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Writer's pictureBelle Tuten

Want to collect books?

Glossary of Rare Book Terms

Here's a great list of Rare Book Terms from Bookstellyouwhy.com:

We've put together a running Glossary of Rare Book Terms, and you can find it here. Collectors know firsthand how important it is to recognize the terminology used in descriptions of books for sale. After all, no one wants to be bamboozled because they failed to understand just what they were buying.

  • Anatomy of a book: For more information on these terms (think, boards, colophon, dust jacket, etc.), click here.

  • Art of a book: For more information on these terms (think, blind stamping, illumination, gilt, etc.), click here.

  • Condition of a book: For more information on these terms (think, bowed, chipped, ex-library, etc.) click here.

Of course, printing and publishing a book has many steps, and when it comes to collecting rare books, the pre-publication material can be as valuable (if not more so) than the actual book. For example, what do you know about Advanced Reading Copies? What are the terms to distinguish these unique collectible items?


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