| Parts of a Book…a guide for collectors of signed first editionsWe first started buying modern signed first edition books purely for our own pleasure. At that time, we literally didn’t know a thing about book collecting. Come to that, as we’ve now found out, we didn’t even know the correct names for the different parts of a book! Since then, luckily for us, things have improved; we now know what makes a book collectable (well, for most of the time) and we know far more about book terminology. So, here’s our guide to the different parts of a book along with some insight into book binding methods; we hope you find it useful. Thanks for reading… Go to: A B C D E F G HI JK L M N O PQ R S T UV W XYZ  Back See Spine Backbone See Spine This term can mean either of the following…
Backstrip label See Label Bastard title See Half title Binding (bdg) This term can mean any of the following…
Blank leaves See Blanks This term refers to an intentionally blank page in a book. Blanks can be located at the beginning of the book, at the end of a clearly marked division, and / or at the end of a book. They are also known as blank leaves or printer’s blanks. Board paper See Endpaper This term originally comes from the time when book covers were made of wood. Today, it refers to the stiff pieces of cardboard or paperboard used in the making of a hardback book cover. Book jacket See Dust jacket Part of a book’s front matter, this is usually the reverse side of the title page. It will normally list details of the copyright owner and date, a copyright notice, legal notices, publication information, edition / printing facts and cataloguing / ISBN data. This refers to the outer covering of a book. Its purpose is to protect the text block both in use and in storage and, in many cases, to serve as a means of decoration. Covers can be:
Note that in edition binding and library binding, the term case is more appropriate than the term cover. this term can refer to either of the following…
This refers to a coarse, open weave, starched, and sometimes napped, cotton material used in edition binding for lining the spines of books. Note that the crash is not usually a part of library or hand binding as it is too lightweight and flimsy. Alternative terms for the crash include mull and super. Dedication page Part of a book’s front matter, the author uses this page to name the person or persons for whom he or she has written the book. It’s usually located opposite the copyright page, just before the main body of the book. This is a removable paper wrapper that, at its outset, enclosed a book to protect it from dirt. Yet, jackets now play a key role in modern book advertising. This is because they will often give info about a book that is not on offer anywhere else. Alternative names for the dust jacket are dust wrapper or book jacket. Dust wrapper See Dust jacket End lining See End paper End sheet See End paper The plain white, coloured, decorated or printed-paper that is at the front and back of a book. Half of the endpaper is pasted to the inner face of the boards (pastedown endpaper) while the other half is effectively a blank page (free endpaper). As well giving a neat finish to the cover, endpapers play a big part in a book’s strength and durability. The terms for specific endpapers are front free endpaper (ffep), back free endpaper (bfep), front pastedown endpaper (fpep) and back pastedown endpaper (bpep). An often-used alternative term for the pastedown is the board paper. Other less-common terms include end lining, end sheet or lining paper. Fake raised bands attached directly to the spine of the book or the hollow of the cover. The point of this decorative element is to make the book look sturdier than it actually is. Fly title See Half title These are blank pages at the front and rear of a book after the free endpapers. This refers to the bottom edge of the text block. This refers to the front edge of the text block. Frontispiece (frontis.) This is an illustration, which usually faces the title page. Gathering See Signature Gutter this is the inner margins of two facing pages. The term can sometimes refer to the external channel created by the joining of the boards to the spine (see joint). Part of a book’s front matter, this is an extra page, in front of the true title page, that only gives the title of the book and nothing else. While always present in modern books, in the days when books were on sale as a number of unbound pages, the half title served as a ‘cover’ to protect the true title page. As such, it’s sometimes missing from older books as it wasn’t always part of a custom bookbinding. Note that bastard title and fly title are alternate names for the half title page. This refers to the top edges of the text block, cover and spine. Headband A functional or ornamental band, made of coloured silk or cotton, which is fastened at the top (and sometimes the bottom) of the spine of a book. Originally sewn into the boards or leaves of the book to link the signatures, today this is mainly decorative and glued-on. Hinge (hng.) This is a strip of fabric fixed between the spine of the text block and the interior of the cover. Its purpose is to provide additional strength at the cover / text block flex point. This refers to the lining (usually made from a folded sheet of kraft paper) glued to both the spine of the text block and the inside of the spine of the covering material. The purpose of the hollow is to make it easier to open the book. A strip of kraft or other relatively stiff paper, used to stiffen the spine area of the case of a library binding. In general, edition bindings do not have inlays. This is the exterior juncture of the boards and spine of a (usually) casebound book; on occasion known as the gutter. 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. An alternative name is the backstrip label. A leaf is a single sheet of paper in a book. A page is one side of a leaf. Lining paper See End paper Mull See Crash One side of a leaf, whether blank or containing text, regardless of sequential arrangement. For more on pages see leaf, recto and verso. Printer’s blanks See Blanks The cords, or thongs, used to sew sections of a book together appear as ridges across the spine of a covered book. Raised bands have long been associated with the best of fine hand binding. Note that raised cords are an alternative term for raised bands; also see false bands. Raised cords See Raised bands See Signature Shelf-back See Spine A protective sleeve usually made of decorative cardboard in which to store a book. It is open on one end, to allow the book to ‘slip’ in, hence the name. This refers to a group of folded pages (usually 16 or 24) that, when bound and trimmed with other signatures, form a book. While technically different from the printer’s and binder’s points of view, today there is very little distinction made between the terms signature, gathering or section. This is the back of the book. Besides adding strength to the book, it usually displays the book’s title when it’s standing upright on a shelf. Alternative names for the spine include back, backbone and shelf-back. Note that backstrip is not an alternative name for the spine. Super See Crash This refers to the bottom edges of the cover and spine. Unlike head edges, the bottom edge of the text block is the foot edge, not the tail edge. This consists of the signatures of a book, sewn together and trimmed, but without a cover or endpapers. The terms for the three outer sides of the text block, when a book is closed, are the head (or top), fore (or front) and foot (or bottom) edges. Part of a book’s front matter, this is usually the front side (recto) of the second leaf of a book. It displays the book’s full title, the sub-title (if any), and the name of the author and, usually, the name of the publisher. The copyright page is normally on the reverse side (verso) of this leaf.
Further Reading If you would like more information on bookbinding terminology, the excellent Bookbinding and the Conservation of books - A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology by Matt T. Roberts and Don Etherington is worth a look. You may also like to take a look at our articles on book terminology and book faults and flaws. As someone interested in books, we think you’ll find these helpful and informative. |
