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Book Review: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
An Explanation of Book Condition Abbreviations
Especially when you are dealing with used and rare books, there are times when explaining the book's condition can be lengthy. We've come up with the below abbreviations to help streamline the process of adding that info. Here is a more detailed description of those.
Use the A, B, C, etc links to jump to the abbreviation you want.
A . B
. C . D . E . F
. G . H . I . J
. L . M . N
O . P . R . S
. T . U . V . W
. Y . 1/4 . 1/2 .
3
Book Sizes
4to/Quarto . 8vo/Octavo
. 12mo/Duodecimo . 16mo/Sextodecimo
24mo/Twentyfourmo . 32mo/Thirtytwomo
. 48mo/Fortyeightmo . 64mo/Sixtyfourmo
Folio . Elephant Folio .
Atlas Folio . Double Elephant Folio
. Tabloid
Age-toning - A browning or discoloration to the
paper leaves due usually, to the
ageing process.
A.E.G. - All Edges Gilt. Top, fore-edge and foot of book are gilt.
Annual - An edition that is published yearly.
Backstrip - The covering on the spine of a book which shows title and author.
B.C.E. - Book Club Edition. Indicates the book is a special edition
issued by a
book club.
Bd. - Board. The outer covers (cloth or pasteboard) used to cover the book
Bdg. - BindingThe cloth or pasteboard cover of a book.
Bk.- Book
Bkpl. - Bookplate. A label which identifies ownership of a book, usually appearing inside the front cover.
Bl.-stpd. - Blind-stamped. Decorative impression or lettering
on the
covers of a book.
Bnd. - Bound. A book with any type of cover.
Book Block - The text-block of a book ( the complete book prior to being bound).
Bowed - Means that the boards of a book are misshapen or bowed
resulting from
being in contact w/ moisture.
B/W - Black and White
CBEL - Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature
Chp. - Chipped. Small tears from wear on the DJ or pages of a
book.
Cl. - Cloth. Fabric used to cover a book
Cocked - Refers to to the spine or boards of a book, which has
become twisted by
leaning against another book or object for a long time.
Col.-ed - Colored
Cor. (s) - Corner (s). Refers to the corners of the front and rear covers of a book.
Cover (s) - The front and back hinged panels of a book.
Crack(ed) - A narrow opening or break along the spine, flexible
joint of the board, or inside hinge of the
pastedown page of the book.
Dmpstn.(ed) - Dampstain (ed). A stain on the cover or leaves of a book caused by contact w/ moisture, not as severe as a waterstain.
D.E. (s) - Deckled Edges. Uncut or untrimmed pages of a book
Dec. - Decorated. Refers to the portion of a book, usually the
cover or endpapers,
which are decorated with an illustration or a stamped impression.
Defect. - Defect, defective
Dent (s) - Damage to the edge of a book cover.
Ding - A small dent or mark on a book cover.
Disbound - A book or pamphlet whose binding has been removed.
Dg.-Erd. - Dog-Eared. Page(s) of a book which have been folded-over in the corners.
DJ - Dust Jacket.
DW - Dust Wrapper (DJ), Brit. term.
Edge (s) - Outer surface of the leaves of a book.
Edgewear - Wear to the edges of the leaves or corners of a book.
Embossed - A raised design used as a decoration found on leather
or cloth.
E.p.(s) - Endpaper (s). Sheets of paper glued on the inside covers,
connecting the
book block to the covers.
Engr-ed. - Engraved.
Engr.-s - Engravings. An illustration or decoration made from a plate.
Ephemera - Publications w/o durable bindings and so of a transitory nature.
Errata - A list of errors or misprints in the text of a book.
Ex-lib., x-l. - Ex-library. Indicates that a book is discarded from a library collection.
Ex-libris - Indicates a bookplate with the owner's name or initials appearing on it.
Extrem.-ies - Extremities. Refers to the outer edges of a book.
F.e.p.(s) - Front endpaper (s). The pasted down
and free sheets found inside the
front cover before the title page.
F.f.e.p. - Front free end paper. The free sheet opposite the
front paste-down page,
inside the front cover.
F.f.p.p. - Front free pastedown page. The same as the f.f.e.p.
Flyleaf - Blank pages, frequently several, usually appearing opposite
the title page,
of the book.
Foot - The end or bottom of a page or cover.
Fore-edge (s) - The edges of a book opposite its spine.
Frontis or frontpiece - An illustration or plate, usually appearing opposite the title-page of the book
Frt. - Front.
Full Lea. - Full Leather Binding. A book which is bound in leather.
Fx-ed or fx-ing - Foxed or foxing. Brown spotting usually found on the pages of older books.
G.E. (g.e.) - Gilt edges. Page edges that have been gilded.
Gt. - Gilt.
Gutter - The inner margin of a leaf near the spine of a book.
HB (hb) - Hardbound. A book with stiff boards, bound in cloth, paper, or leather.
HC (hc) - Hardcover. The spine is covered in cloth while the boards are paper-covered.
Hd. - Head. The upper border of a page, cover, spine or endpaper of a book.
Hd. Band - A cloth band which is found inside the backstrip at the top, and at times the bottom of the spine of a book.
Highlighting - Coloured markers used to outline passages of text on a page of a book.
Hng. - Hinge. The joint, at which the cover flexes, when opening or closing a book.
Illus. - Illustrated. Indicates that the book has illustrations.
Imprint - Refers to the publisher, printer or place of publication.
Index - An alphabetized list of the names and topics in a book, w/ page numeration, usually found in the back.
Inscr. - Inscribed. A book signed by the author to a specific person.
Jnt. - Joint. The hinge attaching the covers of a book to its back or spine.
Juvenile (s) - A book written specifically children.
Ld. In - Laid In. Sheet of paper (s) placed in, but not pasted into a book.
Lea. - Leather. Used as a material in bookbinding.
Leaves - The pages of paper that make up a book. A page is one side of a leaf.
Lge. - Large
L.P. - Large Paper Edition. A special edition produced in a larger format than the usual published edition.
Library Binding - A durable heavy cloth binding used to rebind books for library use, often referred to as a buckram binding.
Lt. - Light-(ly).
Loose - The text block of a book is coming loose from the binding at the hinges.
Marb. - Marbled. An imitation pattern on paper used to decorate book covers, endpapers and block edges.
Marb. Bds. - Marbled Boards. Book covers which have marbled paper decorating them.
Marginalia - Notes in pen or pencil, written in the margins of a page.
Mass Market Paperback - Most common paperback format: 4" wide x 7" high.
Monograph - A work on a particular subject.
Morocco - Leather from goatskin, used in bookbinding and noted
for its durability
and beauty.
Ms (mss) - Manuscript (s). A work in handwritten or typed format.
N.A.C. - No Author Cited.
N.D. - No Date. No date of publication.
N.P. - No Place. No place of publication given.
Number - Refers to an issue number of a periodical.
Ob. - Oblong. The elongated design of some books (the length is greater than its width).
Obverse - The right hand page of a book, also known as the Recto.
OP (op) - Out of print. The book is no longer in publication
Original - Means that the book is in its "original cover."
O/w - Otherwise.
P.C. - Price clipped. The price on the DJ is removed.
P.D.P. - Paste Down Page.The part of the end-paper glued to the
inner cover of a
book.
Pg. - Page
Pp. - Pages
Pic. - Pictorial. Means that a book cover is illustrated with a picture or illustration, for example, pictorial cover or wrap: Pic. Cov. or Pic. Wrp.
Pl. (s) - Plate (s). Whole-page illustrations, usually printed on heavy paper.
P/o - Previous Owner.
P.O.S. - Previous owner's signature.
Pub.-ed - Published.
Raised Band - Raised horizontal area on the spine
of a book, which formerly hid a
cord attached to the boards. Now used as a decorative form in some modern
books.
Rebd. - Rebound. A book whose spine and covers have been repaired or replaced.
Rebkd. - Rebacked. A book repaired by replacing the spine and repairing the hinges.
Recased - A book which has been re-glued back into its covers (usually w/ new end-papers) after having shaken loose.
Recto - The front side of a leaf in a bound book, also called
the obverse. The right-
hand page of an opened book. Rectos are the odd-numbered pages.
Rejointed - A book repaired with its original covers and spine intact.
Remainder - A book whose sales have ceased and the surplus is being sold below the retail price.
Remainder mark - A felt tip pen mark or slash, usually found on the bottom edge of a book.
Reprd. - Repaired. Any repair work to a book
Reverse - The rear side of a leaf in a bound book, in other words, the left hand page of a book. Also called the verso
R.f.e.p. (s) - Rear free end paper (s). The end paper (s) not attached to the inside rear cover.
Rub.-ed - Rubbed or Rubbing. The binding of a book has sustained wear through usage.
Serial - An edition published in installments, e.g. monthly or bi-annually.
Sewn - Refers to the process of sewing book signatures together, or a pamphlet which is not bound with boards.
Shelfwear - A book shows wear to the binding, edges or DJ from regular removal and return to its place on a shelf.
Shkn. - Shaken. The cover (s) of a book is loose, but still attached to its spine.
Shky. - Shaky. Refers to the cover of a book that is loose, but still attached to the text block or spine.
Sign. - Signature. ( A person's written name. ( Folded pages trimmed and bound together with other signatures to form a book.
Sl. - Slightly
Sp. - Spine. The back of the book on which the title and author are displayed.
Spiral bound - An inexpensive book binding using wire or plastic coils as the spine.
Sprung - The text block of a book which has separated from its binding.
Stapled - A binding method using metal staples, usually for pamphlets and magazines.
Stiff Card (s) - A cover that is stiffer and thicker than that found on the average paperback.
Sunned. - Fading on the book cover or extended exposure to sunlight.
Tail - The lower margin of a page, cover or endpaper, sometimes called the bottom.
T.E.G. - Top Edge Gilt. The top edge of a book being covered with gold leaf.
Text block - The signatures of a book, sewn and trimmed, without covers or a binding, also called a book block.
Tight - Indicates the covers and pages of a book are firmly in place.
Tipped-in - Means that a plate, letter, map, etc., is actually attached to the book. AS OPPOSED TO WHAT?
Title Page - Found near the beginning of a book listing title, author, editor, publisher, publication date and place.
Tooling - Decoration on a leather binding.
Trade Edition - The regular published edition.
Trade Paperback - A paperback book usually larger in size and of better quality than the smaller mass market paperback.
Unbnd. - Unbound. Refers to a book or text-block which is not bound w/ covers and spine.
Unc. - Uncut. Leaves or pages not trimmed.
Underlining - Pen or pencil markings underlining passages of a text in a book.
Unop. - Unopened. Pages of a book which have to be cut open along the fore-edge so they can be read.
Unpaginated - The pages are not numbered.
Variant - A minor difference between printings, usually to the title page or endpapers.
Vellum - A specially prepared skin of calf, or lamb used for writing, printing or as a book cover.
Verso - The second or rear side of a leaf in a book, the left-hand page of an opened book. Called the reverse, or even-numbered page.
V. - Very
Vol.(s) - Volume (s). A book or periodical that is part of a numbered or lettered set.
Waterstain -ed - Stains or discoloration to the cover or pages of a book contact with liquid or moisture. More severe than a dampstained page.
W/ - With.
W.A.F. - With all faults. Refers to the condition of a book with some obvious defects and means, "sold as is."
W/O - Without
Wn. - Worn
Wr. - Wear
Wrp. (s) - Wrap (s), wrapper. Bound with paper covers. Similar to a paperback, this term is used for academic journals.
Yapp - Book edges extending beyond all three sides.
1/4 Bdg. - Quarter Binding. A book whose spine is covered in a finer material than the boards.
1/4 Lea. - Quarter Leather. A book with a leather spine.
1/2 Bd. - Half Binding. The spine and corners of a book are bound in different materials (usually leather) than the covers.
1/2 Cl. - Half Cloth. Book with the spine bound in cloth and paper covered boards.
1/2 Lea. - Half Leather. Spine and corners of a book are bound in leather.
1/2 Title-Page - Half-title page. a page displaying only the
book's title, usually preceding the
full-title page.
3-Decker - Three-decker. A work in three volumes.
Book Sizes
4to – over 6 3/4" - 12"tall. (Quarto)
4to Oblong.
8vo – over 7 3/4" - 9 3/4" tall. (Octavo)
8vo Oblong
12mo – over 6 3/4" - 7 3/4" tall. (Duodecimo)
16mo – over 5 3/4" - 6 3/4" tall. (Sextodecimo)
24mo – over 5" - 5 3/4" tall. (Twentyfourmo)
32mo – over 4” – 5” tall. (Thirtytwomo)
48mo – over 3” – 4” tall. (Fortyeightmo)
64mo – up to 3” tall. (Sixtyfourmo)
Elephant Folio – over 15” – 23” tall.
Atlas Folio – over 23” – 25” tall.
Double Elephant Folio – over 25” – 50” tall
Tabloid - 11” x 17”. (Newspaper format)