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BOOK TERMINOLOGY

An illustrated dictionary of terms for describing books and ephemera, their condition and the bookselling trade.

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GILT EDGES (GE)

Feature

Refers to the application of metallic gold or a gold-colored finish to edges of the text block. See All Edges Gilt (AEG) and Top Edge Gilt (TEG).

GLASSINE

Feature

Glassine is a thin, semi-translucent material used by some publishers to cover and protect a book. The material is delicate and easily damaged. These are usually, though not always, unprinted. Some are embossed with a spider web pattern and called Webbed Glassine. 


The example shown is on a book dating from 1937. As the image shows, this wrapper is chipped and wrinkled with losses along the edges. It is also somewhat toned and brittle.

GOOD (G)

General

A book, or dust jacket in average used and worn condition – complete with all its parts. Also see our page of Condition Definitions.

GRADING

General

Guidelines and terms used to properly describe the condition of books. See our page of Condition Definitions.

GUTTER

Feature

Inner margins of two facing pages. Can also refer to the outer indentation created by joining of the boards and spine.

HALF BINDING

Feature

A book which has had its spine and corners covered in one material, generally leather, and the rest of the front and rear covers covered in another, such as paper or cloth. See also Quarter Binding.

HALF-TITLE

Feature

Also Fly Title. The page preceding the title page proper, normally listing only the title of the book and no other information. While usually present in modern books, it is sometimes lacking in older publications because it was originally designed to be removed before custom binding.

HALFTONE

Feature

Also HALF-TONE A gradation of tone (between light and dark) of an image using minute, closely-spaced dots. Used in printing to reproduce photography and graphics.

HARDCOVER

Feature

Abbreviated HC. A book whose case is made of stiff boards, as opposed to wrappers. See Softcover.

HAZARDOUS BINDINGS - CELLULOID / IVORINE BINDINGS

Defect

Cellulose-nitrate was used to form hard 'artificial ivory' material used for the covers of some late nineteenth-century US and European decorative, gift books, albums, and religious books. Often used under its trade names of Celluloid, Ivorine, or French Ivory, as it degrades the material is sometimes unstable, can off-gas acidic compounds that affect adjacent materials, and is highly flammable, also releasing toxic gases as it burns. Considered hazardous by some common carriers, there may be restrictions on shipping the material. 


Celluloid / Ivorine handling and safety


https://celluloidsheet.com/faq-items/is-celluloid-flammable-what-safety-precautions-should-be-taken-during-its-use-and-storage/


The example images show the decorated recto, smooth verso, and coggled edges of a celluloid or ivorine binding.

HAZARDOUS BINDINGS - TOXIC BINDINGS

Defect

Research has identified potentially toxic pigments used in some book cloth, marbled papers, book labels, binders' tickets, and other materials. As these materials degrade, they can release poisonous or carcinogenic elements such as arsenic, mercury, lead, chromium, etc. They are most prevalent in some, but not all, Victorian-era materials using green, red, orange, and yellow pigments.


The Poison Book Project at Winterthur Museum and the University of Delaware is a resource for identification of such toxic materials, handling protocols, and recommendations for storage.


https://sites.udel.edu/poisonbookproject/


The image shows a period cloth binding dyed with a compound potentially containing toxic elements.

HEAD

Feature

Top edge of the text block.

HEADBAND

Feature

Band of silk or cotton affixed to signatures when bound together to form a text block for strength and additionally, decoration of the spine ends.

HINGE

Feature

An interior junction where an Endpaper meets the Binding.

HURTS

General

Hurts are copies of books that have acquired damage, defects, or other  condition issues. Like remainders,  publishers and bookstores sometimes  mark  hurts to differentiate them from new copies and they are typically  sold at a discount.

ILLUSTRATED (IL, ILLUS)

Feature

Containing drawings, photographs or other illustrations.

IMPRESSION

General

All copies of a book printed during one press run.

INCUNABULA

General

Books printed between Gutenberg’s invention of moveable type and the year 1500, coined from the Latin word cunae, meaning “cradle”.

INDEPENDENT ONLINE BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION (IOBA)

Trade Organization

Independent Online Booksellers Association is an international trade association founded in 1999 and committed to high ethical standards for online booksellers. IOBA members adhere to a code of ethics and meet standards for book descriptions and customer interactions.

INSCRIBED

Feature

When an author or someone associated with the book signs and handwrites a dedication, etc. Example: “To my beloved Elizabeth, John Steinbeck.” See also Signed.


Inscriptions may  be just a few words, but might be lengthy and complex. The first example image shows a poem handwritten by the author as a part of the inscription; the second example image shows an original illustration created as a part of the inscription.

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