Book Nomenclature and Vocabulary

Language is a weird thing. As one of my math professors in grad school once said, “I like using Greek letters because they remind me of alien symbols”, and as an editor of manuscripts written by non-native English speakers, I see things lost in translation all the time. Booksellers have their own subset of language, and to the layman, it can be intimidating. As a relatively new bookseller, it is challenging to bridge the gap between traditional industry norms and terms that promote accessibility to the average reader. Hopefully, this article helps build that bridge and clear up some of the mystery around antiquarian lingo.

First, what is antiquarian—why not just say antique? Well, many books are old enough to be antiques. Typically, items 100 years old or more are considered antique (although, not without some debate). So, currently, the ‘antique threshold’ is 1925. Notably, the technology to support large-scale printing was established and implemented in the 1860s-1880s. Therefore, most books printed from the 1880s onward were printed en masse if they gained enough popularity (one of the reasons why first editions, which were often smaller in number, are so sought after). Therefore, many antique books by this definition are not terribly rare, and many more are simply not collectible. For example, you can easily find thousands of listings for leather-bound geography school books from the late 1800s and early 1900s. They are generally in good or worse condition, worth very little, and sit for years before finding a buyer. An antiquarian book is both old enough to be considered antique and collectible enough to have a dedicated audience, whether a broad audience, such as a first edition of ‘Through the Looking Glass’ by Lewis Carroll, or a niche audience, such as ‘The Compleat Angler’ by Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton.  

By comparison, vintage is often described as more than 20 years old but less than 100 years old. The term ‘old’ is also thrown around, generally on sites like eBay. As a parent, I can say with certainty that ‘old’ is relative, and as a bookseller, you won’t see it appear in my listings. This doesn’t mean many of the books and other items I sell are not old—it is simply too vague a term to be useful when describing unique items.

Fly fishing is a particularly interesting case study in vocabulary. Predominantly a European sport initially, centered in the UK, it began trickling to the United States during the 18^th century (with some debate about exact timing). However, it wasn’t until the late 19^th century that it began achieving broad popularity, largely via the efforts of individuals such as Theodore Gordon and Thaddeus Norris. Consequently, the term ‘angling’ is still typically used by most booksellers instead of ‘fishing’. Although both terms are used in the UK and the US, ‘angling’ is the more common term in British English, and ‘fishing’ is the more common term in US English. So, the older term from British English has been maintained. The problem for booksellers like me is that most of my target audience is not typing ‘antiquarian angling books’ into Google. More than likely, they are typing ‘old fishing books’. So, again, I find myself bridging the gap between long-established norms and modern searchability.

Another example is from the world of hunting books, where gunning, shooting, and hunting often only differ in terms of nuance yet are all used uniquely by various sportsmen and sportswomen, authors, sellers, and collectors.

So, what are the most important terms to know? Well, sites/groups like the ABAA, AbeBooks, alibris and Biblio provide glossaries of the most important terms you will find in antiquarian book listings. In addition, John Carter and Nicolas Barker published ‘ABC for Book Collectors’, a much more comprehensive guide to vocabulary and nomenclature. Here, we will provide a brief overview of some of the most important terms, which are also discussed in these articles.

First editions/first printings

The term ‘first edition’ commonly refers to the first appearance of a work. In the 1750’s, advancements in mechanization made it easier to keep a typeset available to create additional ‘impressions’ if a book turned out to be a popular seller. Consequently, multiple impressions or printings of a book were created, corresponding to multiple editions. With the scaling of printing operations into the 20^th century, the term ‘first printing’ became widely used. This led to a bit of nuance in book nomenclature, as although the first printing of a book is typically deemed the first edition, many publishers list a first edition with various printings on the copyright page. So, a third printing may technically be a first edition according to the publisher, but to a collector, the only true first edition is the first printing. Therefore, when you see ‘first edition’ in a listing, assume that it is the first printing unless otherwise stated. The printing of a book is generally listed in a number line on the copyright page, with the lowest remaining number denoting the printing (for example, ’10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2′ denotes a second printing). However, in some cases, printings are explicitly listed with dates.

Additionally, some sellers use my least favorite phrase ‘first edition thus’. This does not indicate a true first edition of a book and is reserved for reprints that are first appearances in a substantially different form than the original. I mainly dislike this phrase because it is commonly misused or even used on purpose by some sellers to confuse or mislead buyers into thinking that a reprint is a ‘true first’. Biblio, the ABAA, and many other sites/organizations publish guides for identifying first editions, and in many cases, I prefer these electronic forms of information to classic books about first edition identification because they are readily updated as needed.   

Condition

We have a full article devoted to book condition and conditioning. However, here, we will provide a brief summary. The most common designations you will see used to indicate the condition of a book are fine, near fine, very good, good, fair, and poor. You may also see sellers use terms such as new, very fine, or very good (or good) plus or minus, as well as shortened versions of the above terms as acronyms. To me, the fine versus very fine distinction is fuzzy enough that I don’t use it for antiquarian books. However, I do use plus/minus designations in some cases when I am struggling to decide between two adjacent condition classifications. Additionally, keep an eye out for ex-lib designation used in conjunction with the classes above. This denotes a former library  book, with notably less value than the same book without library markings. Other important terms described in our article on condition include foxing, edge wear, rubbing, bumping, shelf wear, and more. AbeBooks provides a brief guide to condition classification and related terms, as do alibris and Biblio.

 Book Size

The names of book sizes are based on an old system, still widely used, in which the size of a book page is classified as a fraction of the larger sheet of paper on which it was printed. This system includes the following classifications: folio, 4to, 8vo, 12mo, 16mo, 24mo, 32mo, 48mo, and 64mo. In printing, an even number of pages is printed on each side of a single large sheet, which is then folded so that the pages are in proper sequence. Then, the outside edges are cut, allowing the pages to open properly as you read the book. Except for the largest size, the folio, the name of the size indicates the fractional part of the sheet one page occupies. For example, octavo indicates one-eighth, and quarto indicates one-quarter. Although the above convention is most common, there are several different classifications used based on the sizes of the sheets being printed. Notably, a royal sheet is 20 by 25 inches, whereas a crown sheet is 15 by 19 inches. There are also some derivations on the classifications below, such as elephant folio and miniature. The dimensions of these books are generally explicitly listed. Notably, the tallest book in our library currently is ‘The Presidents’ (1908), measuring 20” tall by 16” wide, and the biggest books we ever sold were part of a rare three-volume set, titled ‘Egypt and Nubia’ by David Roberts (1846-1849), measuring 23 5/8” by 17 1/4”.

Other terms

Some other terms you will encounter at some point are listed below.

Fine binding – A fine binding is less of a specific definition and more of a spectrum. Generally, this term is used for books hand-bound with leather (full, ¾ or ½), often with ornamentations and gilt accents and lettering. To make things more confusing, a fine binding is simply related to the craftsmanship/artistic value of the book and does not indicate condition, namely, that the book is in fine condition. The work of some artisan binders is particularly popular and collectible.

Leather – In leather binding, the spine and at least a fraction of the boards are covered with leather. If the boards are leather in entirety, the term ‘full leather’ is used. The terms three-quarter, half, and quarter leather are also common. In these cases, the spine is wrapped in leather, extending onto the front and rear boards. Additionally, the corners of the boards are leather. The extent of the leather and the size of the book are used to determine which classification is most appropriate. This can be difficult to eyeball in some cases.

Morocco – Morocco leather is a type of vegetable-tanned leather that is soft, pliable, and can absorb rich colors. It’s often made from goatskin, but can also come from sheepskin or calfskin. This type of leather is commonly used for books.

Goat skin – Goat leather is a type of leather made from the skin of goats. It’s a durable, soft, and flexible material that’s used to make a variety of products, including books.

Vellum – Vellum is a fine, durable material made from animal skin—typically calfskin. For centuries, it was prized for its use in bookbinding and important documents due to its resilience and elegant texture.

Uncut – The bookmaking process is briefly described above in the Book Size section. As noted, large sheets of paper are folded and then cut to create books in the form we know them. However, in some cases, the folds are not all cut, not fully cut, or not cut at all. In those cases, the term ‘uncut’ is used.

Endpapers – Endpapers (or EPs) are the first and last pages of a book, glued to the inside of the front and back covers, and often double thickness. In many cases, they extend to the adjacent pages, deemed the front free endpaper and the rear free endpaper. They are not part of the book’s main text. In some cases, EPs are ornamental or decorative.

Preliminaries – The preliminaries are the blank pages preceding the half-title page (explained below). In some cases, these pages were removed, such as to help start fires. A missing preliminary page may not detract much from the overall value of a book, but it is very important to note if one is missing (or any page is missing)

Half-title page – The half-title page precedes the full title page, generally listing only the title and no other information. Some books may not have a half-title page.

Title page – The title page is arguably the most important page in a book, listing the title, author, publisher, place of publication, year of publication, printer, and other information.

Copyright page – The copyright page generally directly follows the title page.

Frontis piece – The frontis piece, or frontis, is an illustration (such as a plate, engraving, photograph, etching, or other types of illustrations) adjacent the title page.

Dog ears – Dog ears are the folded corners of pages. Often, they form by accident, although some readers will ‘dog ear’ page corners to mark their place (a practice I DO NOT recommend).

Gilt – Gilt is another term for gold. Some books have gilt features, which can add value. They mainly include lettering, illustrations, accents, ornamentation, and page edges.

Foreword – The foreword, when present, is an introductory piece of text often written by someone other than the author, although not always, and providing context or endorsement.

Provenance – The history of ownership of a book (or any item). Notably, many collectors specifically try to find books with notable provenance, such as fishing books owned by famous anglers or fishing authors, often with their letters or bookplates within.