Glossary of book history terms

The glossary below aims to help both novices and more advanced researchers of the history of the book and its many variants understand some of the common terms employed in the many different disciplines that contribute to this varied field of study. Additions and updates are welcome.

bifolium

two conjugate (connected) leaves, prepared as a surface for writing.

broadside

an undivided sheet of paper printed on one side only.

catchword

a word positioned below the final word on a given page which duplicates the first word on the following page, in order to guide the printer or reader.

chain lines

lines visible in laid paper, caused by the wire of the paper mould displacing fibers during the paper making process.

chase

a rectangular frame (of wood first, later of iron), which enclosed the forms in hand-press printing. Made in pairs, they were used with wooden furniture and quoins to lock up the type.

codex

the common form of a book in the Western world after ca. 350 AD, with leaves of papyrus, then paper or parchment bound along one edge.

collation

the process of comparing the book in hand to one or multiple other witnesses in order to reveal differences and establish completeness. Collation can also refer to the bibliographical description of the book, given in a formula which articulates its physical composition (format, signatures, and number of leaves).

colophon

a note at the end of a book or work giving all or some of the following information: the title of the work, its author, its scribe or printer, the place of production, and date.

corrector

a workman in the printing shop who checks proof for errors.

coucher

the papermaker who turned the mould over the felt and depostied the newly made piece of paper and returned the mould to the vatman.

deckle

a removable wooden rim which can be fitted to the papermaking mould to make it into a tray-like sieve with a raised edge.

deckle edge

the uneven edge of handmade paper created by the fibers that seeped under the deckle.

folio

1. a leaf of paper or parchment

2. a format of book created when a sheet of paper or parchment is folded once.

3. in book-collecting terms, a size based on definition 2.

font (or fount)

a complete set of types of letters, numerals, and other symbols, cut and cast in the same style and size.

format

the size and shape of a book, as determined by the number of times the original sheet of paper or parchment has been folded to form its constituent leaves.

folio (fol. or 2°) = folded once

quarto (4to or 4°) = folded twice

octavo (8vo or 8°) = folded thee times

duodecimo (12mo or 12°) = folded four times

foul case

a type case that has pieces of type in the wrong boxes.

general title page

a title page for a collection. cf. internal title page.

internal title page

a specific title page for a single work that appears as part of a collection. cf. general title page

incunabula

from the Latin for "cradle," a work printed before 1501.

incipit

the opening words of a text, from the Latin verb incipere meaning "to begin."

leaf

a sheet of paper or parchment where each side is a page; a folio.

recto

the front of a leaf, the right hand side of an opening of a bound volume. cf. verso.

repository

a library, archive, or museum.

running head

sometimes also called a headline or running-title, the line of type at the top of the page of text which contains the title of a book or section.

signatures

letters printed in the lower margin of the page as a guide to binding. These typically appear on at least the initial leaf of a gathering; the preliminary leaves may not be signed at all, or may be signed with a symbol such as an asterisk.

Stationer

When capitalized, a member of the Stationers' Company of London.

STC

A. W. Pollard, G. R. Redgrave, W. A. Jackson, F. S. Ferguson, and Katharine F. Pantzer, eds., A Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English Books Printed Abroad, 1475-1640 (STC), 2nd edition, 3 vols. (London: Bibliographical Society, 1976-91).

verso

the back or reverse of a leaf, the left hand side of a bound volume. cf. recto.

witness

a single material instance of a given text.

See Also

John Carter, ABC for Book Collectors. Eds. Nicolas Barker & Simran Thadani. 9th ed. Oak Knoll Press, 2016.

Richard W. Clement, "Glossary of Terms for Pre-Industrial Book History" (2009). Library Faculty & Staff Publications. Paper 11. http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/lib_pubs/11.

Don Etherington and Matt T. Roberts, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology. http://cool.conservation-us.org/don/don.html