How to Describe Rare Books, Manuscripts, Autographs, Maps, Prints, Atlases, First Editions, Illustrated Books - Glossary in English
| a.e.g. |
All edges gilt, gilt applied to top edge, bottom edge & foreedge of the volume (see also g.t. and a.e.m.). |
|---|---|
| a.e.m. |
All edges marbled, marbling applied to top edge, bottom edge & foreedge of volume (see also a.e.g. and g.t.). |
| ABA |
Founded in 1906 and the oldest organisation of its kind in the world, the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association is the senior trade body for dealers in antiquarian and rare books,... |
| ABAA |
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America is the American organization that represents the rare book trade. It consists of approximately 475 members and their firms, and counts among... |
| ABAC |
Established in 1966, the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of Canada (ABAC) or Association de la Librairie Ancienne du Canada (ALAC) became an ILAB member in 1970. Eric Waschke serves as current... |
| ABAJ |
30 rare booksellers from Tokyo, Kyoto, Sapporo, Osaka and Kumamoto are organized in the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of Japan (ABAJ) that was founded in November 1964 and joined the League... |
| ABAK |
26 Korean antiquarian booksellers established the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of Korea (ABAK) in 1989. During the 30th ILAB Congress in Tokyo they were formally admitted as the 18th ILAB... |
| ABAPRC |
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of the People's Republic of China was officially admitted as a new ILAB member in 2009. It consists of 16 booksellers, President is Yu Hua Gang (Cathay... |
| ABF |
The Danish Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association or Den Danske Antikvarboghandlerforening (ABF) is the oldest league of antiquarian booksellers in Scandinavia as well as one of the oldest of its... |
| ABLA |
Eight rare booksellers from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo belong to the Associação Brasileira de Livreiros Antiquários (ABLA), whose president is Ana Maria Bocayuva de Miranda Jordão. The ABLA... |
| Abridgment | |
| Acetate |
A clear plastic, sometimes used by publishers as a dustjacket. Acetate can be printed on, so modern publishers sometimes incorporate designs on an acetate jacket that complement the design of the... |
| Added | |
| Additional leaf (not paginated) | |
| Adhesive binding | |
| ADS |
Autograph document signed |
| Advance copy |
|
| Advance Reading Copy (ARC) |
A pre-publication state of the book, often a wrappered issue with the artwork intended for use with the published book, so that it looks like a paperback version. Advance Reading Copies are often... |
| Advance Review Copy |
A pre-publication state of the finished book, usually with supplemental material such as a review slip, a letter from the publisher, or a photograph of the author laid-in. Advance Review Copies,... |
| Advance sheets |
The unbound sheets of a new book, often galleys, distributed prior to publication. |
| Advertisements |
Many books & pamphlets, especially of the 19th century contained ads, especially ones advertising others books by the same publisher,often located at the back of the volume, following the text pages. |
| Affixed |
Adhered in some way by glue, tape, or some other method of adhesion. Sometimes that which is affixed can be unfixed, but it isn't always wise to do so. |
| Afterword, epilogue | |
| Age-toned |
A natural tanning or darkening of certain types of paper which occurs over long periods of exposure to air or ambient light. Some books, by nature of their construction, are always seen with some... |
| Ahearn |
One of two book collecting guides written by Allen and Patricia Ahearn. The most recent editions are Book Collecting 2000 and Collected Books: The Guide to Values. The first is an excellent... |
| AILA |
The Asociación Ibéria de Librerias Anticuarias (AILA) was founded in Barcelona in 1990 and became an ILAB member in 1993. Gonzalo Fernandez Pontes leads the AILA and its 56 booksellers as current... |
| ALAI |
120 antiquarian booksellers belong to the Associazione Librai Antiquari d'Italia (ALAI). It was established in 1947 and joined the ILAB a year later. Current president Umberto Pregliasco organizes... |
| Aldine |
|
| All Edges Gilt |
The binder has trimmed and gilded the three exposed sides of the text block (that is, the top edge, fore edge, and bottom edge). Abbreviated as a.e.g. |
| All published |
The book or set is complete as is, and any additional parts or volumes were never published. |
| Almanac |
"A kalendar, usually in pocket-book (more rarely sheet) form, augmented with Saints’ days, fair-dates and astronomical and meteorological data; a bestseller from the start and protected by... |
| ALS |
Autograph Letter Signed, meaning (unless other qualifiers are given) that the entire letter is written out by hand by the author and signed. |
| American Book Prices Current |
Sometimes abbreviated as ABPC. A long-running guide, now available on CD-ROM, of auction prices realized (hammer prices, without the buyer premium) for most major book auctions. Like any other... |
| Anagram | |
| Analects | |
| Annotated |
Including critical and explanatory notes. |
| Annotation, note | |
| Annotator | |
| Anonymus |
"There is the formal anonymity of a book whose author, though his name is not on it, is known (e.g. Gulliver’s Travels, The Vicar of Wakefield or Sense and Sensibility). For the cataloguing of... |
| ANS |
Autograph note signed |
| Antedated | |
| Anthology | |
| Antiphonary | |
| Antiquarian Bookseller |
“The lines of demarcation between ‘rare books’, ‘old books’ and ‘second-hand books’ have never been, and can never be, clearly defined. The same applies to most of those who deal in... |
| ANZAAB |
The Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (ANZAAB) was founded in 1977 and belongs to the League since 1978. The ANZAAB has 62 members today. Its President is Peter... |
| Appendix | |
| Apud |
Latin expression for "printed by" |
| Aquatint |
An etching method widely used in late-Eighteenth and early-Nineteenth century illustrated books, frequently colored by hand after printing. |
| Armorial bearing | |
| Arms | |
| As new |
Popular term for a fine and fresh copy, but often an inadequate condition term. New books are sent to bookstores in cartons but often sustain a fair amount of rubbing in the cartons before they are... |
| As usual |
A term used to describe normal defects related to ex library books, i.e., endpapers removed, pockets & library stamps. |
| Association |
An inscription in a book, usually authorial, that indicates that a personal relationship exists between the inscriber and the recipient, providing insight into the book or author, and subsequently... |
| Association copy |
A book or pamphlet that has some indication of having belonged to the author or someone closely associated with them. |
| Atlas (geographical) |
|
| Atlas (volume of plates) | |
| Author | |
| Authors edition |
Book authorized by author, usually foreign editions, around the turn of the last century when many titles were pirated or "unauthorized". |
| Autobiography | |
| Autography | |
| Autopsie |
![Oeuvres Completes Illustrees. [Set of writings / works including Madame Bovary]. Texte Definitif de la Bibliotheque Charpentier.](http://www.ilab.org/thumb/book/4/60/60/image.jpg)
