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Arcane Lexicon

History of Books

Illustrated Books

Wood-engraving

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American & British usage

the parts of a book

bindings

condition

editions

illustrations

The Arcane Lexicon of Book Trade Terms

presented by P&D Doorbar [Books]

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block

the body of the book when the printed pages are sewn together.

bands

usually in older books; these ran under the spine and helped to hold the front and rear boards together. They often appear as ridges on the spine.

bindings

cvrs

bnd

h/b

s/b

p/b

the covers, usually hard, that form the outside of the book. These may be paper, card, cloth, leather or many other materials. Bindings [bnd] are said to be either -

boards

brds

the hard part of the front or rear covers. Sometimes used to mean the front or rear covers themselves.

dust wrapper

d/w

d/j

a protective sheet, usually illustrated, that is folded around the covers of the book, with leaves that fold in.

edges

teg

aeg

tec

aec

decal edges

untrimmed

uncut

unopened

the exposed edges of the printed pages, being the top edge, fore edge & bottom edge. Usually these are plain and trimmed but sometimes there are decorative variations:

end papers

eps

ffep

fpdep

rfep

rpdep

endpapers join the block of the book to the covers. One side of the endpapers, the paste down, are glued to the inside of the covers; the other side of the endpapers, the free end, are glued at the inner edge to the first, or last page of the block of the book, but otherwise are free to turn. In some books endpapers are decorated, in others illustrated or coloured, but often they are just plain.

errata slip

a slip, often loose, placed inside a book to note printing or other errors.

frontis

the frontispiece, an illustrated page facing the title page.

gatherings

the sheets that make up the book are folded into gatherings [also called signatures] which are then sewn onto the tapes or scrim to form the block of the book. Also called gathers.

half title

usually the first page of a book. It often gives only the short title. Originally this page was useful because books were printed and bound and then stored before being cased.

head

the top, usually of the spine

headline

header

the heading at the top of each page above the blocks of text. It is not usually included on opening pages, but can be found at the head of each subsequent page. Sometimes the headers for recto and verso pages are different. Verso headers tend to be more general and recto headers more specific.

leaves

a leaf usually has a printed page on each side.

order

the traditional order that books are made up in is:

half-title

frontispiece

title

printer's imprint, copyright, notes, etc.

dedication

preface

contents

list of illustrations

introduction

text

appendix

glossary

bibliography

index

colophon

plates

usually for illustrations that are not printed by the same methods as the text. These are printed separately and pasted into place facing the pp. They are sometimes protected by guard sheets that may be of tissue or may be glassine.

printed page

pp

pagination

unpaginated

the ordinary pages that carry the text of the book. These are usually paginated [numbered] although illustrated books are often unpaginated - that is without the pages being numbered.

recto

the right hand page/s

signature

folio

4to

quarto

8vo

octavo

the pages that make up a book are printed on sheets of paper several pages in size and then folded into one page size. The folded sheets are called signatures. The number of folds gives the names used for these different signatures. In older books a number or letter was often printed at the bottom of the first page of each signature to help show the binder which order to put the book together in. These marks are also called signatures. Some common ones are:

slipcase

a solid box made to cover the book except for the spine. These are much more durable than dustwrappers.

spine

the flexible, curved part of a book that joins the front and rear covers together

tail

the bottom, usually of the spine

tapes

the signatures that make up the block are sewn onto tapes. The ends of the tapes are then pasted down under the endpapers thus attaching the block of the book to the covers. In some books a scrim or webbing cloth is used instead.

title page

This states the full title, subtitles, author, illustrator, publisher and place of publication.

verso

strictly, the left hand page/s. Usually it means the back of the title page on which can be found the copyright information, full address of the publishers, year of publication and other printing details.

edition

ed

edtn

this refers to the combination of text and illustrations. If either change then it counts as a different edition. Editions are unusually numbered, 1st, 2nd ... , or denoted by such expression "First Published ..." ; although there is a great variety of forms used.

Most editions are know as trade editions, that is ones for unlimited, unrestricted sale through the book trade. There are other types of edition, including:

book club = produced for sale to the members of the club. They are often later, cheaper editions than the trade editions. There are some book clubs that produce high quality, special editions, notably the Limited Editions Club and the Folio Society.

illustrated = an edition with illustrations. Sometimes these can be quite special editions.

library = produced especially for sale to libraries. These are often made to be more durable.

limited = no more that a pre-set number to be printed and sold. Often the books are numbered and sometimes signed.

privately published = not published by a publishing house. Sometimes an author, company, society or other organisation will publish a book themselves, often for restricted circulation.

proof = a pre-publication copy. These are often sent to reviewers or trade buyers in advance of the publication of the book.

subscription = for sale to a list of people who have agreed to buy the book before it is printed. The list of names is often included.

uncorrected proof = a pre-publication copy often sent to proof readers so that errors can be spotted and corrections made.

Sometimes a book is improved in some way, perhaps either to bring it up to date or to make it more definitive, this may be noted by:

impression

imp

this is when a subsequent print run is made using the same printing plates. This means that the block of a nth imp. of a book is identical to the first imp, except that the plates may become worn and so the printing may not be as clear; however, the bindings and endpapers may be completely different.

manuscript

mss

a non printed work. This may be hand written, typed or otherwise produced, but it is, or should be, the document created by the author before the published copies were made.

reprint

rep

this is where new printing plates are used, so the text and illustrations may be the same, but the typesetting may be quite different, perhaps less spacious or in a different or smaller font.

Association copy

this is a copy that is of interest because of its association with someone of note; perhaps being owned by them, or presented to them, being annotated by them, or possessing their library stamp or personal bookplate, etc.

identifying editions

Are first editions better

card

crd

brds

boards

Often used for larger children's books. Illustrations are added to the surface either directly or by pasting on.

pictorial card = with illustrations

laminated = made up of layers pressed together. The top layer is often illustrated or coloured.

glazed = with a shiny surface

cloth

cl

The Victorians mastered and mechanised the technique of binding in cloth. Solid card is used to form the boards and softer card to form the spine. The cloth covers all three to complete the binding. The cloth can be coloured and printed onto before it is used so that a huge number of highly coloured, decorative and pictorial binding are possible.

buckram = a thick, bumpy cloth

decorated cloth = dec cloth = a cloth binding with coloured decorations on.

embossed cloth = cloth which has a pattern stamped into it.

gilt cloth = with lettering or decorations in gold.

impressed = with impressions in.

pictorial cloth = pict cloth = the cloth has pictures printed onto it.

leather

One of the oldest materials used for binding. Many antiquarian books were bound this way.

calf = a leather that is both supple and gives a very shiny appearance.

morocco = a soft skin that is often coloured. Often used to produce a soft binding.

velum = sheep's skin, often white or off white in colour.

paper

p/b

usually it is a bendy card that is used. This is the cheapest method because the block of the book is pasted onto the spine of the covers and then the front and back are folded into place. In most cases the pages are just glued together at the back, not sewn into place. It is the weakest, least durable method, which is why paperbacks fall to bits so easily.

printer's boards

before the days of mass production books were sent to the book sellers in plain card boards with a cloth spine and a label pasted on giving the title. When a book was bought the buyer then choose the binding into which it was to be put. This suited the rich with their libraries as they could have a matching style for all of their books if they choose. The less well off often did not bother to have the book bound but made do with the covers the printers had added.

cottage binding

a style developed by the Victorians where the edges of the boards are bevelled.

decal

a decorative pattern printed onto the edges of the pages.

fully bound

usually used of leather bindings to indicate that all of the bindings are covered with leather.

half bound

hlf

Where the spine, hinges and the fore edge corners are covered, usually in leather, but also can be cloth over card.

hard back

with boards inside to make the covers durable.

paste on label

a label, often pictorial, that is pasted onto the covers; sometimes called an onlay

quarter bound

qtr

Where only the spine and hinge are bound in leather or cloth.

soft back

with floppy, bendy covers

stamped

sometimes stamp marks are made, especially to the rear covers.

blind stamp = a stamp with no pattern

tooled

where patterns, decorations or illustrations are cut into leather.

uncut

where all of the edges except the top edge are left so that the reader needs to cut the pages open.

untrimmed

where the edges are left frayed and uneven. Usually the top edge is cut and trimmed.

aquatint

a form of intaglio printing that produces the appearance of washy colour like water colour.

chromo- lithograph

chromo

a form of planographic printing. A largely Victorian method of printing in colour. The finest examples were printed in Bavaria. The plates have an oily, shiny appearance.

dry point

a form of intaglio printing. The method is like engraving, but makes a softer edge to the lines because the edges are furry.

engraved

a form of intaglio printing. Lines are cut directly into metal plates. Copper & steel are the most often used. Engraved illustrations tend to be very sharp and clear.

etched

a form of intaglio printing. The plates are waxed. The illustration is scratched through the wax. The plate is then washed with acid. Where the wax has been scratched away grooves are burnt, or etched, into the plate. Etchings are more tonal than engravings.

hand coloured

where the colour is added to the illustration by hand. This was often done to finish aquatint plates, or to colour other plates. It fell out of use once effective colour printing had been developed.

intaglio printing

Grooves are formed in a metal plate, then the plate is inked and the ink wiped off, leaving the groves full of ink. When paper is pressed down hard onto the plate it takes up the ink from the grooves. Intaglio plates have to be printed on a different press to text and so the illustrations are not on the same page as the text, but on separate plates. These tend to be pasted into place after the signatures have been stitched together. The main methods are:

aquatint

dry point

engraving

etching

mezzotint

lithography

litho

a form of planographic printing. Originally limestone blocks were used. Parts of the plate are waxed, others left unwaxed. The waxed areas would carry ink, the unwaxed would not. C20 lithos tend to have a soft, patchy look. C19 lithos tend to be called chromo [chromolithograph]

mezzotint

a form of intaglio printing. The plates are first roughened all over and then the illustration is formed by smoothing away. The result is not unlike a photograph.

planographic printing

printing on a level surface. Most printing is now done this way, and not by relief or intaglio methods. Photolithography is the most common method and allows the combination of both text and illustrations on the same page. Often the plate is then prepared by a gravure process that hardens and textures the plate to improve the printing clarity and the durability.

chromolithograph = chromo

gravure

lithography = litho

photogravure

plates

plts

where the illustrations are printed separately, often by a different method to the text, and often on different paper to the text, they are said to be on plates. These are glued into place between the pages after the pages have been sewn into place. Older books should be checked to see if all of the plates are in place. They are then said to be collated and complete.

full page = all of the page is used for the illustration

guarded = with a sheet of paper in front to protect the plate

mounted = with the plate pasted at all edges onto a sheet

tipped in plates = with one edge pasted onto a sheet

tissue guarded = with a sheet of tissue in front to protect the plate

relief printing

the oldest form of printing. The parts that stand up in relief are the parts that carry the ink and make the marks on the paper. Letter presses work by having movable lead type with the letters in relief. Woodcut, wood engravings & scraper board can be combined with movable type so that illustrations can be mixed with text and printed together.

scraper board

wood engraving

woodcut

scraper board

a method of relief printing. Lines are cut through a surface of card into the chalk filling of the board. In appearance it looks much like wood engraving, only sometimes it has greater areas of black with less white lines. Scraper board illustrations are often called woodcuts.

styles of illustrations

illustrations can be described as:

chapter vignettes = little pictures on a separate page before the start of a new chapter or section

full page = covering all of a page

guarded = with a sheet of paper or tissue in front

head pieces = at the head of each chapter

marginal = in the margins

mounted = pasted onto a sheet

tail pieces = at the end of each chapter

text illustration = mixed in with the text

tipped in = with one edge pasted onto a sheet

vignettes = little pictures

wood engraved

a form of relief printing. Lines are cut into the end grain of the wood. This method produces clearer more even lines than woodcuts. There are two main forms of wood engraving/ wood cutting, the black line and the white line. The older is the black line in which the illustration is made to stand up from the block by cutting away until only the lines of the illustration are left. In the white line method, pioneered by Thomas Bewick, the lines are the unprinted part of the illustration, with the areas between being the black printed part.

woodcut

often used as a term to cover true woodcuts, wood engravings & scraper board illustrations. It is a form of relief printing and so woodcut illustrations can be set in the same plate as type and printed along with the text. Strictly a woodcut is cut along the side of wood, giving a difference between those strokes that cut along the grain and those that cut across the grain. It was the first form of illustration to be used for books.

Mint

m

As new. There should be no signs of use or ownership.

Fine

f

With some very slight signs of use or ownership. Close inspection may reveal very slight edge wear, slight rubbing or scratching; may be inscribed, may have the owner name in, may have a book plate, prize plate or such like added.

Near Fine

nf

n/f

As above, only the signs of use are clearer. There should be no major faults.

Very Good

vg

The trade standard. The book should be generally CLEAN, TIGHT & BRIGHT. A used book, but still sound. Faults should be specified. Dustwrappers may be chipped, with closed tears, or even have minor loss to small areas. + and - are often used to suggest whether the book is better or worse than average.

Good

g

A reading copy. Well used. The book should be complete and in one piece, Major faults should be recorded. It may well be well worn, but will be readable and reasonably sound to handle. Again + and - are used to suggest whether the book is better or worse than average.

Poor

p

A badly damaged book. It may be incomplete, broken, badly stained or water damaged, may be disbound or with partly detached boards, have a missing or detached spine, or have spit hinges or endpapers, or even worse.

Faults

annotated = where an owner has added their own comments.

bumped = where the corners are bent by heavy use.

chipped = where there are small bits missing or torn in the edges of a d/w

cocked = where the book is twisted in its spine

coloured in = often in children's books where a b/w illustration has crayon, felt tip, biro added.

crackled = where a network of fine lines has developed on a cover.

dusty = do not breath near this.

faded = lost it colour or original luster.

foxed = foxing = yellow brown spots the form in ageing paper

furled = where the edges are curled up.

inscribed = written in

loss = missing.

marked = marked

rubbed = areas which are worn.

scratched = scratched

shaken = where the pages are coming loose in the binding

skewed = bent to one side

soiled = dirt and other marks on the pages etc.

spine role = where the spine has become concave with use [usually in paperbacks]

split = usually where the endpapers have torn.

stained = something has been spilt over this

sunned = where the sun has faded part of the book, often the spine.

tender = nearly worn through - often the hinges

torn = a tear.