A
Americana - A classification of books and other objects having to do with American culture, history, or folklore. Considered different from a book written by an American writer, though an American writer can write an Americana book. Western Americana denotes the above, but west of the 100th Meridian.
as issued - The book is in the original physical state that it was published in and has all its original components including its binding, text block. illustrations, etc.
as new - Refers to the condition of a book; it is immaculate and without flaws. Same as Very Fine condition.

B
backstrip - The covering of the book spine that has the title and author of the book printed on it. It is usually made of cloth, leather, or paper, and is sometimes decorated.
binding - The process that secures the pages or sections of a publication to keep them in order and to protect them. Binding may be stapled or sewn, sewn and enclosed in wrappers or by gluing the pages to the outer cover, but most often refers to a hardcover binding.
blind stamp - A colorless impression that is embossed on paper or on a cloth or leather binding. When it is found on a page, it typically signifies the owner's name or the words "Review Copy." When it is found on the binding, it is typically for decorative purposes. Also known as blind.
boards (bds) - The front and back covers of a hardbound book. The term originates from when book covers were made from wood, but they are now typically made a stiff cardboard or paperboard.
book club edition (bce) - A book that was printed specially for a book club (e.g. "Book of the Month Club") which often (but not always) utilizes a lesser quality paper and binding materials. These editions are usually available by book club subscription only and are generally of much less interest to collectors due to their low monetary value. They make a better reading copy, however, than a typical, smaller, paperback.
bookplate - A simple or elaborately designed label used to indicate ownership, which is usually found pasted to the inside of the front cover of a book. Bookplates were used as early as 1516, but did not become popular in England, France, and Germany until the 18th century. In America, they were not used before 1800 but have been fairly common since about 1840.
broadside - A sheet of paper, usually of a larger size, that is printed on one side only. Examples include songs, poems, announcements of sales, and political declarations.
bumped - Refers to the condition of a book; it refers to worn, bent, or rounded corners of the boards of a book.

C
chipped - Refers to the condition of a book; a mark or flaw caused by scuffing, gouging, or breaking off of a small piece of the dust jacket (most typical usage), pages, or backstrip.
chromolithography - A printing process that is done by printing in colors from a series of lithographic stones or plates. Noted for its fresh, bright colors, this process was popular during mid and late 19th century bookmaking.
cocked - Refers to the condition of a book; the spine is no longer straight and appears crooked or twisted. Also known as spine lean.
contemporary - A term used to describe a work that was published within the last decade or to indicate that all of the components of the book (the binding, the coloring of plates, inscriptions, and side notes) were created at the same time the book was printed.

D
dedication copy - A copy of a book specifically inscribed by the author to a particular person.
dust jacket (dj) - A removable paper wrapper that encloses a book to protect it from dirt. Dust jackets date from the early 19th century, but they came into more common use in the early 20th century as a means to advertise the book to potential buyers. Also known as dust wrapper or book jacket and is often worth as much or more than the book itself!

E
edition - All copies of a book that are printed from the same plates or one setting of type. An edition can have more than one printing. For example, if 300 copies of a book are printed on September 15, and 200 copies are printed from the same plates on November 24, all 500 copies are part of the same edition.
edges - The top, bottom, and un-hinged outer sides of a book.
endpapers - The plain white, colored, decorated, or printed paper that is at the front and end of a book, one half of which is pasted down to the binding. The endpapers are used to give a finished look to the binding.
engraving - An illustration or decoration printed from a metal plate or hardwood block.
ephemera - Objects which, in general, are fragile and not made to last for a long time. Examples include, but are not limited to, magazines, journals, paper toys, and publisher promotional items.
errata - A list of errors and misprints in the text of a book. The list might be printed on a bound page in the book or on a separate piece of paper that is pasted or laid in the book.
ex-library - Identifies a book that was once the property of an institutional or corporate library. Usually there are noticeable marks and stamps on the binding and/or in the text. It may also have library card pockets, and it often shows considerable wear and/or rebinding. For collectors, it is worth considerably less monetarily than a book that has not been owned and marked-up by an institutional library.

F
fading - Refers to the condition of a book; describes the loss of color on the pages, dust jacket, or the cover of the book, which is usually caused by time or exposure to sunlight.
first edition - The first appearance of a work in book form. Every printed book has a first edition but many never have later editions ("only good books have more editions"). When book collectors use the term, they're usually referring to the first printing and if there are different states or issues, the earliest of those.
first edition thus - An edition of a work that postdates the first edition and contains some modification to the work. The modification might be a new introduction, added illustrations, new supplement, new format, and/or a revision of the text. It can also refer to a first edition of the work by another publisher - not uncommon with "good" books.
flex-cover - A supple and tractable book cover. Flex covers are often used in conjunction with spiral bindings.
flyleaf - The blank page or pages following the front free-endpaper.
fore-edge - The outside edge of the book where the book opens (opposite of the spine). Also known as front-edge. See book anatomy section for illustration.
foxing - Refers to the condition of a book; intrinsic to paper, the patchy brownish-yellow spots that discolor plates and pages of a book. It is most likely caused by lack of ventilation and/or chemical reactions between the paper and microorganisms. The spots are generally found in 19th century books and can range from barely visible to ruinous. Also known as foxed.
frayed - Refers to the condition of a book; the unraveling of the threads or fibers of an edge of a book cover that is caused by excessive rubbing.
front free-endpaper - The free or loose half of the pasted-down double leaf that is found at the very beginning of a book. The other half of the leaf, the pasted down portion, is attached to the board.
frontispiece - An illustration placed before the first pages of a book that usually faces the title page.

G
gilt edgesleaf - The edges of the pages of a book after they have been cut smooth and colored, usually with gold paint.
gougeleaf - Refers to the condition of a book; an unintentional nick or hole in the cover of a book, or on its spine. Or in bookbinding, a single-line finishing tool that is used to create either blind or gold decoration on the covers but not on the spine of a book.

H
half-title leaf - The extra page, in front of the title page, that bears the abbreviated title of the book. In the days when books were sold as unbound leaves, the half-title served as a "cover" for the protection of the true title page. Also known as fly title or bastard title.
hardcover - A book with stiff boards that is bound and covered in either cloth, paper, or leather. Also called hardbound.
highlighting - The bright pen markings where the previous owner marked the book to highlight words, sentences, and/or passages of text.
hinge - An inside or outside joint of the binding of a book, where the spine meets the covers. It is usually made of cloth and provides additional strength at the flex point. See book anatomy section for illustration.

I
illustration - Refers to any picture, diagram, portrait, or non-text item in a work, which is used to clarify the text or for decoration.
inscribed copy - A book in which a written inscription has been made by the author, to a specified person.
inscription by previous owner - A written name, note, phrase, or comment made in a book. Unless indicated otherwise, the inscription is not written by the author.

L
label - A square or rectangular piece of paper or leather attached to the spine of a book, containing printed information about the book, such as author, title, and volume number. Also known as backstrip label.
laid in - Pages or other paper present in the book that are not glued or sewn in.
large print edition - Designed for people with poor eyesight, the words are printed in a larger size than in the regular edition.
leaf - A single sheet of paper in a book. A page is one side of a leaf.
leather bound - A book that is bound and covered in leather.
leatherette - An imitation of grained leather, produced from a strong, machine-glazed base paper. Many small prayer books, for example, are leatherette.
library binding - A book with a stronger binding than the customary edition binding, and intended for use in a library.
loose - Refers to the condition of a book; the text block is coming loose from the binding at the hinges.
loose-leaf - The binding of individual sheets of paper in an exchangeable form, for pages to be added, removed, or relocated in the book. Loose-leaf bindings are used wherever records of repeatedly changing information must be kept. Instruction manuals, catalogs, and accounting forms are often loose-leaf bound. Also known as ring-bound.

 M
marbled paper - Colored paper with a veined, mottled, or swirling pattern, in imitation of marble, which is used with paper-covered boards and as end papers in books. The use of marbled papers was especially popular during the Victorian era.

O
octavo - Refers to the size of the book; the most common book size since the early 17th century, an octavo book averages about 6 x 9 inches. The term originally to referred to the number of folds (8) in a standard book-printing sheet, but it now commonly refers to size.
out of print - A publication that is no longer available through the publisher.

P
pamphlet - A small work that is less than book-length, has paper wraps, and typically has a staple binding. Also known as brochure.
paperback - A book with a paper cover. Sir Allen Lane, founder of Penguin books, was credited with inventing the modern paperback when he published Ariel by Andre Maurois with a paper cover in 1936. Also known as wrappers.
paper boards - A binding made of stiff cardboard that is covered in paper.
paper wraps - Paper covers of a book. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with paperback.
pastedown - The half of the endpaper that is pasted to the inside cover of a book.
perfect bound - A binding method that utilizes a plastic glue to bind the loose leaves to the solid text block of a book. It is used for paperback books.
pictorial cloth - A cloth book with a multi-colored picture printed on the cover.
pictorial paper cover - An Illustration printed on a paperback cover. This decorative practice began in the early 1850s, with the publication of Letters Left at the Pastry-Cook's by J. S. Mayhew, and was the precursor of the next trend in publishing--yellowbacks. The sensational pictorial paper cover novels of the later 19th and 20th centuries are famous for their lurid, colorful covers. Also known as illustrated wraps.
plate - A full-page book illustration that is separate from the text pages. Technically, illustrations that are printed on text pages are called cuts. However, the term "plate" is often used to describe both types of book illustrations.
printing - The total number of copies of a book, or another type of publication, printed at one time. For example, an edition of a book can have a first printing of 5,000 copies and a second printing of 2,000. See also edition.
price clipped - The inside front corner of dust jacket has the price cut off. Usually decreases value a bit, but not dramatically (like no dust jacket).
privately printed - A work printed at the expense of the author or some other private individual or group (i.e. "vanity press").
provenance - The history of the previous owners of a book. Bookplates, notes and other writings in the book, and inserted matter, may determine provenance. Also known as provenience.

R
rare - Traditionally, a publication is "rare" if an active collector or bookseller expects to see it in the marketplace only once in a great while.
reading copy - Refers to the condition of the book; the text is readable and complete, but the binding is in poor condition.
rebound - The original binding of the book has been removed and a new binding has been attached and re-sewn.
reinforced dust jacket - A dust jacket that has been strengthened with tape by the previous owner.
reprint - A new impression from the same type setting, or a new edition of the work.
review copy - A copy of a book sent out for review by the publisher to the press, booksellers, and others in order to attract attention to the publication. Frequently review copies will have slips of paper inserted into the book, or have it written on the cover, announcing it as a review copy.

S
rubbed - Refers to condition; the spine or cover has visible scuff marks and may be worn in places.
scarce - Traditionally, a "scarce" publication isn't as hard to find as a rare publication, but might take a few years to locate.
scuffed - Refers to condition; the binding or cover has been scraped and might look rough or slightly frayed in places.
shaken - Refers to condition; a cloth or leather bound book that is loose in its covers but is still attached to its binding.
shelf worn - Refers to condition; the book shows visible signs of wearing on the binding and/or edges due to numerous removals and placements on countless shelves.
signature - A group of folded pages that, when bound and trimmed with other signatures, form a book or pamphlet. Also known as gathering. Also refers to a person's self-handwritten name (autograph signature).
slipcase - A box open on one side so that when a book is slipped into it, the spine shows.
soft cover - Typically is synonymous with paperback, but it can also describe a book with a limp cover or a flex-cover.
spine - The part of the book opposite of the opening, which is visible when the book is shelved. Also known as back, backstrip, and shelfback.
spiral bound - An inexpensive type of binding utilizing wire or plastic coils as the spine. It is an increasingly popular way for small publishers to publish a work or for an author to quickly self-publish. Known also as comb or coil bound.
sprung - Refers to condition; the text block is separate from its binding.
subtitle - A secondary and explanatory title used to explain more about the book.

T
text block - The signatures of a book, sewn and trimmed, but without covers, endpapers, or a binding. Also known as book block.
tissue - A thin sheet of paper inserted into a book to protect plates from damage and to prevent offsetting onto facing pages.
title page - The page of a book, which contains the name of the author(s), the title, and usually the publisher's name and the date and place of publication
trade edition - The regular edition of a book, not a limited edition or book club edition.
trade paperback - A soft cover edition of a book that generally has a high-quality binding and is in a larger size format than a traditional paperback. Also known as quality paperback.

U
underlining - The lines drawn in a book (pen or pencil) where the previous owner marked words, sentences, and/or passages of text.
unopened - The folded edges of the signatures have not been cut open for reading. The book has been left in the beginning stages of its binding process or it was issued in this manner.

V
volume - A book or periodical that is part of a series or a set. The volume notation can be a number, letter, or a similar form.

W
warped - Refers to condition; the boards or paperback covers are bent and twisted.
water-stained - Refers to condition; discoloration, stains, and possible shrinkage on the pages, binding, and text-block, from water.

Y
yellowed - Usually refers to the yellow fore-edges and pages of paperbacks, which is caused either by fading, age and/or acid in the paper.

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