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S Self-Wraps Wrappers which have vestigial flaps that imitate a dust jacket. Series A group of volumes with a common theme issued in succession by a single publisher. Sextodecimo (16mo) A small book, approximately four inches wide and six inches tall. To make it, each sheet of paper is folded four times, forming sixteen leaves (32 pages). Shaken The text block is loose in its binding; no longer tight, but not detached. Sheets The pages which have been printed but not yet folded, sewn, or gathered together for binding. Shelf-Back The spine of a book. Shelf Wear The wear that occurs as a book is placed onto and removed from a shelf. It may be to the tail (bottom) edge of the covers as they rub against the shelf, to the dust jacket or exterior of the covers (when no dust jacket is present) as the book rubs against its neighbours, or to the head of the spine which some use to pull the book from the shelf. Signature A printed sheet of paper, folded to size and ready for sewing (i.e.: large paper folded in half, fourths, eighths, sixteenths, or thirty-seconds). Signed Signed with a name only, and no other text included. Slipcase A box built to house and protect a book, leaving the spine exposed. Sophisticated Books that have had repairs that involve making additions to the original (e.g.: chips filled in and tinted to match the missing portion, replaced page corners, etc.) Spine The backbone, or back, of the book where the title (if present) is displayed when it is standing upright on a shelf. Starting Hinges or joints beginning to show signs of becoming loose, either through wear or defective binding. considered a defect. State Variations within an edition, which are made prior to publication; can include: • Alterations due to stop-press insertions, damaged type, etc. • The addition of errata leaves, advertisements. • Textual changes affecting page lay-out. • Some special-paper copies. This term applies only in connection with the printed pages, and not variations in bindings. (e.g.: a small number of copies of Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls were erroneously printed without the photographer's credit on the back of the dust jacket. The presses were stopped midway through the first run, the credit was added, and the second state of the first edition resulted.) Sticker Damage A price sticker has been roughly removed resulting in surface damage to the underlying material. Sticker Ghost Sticker has been left on book for some time, and the glue, reacting chemically, has discolored the surface. Stippled Edge Color sprayed on a book's external edges. Stub A narrow strip of paper usually remaining where a leaf has been cut away. Sunned Browning, yellowing, or fading of paper or binding as a result of sun exposure. T Tail Bottom edge of the text block. Tailpiece Decorative typography ornament on the lower part of a page at the end of a chapter or a poem. Tape Residue Complications of cellophane tape which remains on the paper or a book's cover, resulting in brown stains or bits of tape adhering to paper. Considered a defect. Tender When the binding is loosening. Text Block Pages containing the content of a book (text, illustrations, etc.) bound together; does not include endpapers. Thousands Some publishers in the nineteenth century added a notice on the title page stating, for instance "Eighth Thousand" to indicate a later printing. These are not first editions. Three-decker A book in three volumes, almost exclusively used to describe Victorian novels of the late nineteenth century. Tight The binding of a new book is very tight; that is, the book will not open easily and generally does not want to remain open to any given page. As the book is used, the binding becomes looser until a well-used book may lay flat and remain open to any page in the book. Tipped In Paper, photograph, or print glued down by only a narrow strip. Tirage French for "a printing." Usually used for a limited edition, often numbered and dated. Tissue A thin, protective sheet laid over an illustration. Title Page The page which gives important information about the book (i.e.: title, author, publisher, date) Title Page Index Used in describing periodicals to indicate that the title page and index are present; without a title page and index, the volume is incomplete. etc.) Tooling The decoration of leather bindings. Top Edge Gilt Usually abbreviated teg, it means that the top edges of the pages have been covered with gold leaf or gilt material. Top Stain The publisher's decorative colored stain, applied to the top page edges. Trade Paperback When the cloth-bound trade edition is issued by the same publisher, sometimes simultaneously, but bound in wrappers. Because the same sheets are used, such issues are often quite larger than paperbacks published for mass-market distribution. Trade Edition An edition sold through bookstores, as opposed to those meant for private or specialized distribution. Trimmed An adjective indicating that the pages have been cut down to a size smaller than when originally issued. Typed Letter Signed A typewritten letter signed by hand. U Uncorrected Proof A pre-publication printing intended for editorial use, or occasionally to be sent out for review. Usually issued in plain colored wrappers. Uncut Edges which are rough-cut, rather than being neatly trimmed by the binders. Underlining Using a pencil or pen to underline passages in a book to draw attention to the underlined text. Unopened When folded edges of the pages of the bound text block remain joined together and have not been sliced open. Unread. Unpaginated The pages are not numbered (although each signature may be designated by letter). Unsophisticated Pure, genuine, unrestored. If a book is so described, it can mean trouble as far as condition is concerned. V Vanity Press / Publishers Publishers and presses that publish books at the author's own expense. Variant A copy of a book that varies in some way from the ideal copy. Can refer to binding color, illustrations, etc. Vellum A thin sheet of specially prepared leather used for writing, printing, or as a binding material; considered superior in quality to parchment. Verso The left page of an open book, when it is open and facing the reader. The back of a leaf. Also called the reverse. Very Good Very light wear to book, and/or jacket; no large tears, or major defects; One of the most often used terms. Also see our page of descriptive terms. W Watermark A faint identifying design, usually in quality paper Waterstain Stain on a book cover or leaves from water or other liquids. May cause discoloration and perhaps actual shrinking. . Whipstitching To sew a book's leaves by passing the thread over and over the spine; often seen in early pamphlets. Woodcut Illustrations produced when the original printing plate was engraved on a block of wood. One of the oldest methods of printing, dating back to 8th century China. Worming / Wormholes Small holes resulting from bookworms (the larvae of various beetles.) Wrap-around Band The band of printed paper the length of the dust wrapper of a book. Wrap-around bands contain favorable reviews and are put around some copies of books. Obviously fragile, they are of interest to collectors. Wrappers Or Wraps The printed or unprinted cover of a pamphlet or book bound in paper. Y Yapped Refers to the edges of the cover of a book bound in paper or another soft material. These yapped edges are not flush with the pages but extend beyond the edges of the book and are fragile by nature. |
