOOD; GOOD; FAIR; POOR. The grades GOOD and VERY GOOD are often further discriminated with the appendence of a plus or minus sign. For example G+ is better than good, but less then VG-. The whole condition grading process is highly subjective, and that is why experienced book buyers look for detailed descriptions beyond the basic condition grade.

Conjugate leaves: leaves which are physically attached; part of the same sheet.

Copyright page: statement in a book, placed by the publisher stating various copyright information. Usually the verso of the title page.

Covers: the binding of a book; i.e. cloth, calf, morocco, boards, wrappers, etc.

Cut edges: the most common type of book edges, trimmed even with a large binders knife prior to finishing the binding process (see also uncut, unopened, and deckle edges).

Dampstain: stain often of a shade of tan or gray resulting from water or other liquid damage to a volume; tolerated by collectors when it is minimal and occurs in very old, scarce volumes; its presence does lower the monetary value.

Deckle edge: natural or sometimes artificial rough edge of page, left uncut (see also cut edges, uncut, and unopened).

Device: Usually "Publisher's device". The logo or symbol of the publisher. Certain publishers, such as Doubleday Doran and Farrer & Rinehart, have used their device to identify their first editions. Sometimes inaccurately called the publisher's "colophon". The presence of the Farrer & Rinehart stylized "FR" on the copyright page is just about a certain indication of the book being a first edition.

Disbound: descriptive term for a book or pamphlet or ephemera which has been removed from its binding.

Dummy copy: book made to appear like a soon to be published title, but with a text block of blank pages (see also salesman sample).

Dust jacket: the paper, often with illustrations and information about the book, used as a protective covering over the book; sometimes called a book jacket (dj) or a dust wrapper (dw). Collectors of literary first editions usually insist on having a fine copy of the original dust jacket with the book.

Edition & Printing edition includes the copies of a book or other printed material which originate from the same plates or setting of type. If 500 copies of a book are printed on Oct. 5 and 300 copies are printed from the same substantially unchanged plates on Dec. 10, all 800 copies are part of the same edition. Printing: the copies of a book or other printed materials which originate from the same press run or from the same plates or setting of type at one time. In the example given for "Edition" above, the 500 copies would be the first printing and the 300 copies comprise the second printing. In the 19th century some publishers labeled later printings as if they were later editions, i.e. a second printing would be called a "second edition" on the copyright page.

End paper: paper, often of coated stock or marbled paper or otherwise "fancy" paper, with one half pasted to the cover; used primarily to give a finished appearance to the binding.

Errata: A list of corrections to the text or contents of a completed work, often laid in or tipped into the book as a separate slip of paper, but sometimes an entire leaf attached or bound in. Errors are inevitable, and the publishers' options are, in increasing order of cost and difficulty: to do nothing (a too common practice today); next, to print and include an errata slip, indicating the error(s), its location and it's correction; next to remove the leaf or leaves in error and replace them with a cancel; and lastly, to withdraw the book and replace it with a new, more correct issue. The presence of an errata slip may be a significant point in determining the priority of issue of a given book.

Ex-library: legitimately removed (discarded/deaccessioned) from an institutional library, such as a public library, university library, historical society, etc. Often has catalog numbers inked or painted on the spine, library bookplates, embossed or rubber-stamped identification on the title page and plates, library card pockets and often shows considerable wear and/or rebinding in a plain buckram. Referred to as "ex-lib" and of considerably lower monetary value than the respective book which has never been the property of an institutional library.

Ex-Libras: a Latin phrase meaning "from the books" or to paraphrase, "from the library or collection of"; the phrase is frequently used on bookplates.

Extra-illustrated: usually a volume made into a unique copy with additional illustrations, autographs, or manuscripts added by carefully gluing or tipping-in this extra material.

First Books: the first book appearance by an author (usually refers to a book entirely by the author, not merely a first appearance of a poem or short story in an anthology). Frequently an established, well known author's first book is not widely known; i.e. James Fennimore Cooper's "Precaution".

First Edition: All of the copies printed from the first setting of type; can include multiple printings if all are from the same setting of type. Every printed book has a first edition, many never have later editions. A later edition would have substantial changes in the printing plates or type such as the addition of a new preface or new chapter or major changes throughout the text and often is printed from a complete resetting of the type. When book collectors use the term first edition, they are usually referring to the first printing and if there are different states or issues, the earliest of those.

Flyleaf: a blank leaf (or leaves) inserted during the binding process between the free end paper and the beginning or end of the printed pages.

Fore edge: That part of the book and it's pages farthest from the spine, i.e., the part that faces the back of the shelf when a book is placed in a normal position on the shelf.

Fore edge painting: Exactly as the name implies, a decorative painting on the fore edge of a book. The page edges are fanned slightly so that the paint is actually applied not to the actual fore edge, but to the edge of the page near the fore edge. The result is that the painting is hidden or mostly hidden when the book is closed, but is revealed when the pages are fanned just so. The artist may apply a second painting by fanning the pages in the other direction, in which case we say that the book bears "double fore edge painting."
Fore edge painting was common in the nineteenth century, and the works of popular poets, such as Walter Scott, were frequently the canvas. The demand is strong for such books, and as is difficult to distinguish an old book with an old fore edge painting from an old book with a not-so-old fore edge painting the buyer should be beware.

Format: Traditionally, the approximate size and shape of the book as defined by the number of times the printed sheet is folded before binding. Since sheet paper size and shape varied, so did the size and shape of the book. Despite this, it is standard today for catalogers to use format to describe the size of the book. One fold produced a Folio, two folds: Quarto (4to), three folds: octavo (8vo), 4 folds: sextodecimo (16mo). Duodecimo (12mo) is a common format between 8vo and 16mo, but the folding method varies and is too complex to describe here. 32mo and 64mo also exist, but these are very small books. 8vo (octavo) is what most people think of a "Normal sized" book. A folio is a large book, noticeably taller than wide. A quarto is oversized, usually "squarish" format. Specific dimensions are probably more practical, but the book world is not dedicated to practicality.
12mo and 16mo are commonly pronounced as the abbreviations read, i.e., "twelvemo".

Foxing: rust colored spots which occur on paper resulting from oxidation of both organic and iron impurities left behind during the paper making process. Only when these impurities exist in the paper, given exposure to the right humidity and temperature factors, will foxing occur. This process is intrinsic to the paper; some paper will never have the rusty, brown, yellow spots known as foxing.

Frontispiece: an illustration or plate inserted immediately in front of the title page, with the illustration facing the title page, often abbreviated as frontis.

Galley proof: A copy of a book that was produced ostensibly for proof readers. In times past, these were produced in very small numbers within the publishing house itself, on a small press called a galley. The product of the galley tended to be long, narrow sheets These sheets, also called galleys, were crudely bound up for in house use.
The galley presses are mostly gone, but the name survives. The distinction between proofs (galley or other), and ARCs and review copies is quite blurred. In some cases a single issue is referred to as all of the foregoing.

Gathering: a folded printed sheet of leaves prior to binding; referred to as a signature after binding.

Gilt: Gold leaf that has been applied to the binding, page edges or less often the pages of a book. Gold leaf is a popular choice for lettering the title or other information to the cover of a book for same reason it is sought for other uses. It is beautiful and can be quite enduring. It does not tarnish easily. The difference here from other uses, is that it doesn't cost much. Gold leaf is incredibly thin. Binders do not touch gold leaf with their fingers, as it will disappear into the pores of the skin when touched.
See: TEG, AEG, Illuminated.

Gutter: the inner margin of the leaves of a bound book; adjacent inner margins of facing pages when book is open.

Half title: a page which precedes the title page and the text, with the title (often abbreviated) usually centered on the page.

Hinge: the inside portion of the flexible area where book cover meets the book spine; often used interchangeably with the term joint, which should be used to designate the outside or exterior portion of the "hinge". A volume which has received heavy or rough use often has cracked or broken hinges.

Holograph: Anything handwritten entirely by the writer; i.e. a letter written entirely in the handwriting of the correspondent is a holograph of that person.

Illuminated: A page that has been decorated with gold, either as gold leaf, or gold that has been ground up and placed in a suspension of liquid and then painted on the page. The application of silver leaf is generally also regarded as illumination, but I believe that to be relatively modern use. An egregious misuse of this term is found when used to describe red or other color inks or paints applied to a page. Such use should be described as rubication.
See: gilt, AEG.

Imprint: when used as a noun refers to the publication data located at the base of a title page, usually includes the city of publication, name of the publisher (sometimes the printer),and the year of publication. Sometimes this information is located in a colophon at the back of a book. Imprint can also be used to refer to a printed piece from a certain location or period of time, i.e. the university has a collection of 18th century Massachusetts imprints.

Incunable: anything printed during the 15th century, the first century of printing with "moveable type"; from the Latin, meaning "from the cradle"; can also be used in a relative sense to refer to other early printings, i.e. incunables from the Pacific islands.

Inscribed: a book, or other printed piece, with a handwritten and signed statement usually written for a specific named person(s) and often located on the end paper or title page; when "inscribed" is used to describe a book, unless otherwise stated, it is implied that the author has written the inscription. When used to designate the recipients of a book as a gift from the author (or publisher), it is called a "presentation inscription".

Issue: a portion of an edition printed or published deliberately by the printer or publisher in a distinct form differing from the rest of the printing relative to paper, binding, format, etc. The distinction between "issue" and "state" is that the former relates to changes done on purpose by the publisher and intentionally treated as a separate unit, i.e. a large paper issue. (See also first edition, state, variant).

Joint: the exterior flexible "hinge" where book cover meets book spine; "hinge" is usually used to designate the equivalent inside or interior flexible area. The joint is often an area that splits or cracks or otherwise shows wear in an older cloth or leather volume.

LS: Letter signed, a letter written by another, usually a secretary, but signed by the correspondent, as opposed to an ALS which is written entirely in the hand of the correspondent (see also ADS, ALS, ANS and TLS).

Large paper copy: a special edition printed with the pages reconfigured to result in larger leaves with very wide page margins; the text of the individual pages remaining the same as the normal edition; usually large paper copies are printed in small, limited editions.

Leaf (leaves): refers to the smallest, standard physical unit of paper in a printed piece; in the case of books and pamphlets, usually with a printed page on each side of a leaf; a broadside is printed on a single side of a single leaf.

Lean: A defect in a book where the covers no longer line up squarely when the book is laid flat on its back cover. Some say a book with this defect has a "cocked spine". It is caused usually by poor storage or rough handling during reading.

Limited edition: An edition or issue of a book where the total number of copies has been deliberately held to a predetermined quantity. It is presumed and implied by this that the total number is somewhat or substantially less than what might have been sold had the edition not been artificially limited. Limited editions are made for collectors. In most areas of collecting, any object conceived from its beginning to be for the collector market, is not a good candidate for collecting.
Yet, good limited editions of many books are extremely desirable and hotly sought after.
The collector should exercise some skepticism in judging "limited editions". Just because it says it is, doesn't make it so.
If the book is limited to, say 25,000 copies, you are entitled to laugh out loud. There is nothing limited about 25,000 copies. Likewise, a "Limited" edition that does not clearly state the number of copies in the edition should be viewed with the greatest skepticism. In older books, look for limitations in the low hundreds. Modern limited editions may run into a few thousand, but that is a pretty large edition.
In many limited editions each book is individually numbered. It is common for each copy of the limited edition to be signed by the author, or in many cases the illustrator, or sometimes both. Sometimes there is more than one limited edition of a title.
Sometimes limited editions are an entirely different product than the regular or "trade" edition. More often, they are identical except for the presence of an additional leaf tipped into the book, upon which is found the limitation statement, and the copy number and the signature, if the latter two are part of the edition.
One may often see limitation pages which are signed, but were not numbered, even thought there is a obvious place for the number to have been written or stamped. Such copies are said to be "out of series", and are extra specimens that were produced to allow for damage or other losses prior to release.

Lithograph: A method of printing where the printed and unprinted parts of the printing plate are in the same plane [planographic]. Originally used to refer to images transferred from stone plates [litho=stone, graph=image]. The lithographer uses a greasy crayon-like stylus to draw on the smooth, flat surface of the sandstone. The stone is then wetted, and then inked. The artist's marks repel the water, and only the unmarked part of the stone can be wetted. The wetted part of the stone in turn will not accept the ink, which is oily, so only the image is inked. Paper is then laid on and rolled to pick up the inked image. Each color requires a different drawing and stone. The original Currier and Ives lithographs were produced this way.
Today, lithography refers to any printing method whereby the process relies upon the different ink holding properties of the various parts of the plate, rather than differences in height of the inked and non-inked surfaces. Most printing today is lithographic, even laser printers in a sense. A dot matrix printer would clearly not be lithographic. Also see: relief.

Marbled edges: usually the top, bottom and fore edge of a book with a multi-colored, swirled design, somewhat resembling the coloration pattern of marble stone (see also AEM).

Marbled paper: paper decorated with a multi-colored, swirled design or pattern; often used for end papers or for paper covered boards, especially with 3/4 or 1/2 leather bindings.

Morocco: leather binding made from goat hides; usually used in high quality or fine bindings for the interesting texture of the leather; originally tanned with sumac in the country of Morocco (see also calf, sheep and vellum).

Out of Series: A copy of a numbered limited edition that lacks the number. Such copies are usually part of the printer's overrun, produced to make of for lost, damaged or defective copies. It is not uncommon for the out of series copy to bear the authentic signature of the author (or illustrator or whoever), assuming it was produced as a numbered and signed edition. However, care and some skepticism is called for. Generally less desirable than the numbered (in series) copy, but may still be desirable.
See: Limited Edition

Paste down: A part of the book binding which is the half of the end paper that is glued or pasted to the inside cover of the book.

Perfect bound: A method of binding where the pages are attached to each other and the cover with glue. Nothing else, just glue. All your popular fiction paperbacks are assembled this way.

Plate: an illustration(s) printed on a separate sheet of paper (usually heavy and better quality than the text pages) and added to the book during the binding process.

Point: A change in text, materials or format that is used to distinguish states.

Pre-publication price: When a new title is first offered for sale, often this special lower price is promoted and available for a limited time before publication.

Presentation copy: a copy of a printed item inscribed and signed by the author (or publisher) and provided as a gift; see "inscribed".

Price Clipped: A defect in a dust jacket where the price printed by the publisher on the dust jacket has been cut off. Book publishers usually print the suggested retail price in the corner of the front flap of the dust jacket. It is common practice for gift givers to remove this price with scissors. In less sophisticated times, second hand booksellers would commonly "price clip" the book to avoid confusion with their marked price. Today, otherwise collectable modern books are significantly devalued if the dust jacket is price clipped. Indeed, in some cases, the price is the point by which the issue or state may be identified.

Printing: the copies of a book or other printed materials which originate from the same press run or from the same plates or setting of type at one time. In the example given for "Edition", the 500 copies would be the first printing and the 300 copies comprise the second printing. In the 19th century some publishers labeled later printings as if they were later editions, i.e. a second printing would be called a "second edition" on the copyright page. (See also edition).

Prospectus: printed material, often in the form of a leaflet or broadside, which describes a forth-coming title in detail, often including information on ordering the book including pre-publication price.

Rare: A very hard to locate and expensive book. Note please the association of Value. Demand is just as, in fact, more important than scarcity. Indeed, if you have the only copy of a book in the world, if no one else wants it, it is valueless on the market, and emphatically not rare.

Reading copy: well worn, usually abused copy of a book, often in need of rebinding; i.e. suitable for reading, but unlikely to be included in a book collection unless rebound; sometimes refers to a copy that can be read, but is not of a quality worth rebinding.

Rebacked: the spine or backstrip has been replaced with new material, in some cases the original worn backstrip is saved and glued over the new material.

Rebound: copy of a book which has had the original binding removed and a new binding attached; when there is no need to resew or trim the book, the term "recased" is sometimes used to indicate that a new binding and new end papers have been added.

Recto: the front side of a leaf or in the case of an open book the page on the right, with the page on the left being the verso.

Relief: Printing method by a matrix where the "raised" part of the matrix only is inked, and in turn pressed against the paper or fabric to transfer the inked image. Relief printing methods include: letterpress; woodcut; wood engraving; linoleum cut, etc. In letter press, individual letters are cast in blocks with only the shape of the desired letter or image in the plane of printing. Only that surface is inked, and only that surface touches the paper during printing. The other relief methods are used mostly for illustration. In each, the smooth flat surface of the printing matrix is cut away so only the desired image (in mirror image form) is left of the original surface. Great pressure is not usually required for a good image, so the matrix is slow to wear out, and many good quality strikes may be achieved. Relief printing is an ancient form of printing. Gutenberg refined it by creating a practical means of reusing movable type. Relief/Letter press printing is still done, but has been replaced in most cases by lithographic printing.
Woodcut is done on the face of a wood plank, where wood engraving is done on the end grain. The difference in properties between these two surfaces results in rather different styles and appearance. Wood engraving was a successful commercial illustration technique very popular in the last half of the 19th century. The famous Winslow Homer illustrations that appeared in Harper's Weekly from the 1860's and 1870's were wood engravings.

Review copy: A copy of book sent to a book reviewer, usually in advance of the publication date. Sometimes, especially today, a separate issue in wrappers. In years past, often a copy of the first edition with a small typewritten notice laid in with the information regarding release date and the address to which copies of the review should be sent in order for the publisher to consider them for promotional purposes.
See: ARC and Galley Proof

Salesman sample: volume made for door-to-door sales of a forth-coming title, usually has examples of several binding styles, the title page, a few pages of text and some illustrations (if any) and often a few ruled leaves bound in the back to be used to record the sales transaction including the name and address of those ordering the book.

Scarce: A moderately difficult to locate and fairly expensive book.
See Rare .

Self-wrappers: the wrappers of a pamphlet consist of the first leaf of the first signature and the final leaf of the last signature; i.e. no special or distinct paper wrappers have been added; often government pamphlets and almanacs have self-wrappers.

Sewn-as-issued: a pamphlet which has been sewn together and exists in its original state relative to binding; normally a pamphlet with self-wrappers.

Shaken: indicates that sections (signatures) of a book or pamphlet are becoming quite loose, but remain attached to the binding.

Sheep: a common leather binding material from sheep hides; used like calf for a less expensive binding than morocco, appears to have been frequently used for text books and law books in the 19th century (see also calf, morocco, and vellum).

Signature: a group or gathering of leaves printed together on a sheet of paper which is folded, bound with other signatures and trimmed to form a book or pamphlet; i.e. a section or grouping of pages in a book resulting from printing and binding methodology; also refers to a person's self handwritten name (autograph signature).

Signed: refers to a printed item on which the author (or illustrator or publisher) has written their name, usually on the end papers, title page, or in the case of pamphlets on the wrappers.

Slipcase: a box with one open side, into which a volume or a multivolume set is "slipped" for protection; publishers often issue a slipcase with two and three volume sets.

Solander case: a box in which a book is stored for protection which has one end (often leather) which resembles the spine or backstrip of a book.

Spine: the back portion of a book's binding which is visible when a book is shelved in a bookcase; the portion which is attached at the joints to the front and rear covers.

Started: indicates that one or more signatures of a book are protruding beyond the rest of the fore edge, i.e. beginning to pull away from the binding to which they are still attached; not as loosened as the term "shaken" indicates.

State: a portion of a printing with changes such as minor alterations to the text either intentional or accidental; insertion of cancels, advertisements, or insertions; copies on different paper without intention of creating a separate issue; and other changes other than folding or collating or binding. An example would be when a pressman discovers battered or broken type, stops the presses and resets that portion of the page by replacing the broken type and then resumes the printing. (see also first edition, cancel, issue, and variant).

Sunned: The discoloration of a book's binding or dust jacket, usually the spine or edges, by light. Most of the damaging light is ultraviolet, but visible light is nearly as damaging over time.

TLS: typed letter signed, as opposed to ALS, a handwritten letter signed by the writer (see also ADS, ALS, ANS and LS).

Threading: Damage to a cloth binding that takes the appearance of rough spots where the finish has been attacked by insects (usually cockroaches or silverfish). Binding cloth is usually sized with wheat paste, which the insects love to eat. Since the sizing was put there to fill and smooth the weave in the fabric, it's removal by voracious mandibles leaves it rough and coarse looking. The individual threads of the fiber usually become quite evident, hence the euphemism which is infinitely less repellent than "Insect damaged". The recently seen phrase "biopredation", is another euphemism, though presumably much broader in scope than "threading".

Thus: Usually "first thus". It means, not a first edition. Rather, the first time that the book has appeared in this form, which may mean the first appearance under new title, or the first appearance with a new introduction, or frequently the first with this set of illustrations.

Tipped in: Something is said to be "tipped in" a book when it has been attached to a page of the book by its corners only. The point is that the entire back surface is NOT slathered with glue and firmly attached. When the entire, or most of the back surface of the object it attached, it is "pasted in" or perhaps "glued on". If an entire edge is attached, it may still be referred to as "tipped in". The usual means of attachment is glue or paste; however it is conceivable some other means may be used. The object "tipped in" is nearly always of paper, as an illustration, letter, paper sample or such. Illustrations "tipped in" lend an aura of quality to books, as it is perceived to be a more expensive and finer way of including illustrations. It is no doubt more expensive, but fine illustrations can be bound in as well and large numbers of tipped in plates tend to swell the text block of the book, potentially creating problems of manufacture, handling and storage.

Title: The name of a book (which, by the way, cannot be copyrighted). Also the page of the book where the basic publishing information appears, including Title, author, publisher, city of publication and (sometimes) date of publication. It is not uncommon to find different titles on the front cover, the spine and/or the title page. The "official" title should be taken from the title page.

Toning: The mild discoloration of book paper due to poor storage and age. See Yellowing for a more detailed discussion.

Trade edition: The edition of the book made available to and sold via the normal distribution and sales network, i.e., bookstores. The term is seldom used except when there exists also a Limited edition.
When a book bears the phrase "first trade edition", you may assume that is was preceded by some special, probably Limited edition.

Turn in: The part of the covering material on a hard cover book that wraps over the edge of the cover and is pasted down on the inside edge of the cover board. The covering material may be paper, cloth, leather or other material. The cut edge of the covering material is usually concealed by the paste down end paper.

Unbound: indicates that the item has never been bound, i.e. unbound sheets; not the same as disbound which indicates that the binding has been removed.

Uncut: refers to the edges of a book in an untrimmed state, edges are somewhat uneven; also see "Deckle edges".

Unopened: a book with signatures which have never been cut as opposed to untrimmed and uneven (see "Uncut"); unopened books retain the folds of the original gathering and contain many pages which cannot be read without first opening the pages with a knife. Some collectors prefer an unopened book because it indicates that the book has never been read; other collectors who read their books would rather not have the task of cutting open pages and risking tears and jagged leaf edges.

Variants: usually refers to differences in bindings or end papers (paper located just inside the front and rear covers, one half of which is glued to the cover) within an issue or printing. One variant may have a title stamped on the front cover in black and another may be stamped in red. (see also first edition, issue, and state).

Vellum: true vellum is a thin specially treated untanned "leather" from calf skin, also known as parchment (high quality parchment from calf skin is called vellum; general quality parchment is made from calf, goat or sheep skin) ; used for documents and for book bindings; many early books (of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries) have vellum bindings; paper makers have produced parchment and/or vellum papers also used for book bindings.

Verso: the reverse or opposite or left-hand side, especially used in reference to a leaf which has a recto and verso side; in a open book the recto is the right hand page and the verso is the left hand page; in the case of a broadside only the recto is printed and the verso is blank.

Volume: a single book (nearly always), which may or may not be part of a larger group. We often hear this misused as a term for a set of books. The usage "...a volume of books." is wrong, as volume is singular and books is plural. A set of books is referred to as a "Multi-volume set" or, for example, a "three volume set". A "volume" refers to a member of the set.
However, while it is usual to bind each volume as a single book, it is not always done that way. We sometimes see the notation: three volumes bound as one, or the opposite: three volumes bound as six. In the latter case, it would be normal practice to label them as Volume 1, part 1; Volume 1, part 2; Volume 2 part 1....etc. The last volume in such a set would be Volume 3 part 2.

WAF: with all faults, indicates a book or other item which is being offered without careful delineation of its condition or without careful collation; usually indicates a less than "very good" copy, which probably does has faults, often including excessive wear or missing leaves, plates or maps.

Wrappers: abbreviated as "wraps", wrappers are the paper covers of a pamphlet, often of a paper of heavier weight than the text paper; when you see "wrappers" you know the item is not a hard bound book, but is instead a pamphlet or magazine with paper covers; usually not used to refer to 20th century paperback books which are called "soft bound" (with paper covers).

Yapped: Referring to the edges of a bound book that have been folded over the page edges. This means by design, not by abuse. The binding material is usually some flexible material, such as limp leather or paper.

Yellowing: A defect of the paper in a book, where the paper has discolored. It is a visible sign of decay. Good quality paper resists yellowing. Unfortunately, the bibliophile cannot usually tell what paper is prone to yellowing and which is not, at least not until the yellowing occurs.
Virtually all modern paper is manufactured from wood pulp. One of the components of wood is lignin, and unless the lignin is thoroughly washed from the paper, it will, over time, acidify and chemically attack the paper fiber.
The amount and rate of discoloration is going to vary with storage conditions. Higher temperature and higher humidity will hasten yellowing. Since environmental conditions are a major factor, it's not surprising that yellowing usually commences at the edges of the printed page, and slowly intrudes to the center. This is why you often see the catalog notation: "edges yellowed". Toning is the same as yellowing, but implies a very mild case. At the opposite extreme you have browning.
The product of certain publishers, especially publishers of juveniles, seem to be especially prone to paper discoloration. Saalfield is a particular example, and, unfortunately for those of us who remember the classic science fiction of the fifties with great fondness, so is Gnome Press.