Key Terms

Codex - An ancient volume of manuscript.

Collation - Technically, the examination and notation of the physical makeup of a book. By checking for the presence of every leaf or page originally in the volume when issued, a book may be collated as complete.

Colophon - An identifying inscription or emblem from the printer or publisher appearing at the end of a book. Also the emblem at the bottom of the spine on both the book and dust-wrapper as well as a logo on the title or copyright page.

DuoDecimo (12mo) - A book approximately seven to eight inches tall.

Edition - All the copies of a book printed from the same plates or typesetting. Additions, changes and revisions are made with each new edition.

Ephemera - Printed or written items produced with a short intended lifetime that are now collectible. Examples may include posters, postcards, tickets, maps or pamphlets.

Errata - Mistakes or errors. Generally encountered in the term "errata slip," a small sheet of paper laid into a book by a publisher who has discovered errors prior to publication.

Folio- Has several meanings: (1) a leaf numbered on the front; (2) the numeral itself; and
(3) a folio-sized book.

Foxed, Foxing-  Brown spotting of the paper caused by a chemical reaction, generally found in 19th century books, particularly in steel engravings of the period.

Front Matter - The pages preceding the text of a book, in the following order:

• bastard title or fly title
• frontispiece
• title page
• copyright page
• dedication
• preface or forward
• table of contents
• list of illustrations
• introduction
• acknowledgments
• half-title

Impression - A much misused term, but one that, when accurately employed, means the number of copies printed during any given press run.

Octavo (8vo) - A book of about five inches wide and eight inches tall to about six by nine inches. Octavo is the most common size for current hardcover books. To make octavo books, each sheet of paper is folded to make eight leaves (16 pages)

Quarto (4to) - A book between octavo and folio in size; approximately 11 to 13 inches tall. To make a quarto, a sheet of paper is folded twice, forming four leaves (eight pages).

Recto - The front side of a leaf in a bound book; in other words, the right-hand page of an opened book. Also called the Obverse.

Reprint - A subsequent press run of an edition of a book. The text usually remains unchanged for each re-print, but may be updated for a new edition.

Signature - In bookmaking, this does not mean the author's name written out in his hand. It refers rather to the group of pages produced by folding a single printed sheet, ready for sewing or gluing into a book.

Variant - A book that differs in one or more features from others of the same impression, but a positive sequence has not been established.

Vellum- A thin sheet of specially prepared skin of calf, lamb, or kid used for writing or printing, or for the cover.

Verso - The second, or rear, side of a leaf in a book; in other words, the left-hand page of an opened book. Also called the Reverse.

All definitions are taken from the AbeBooks Glossary, which has many more definitions of terms related to books and book production, and a list of common abbreviations that are used to characterize the condition of a book.