Book Terms - A Glossary (An Antique Books Guide)

It is essential to know your field when collecting and collecting books is no different.
By knowing the correct terms you can successfully buy or sell books accurately.
Below is a list of all of the terms that are relevant to book-collecting with a simple definition for each.

A

Annual - A book published yearly eg Guinness World Record

Autographed - A book that has a signature by the author

B
Blind stamp - An impressed decoration usually printed on the book cover in gold

Boards - The covers of the book

Book plate - a sticker with details of the owner, the date and often how the book came into their hands eg. School prize

Browning - When the pages of a book uniformly turn brown - often due to tobacco staining or poor quality paper

C
Calf - A type of fine binding using calf'leather

Chromolithograph - See Lithograph

Cloth binding - A common binding where the covers are linen, cloth etc

Collated - Generally only needed for especially rare or old books, this means that all pages have been checked and are present

Copyright page - The details of the book can be found on this page, usually after the title page. Includes serial number, publication date and edition and is generally found on post 1930 books and certainly on post 1970 books.

D
Deluxe - A special edition of a book using higher quality paper, often with illustrations and gilt. Arthur Rackham's Deluxe editions are especially well-known.

Disbound - The entire text block is separate from the covers.

Dog-earing - When the edges of pages show creasing and small tears - often occurs on loose pages where the edges can catch.

Dust-jacket - The paper covering used to protect a book.

E

End-paper - The rear page attached to the inside cover, sometimes illustrated or marbled

Engraving - An illustration created from a metal or wooden block.

Ex-Libris - Ex-library; will have stamps, stickers and could be re-bound by library. Often only reading copy quality.

F
Facsimile - An exact replica of an original edition.

FFEP - The first page of the book

Fiction - The topic of the book deals with imaginary and unreal topics

Fine binding - Often involving leather binding, this is a higher quality binding than normal and may feature gilt and marbling

First edition - The very first form that the book was printed in - highly collectible

Fold-Out plate - An illustration that folds out from the book

Fore-edge - The longest visible side of the the text block

Foxing - Small brown dots and marks that appear due to age/ damp

Frontispiece - The page opposite the title page, often an illustration

Front-Paper - The front page attached to the inside cover, sometimes illustrated or marbled

G
Gilt/ Gilding - The use of gold to decorate the page edges or covers

H
Half-title - The page before the title page that carries the book's title

I
Illuminated - Elaborately designed text - often with colour and gilt

Illustration - An image, drawing etc

Impression - Denotes how far in the book's print history the edition is

Inscription - A written note often with a name, year and signature

J
Juvenile - A child's book

L
Leather-bound - Leather is used in the binding (spine etc)

Limited edition - A rare edition printed in a limited run. Sometimes numbered and signed by the author

Lithograph - A type of illustration

M
Marbled - A pretty effect involving swirling, colourful patterns found on the book's cover, page edges and front-papers

Moroccan binding - A rare and valuable type of leather binding

N
Non-Fiction - A book dealing with real-life topics

P
Paginated - The pages are numbered

Panoramic plate - See fold-out plate

Pictorial cover - A highly decorative cover, popularized in late Victorian times

Plate - An illustration, generally on higher quality paper

Presentation plate - See Book plate

Presentation copy - A copy given by the author or publisher, sometimes with an autograph or blind-stamp

Price-clipped - The method or cutting a corner from the dust jacket to remove the price.

Proof - A copy of a book that is released before the official copy for review purposes

Provenance - Having background information regarding the book to prove it's age/ originality// rarity including signed letters etc

R
Reading copy - A copy in acceptable condition but complete, generally only worth keeping if the book is rare

Rebound - Where the covers have been replaced with modern binding

Rough-cut - Where the pages of a book are left uneven, rustic. A period feature.

S
Shaken - The binding is loose with some weakness to the spine.

Shelf-wear - Where a book has only light wear, directly from the reading and moving of the book between shelves

Signed - See autograph

Slipcase - Folio Society and other deluxe editions of book may come with a hard slipcase that protects the book better than a dust-jacket

Spotting - See foxing

Sunned - The covers, spine and pages are bleached to a lighter, faded colour

T
Text block - The entirety of the pages

Title page - Opposite the frontispeice, this is the book's most important page and can tell you the title, author, publisher and sometimes year of publication.

U

Unpaginated - The pages are un-numbered

V
Vellum - A white form of leather binding, using animal skin. Used in deluxe books.

W

Water-stained - Where a book has water damage - may affect the cover and pages inside although often only a small section of the pages.

Woodblock - A technique of illustration by which pages are printed directly from an engraved wooden block.

Y
Yellow-back - A cheap paperback from the mid to late Victorian era, often with highly decorative covers - the equivalent of a modern-day Airport novel.


Thanks for reading and please share and comment!

Book Collection - Antique, Rare and Valuable books and what to know PHOTO GUIDE

Book Collecting

Here is a guide that I have created from personal experience of many different aspects of book collecting that can be useful to know.

Ranging from signed copies to Fine Binding, this guide aims to help you start or add to your book collection or even just book knowledge.

I am by no means an expert but I have learned a little throughout the years and I have attempted to put that specific knowledge into this blog.

* For the problems and flaws of antique books please see the below post *
http://anantiquebooksguide.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/antique-book-problems-and-flaws-guide.html

BOOK DEFINITIONS:

Antique pertains to books dating over 100 years old whilst vintage can be considered anything printed between 1930 and 1960

Retro could be considered anything later than 1960 to an extent. Please note that all of these are just loose bands.

Each age group holds some very rare books - not just antique books are collectable and sought after!

Modern first editions are something of a marvel with some of the most collected such as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone selling for late hundreds up to thousands.

Here begins a definition of different book types, features and designs:.

Art Deco Book Cover

Here is an Art Deco cover - a classic William Morris style design. These designs are often floral and always striking with bright colours in bold design.

1910's Period Book Cover

Most likely a highly decorative form of Art Deco design, books like the copy below are highly collectable for the beauty of the design itself

Vintage Book Cover

Here is an Enid Blyton first edition from the 1950's and a classic vintage book+

Fine Binding

Here is a classic example of a finely bound book.

Often with leather, calf or vellum edges and marbled covers, these books were expensive to produce, to buy and are to collect.

They are also often strongly bound even now and are the staple of Dark wood or classic libraries the world over

The Late Victorian Decorative cover

Here is a fine example of the late Victorian book cover.

With exquisite detailing and unique font giving a window into the book, these covers can be captivating and striking such as the example below.

Modern Gilt / Deluxe Cover

Here is a modern cover from the iconic Guild Publishing house. With an intricate gilt design and a faux leather effect cover this book appears to be far older than the 1970's publication it is

Art Nouveau Cover Book

Here is a classic art nouveau style cover, featured on the collectable Chiswick Shakespeare series printed between the late 1890's and  the early 1900's

Front/ Rear Papers (FFEP's)

Virtually every hardback book has a front and rear paper before the main text. Some are plain, others more decorated with a repetitive pattern such as many late Victorian publications, and others unique such as the classic Hobbit map.

Frontispiece

After the cover and the front paper comes the frontispiece.

Not all books have them but a good number of antique and vintage books do. Often in older books these are black and white illustrations but in rarer or more recent publications these can be in colour and really add to the presentation of a title

The First Edition Print Line

The first edition is something that any collector wants. Be it an antique book or a modern one, a first edition is a nearly surefire way to add value to the book.

Ending in a one, the number line can read differently on some books.

Older titles were only really given one publication or printing so first editions for some antique texts were rather easy to come by. Similarly modern first editions are a certain best seller so popular books such as the later Harry Potter books were given a large print run in first edition form meaning values for these are low.

The Dust Jacket

A dust jacket is and was a popular way to protect books. Many antique book after the 1900's were issued with such covers even when the covers were bold and decorative, purely to protect such designs.

Books of an age still with such dust jackets can double in value

Folio Society and the Slipcase

Firstly, some books comes with a dust jacket as seen above whilst others come with slipcases. These are often more recent and valuable or collected texts. 

Secondly, the Folio Society is synonymous with quality, being a publishers that reprints a great range of world famous texts 

Gilt edging or Gilding

Back to the externals of a book.

Gilt edging or gilding is reasonably common on more expensive books of the past with great popularity found in the late Victorian period. To have a book gilded nowadays to such quality can cost hundreds of pounds.

Most antique books have a single edge that has been gilded - often the top. Some nicer books can have tripled gilding which means every visible edge is covered with the shiny gold dusting

Disbound

Below is an example of a book that is no longer bound.

This text is complete and almost as it was printed except for the fact that the binding - most likely glue - has loosened or weakened completely resulting in the text block being completely separate from the covers.

A reparation is needed but this can cost a lot of money so in most cases, such a book is best kept as a 'reading copy' i.e not to sell or collect!

A tipped colour plate (Dulac etc)

Plates are pages with illustrations, maps etc featured throughout some antique books.

Often these are illustrations and can add value to a book.

For example the illustration below is a colour plate painted by Edmund Dulac and is collectable by itself with some collectors separating and framing such images.

Look out for Arthur Rackham, Harry Rountree, Heath Robinson and Mable Lucy Atwell for collectable illustrators. 

Colour Plates

Colour plates are unique to each artist and also rare in pre 1890's books. In earleir cases such as early 1800's and prior, books with colour illustrations can fetch handsome sums purely due to the colour plates. 

Wood Engraving

Another type of illustration is the wood engraving.

Often more basic, more popular and more frequent, these illustrations can be found in many antique books.

Steel Engraving

The steel engraving is a more intricate, advanced form of illustrations often requiring thicker, stronger paper or card to print upon.

These are rarer than wood engravings, often full page and more valuable.

The Fore-Edge Painting

These rarities carry hefty prices but are truly valuable books.
By bending the pages of a book with a fore-edge painting you will suddenly find a miniature painting appear.
Please read my blog post on Fore-Edge Painting to find out more
http://anantiquebooksguide.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/the-fore-edge-painting-antique-book.html

Only copy available

By searching through book selling websites you can find out whether your book is common or rare and thus valuable.

In some cases there will not be any copies of your book for sale and this is something you can capitalize on if you choose to sell.

Vintage paperback

Some classic books can be found as a vintage paperback. Generally Penguin Books published these but there are other publishers too.
Look out for famous authors or books such as 'The ABC Murders'
The copy below sold for £20 despite the fact that the spine was coming away from the inside a little.

Illuminated

An illuminated book features a page or several pages of highly decorative writing, usually with gold/ gilt colouring.

These books are often valuable purely for the artistic value.

Signed

The power of a signed book is quite impressive.

If you have a letter from an author or purely a signed copy then expect the value to rise far above the value of standard editions.

Collections/ Sets

A set or collection can be a valuable asset.

If you have a complete set, especially in early/ first editions then your books will be worth a lot. It is generally wise to keep such sets together to increase the value as collectors often look for complete collections as opposed to buying and searching for individual copies which can be time consuming and cost ineffective.

Leather/ Fine Binding

If you have a leather bound copy of a book then it can be worth more than other copies in some cases. These are generally nicer editions.

A first of a set

The book below is the first Guinness World Record book to be published and is as such the most valuable in the series.

Look our for early or first in series such as The Philosopher's Stone i the Harry Potter franchise.

That concludes this lengthy guide!

I hope that if you made it this far the post helped you in some way.

Please bear in mind that value can be subjective but the values or advice I have given has worked for me.

If you have any questions or need advice please contact me at vaugc002@gmail.com or feel free to comment, +1 or share.

Thanks for reading!

The Fore-Edge Painting - An Antique Book Rarity and How to buy one PHOTO GUIDE

The Fore-Edge Painting

A Fore-edge painting is a minute painting completed on the page edges of a book.

Looking at the page edges shows only gold yet when the pages are angled slightly a painting 'magically' appears. It really is impressive to see.
Generally antique books are used and these paintings, as with any other, can range in date from modern versions to true antique pieces of art.

No book that I know of is printed with a fore edge originally - it is the artists that chooses which book/ which design they wish to paint and as such each fore edge painting is nearly unique. The books chosen are often if not always gilt edged (this will most likely be a feature of the book from publication and not done by the painters due to cost).

If you are looking to buy one then I would suggest eBay and warn you that these books are costly, especially for the higher quality versions. Prices can run as low as £40 for small books with basic paintings up to the thousand mark for the elaborate paintings and beyond for even higher grade paintings.

For a nice fore edge painting you should expect to spend £150 approx and to have to wait a few months for the right book to appear online. auction (not buy-it-now_ on eBay is my best suggestion but Abeboks.co.uk is good too (but very expensive for these type of books).

I have attempted to show below the process of viewing a fore-edge painting. 

Turn the book to its side

Take the text block between your fingers and slowly tilt/ spread the pages

An image will slowly appear

Keep the pages at the angle that reveals the image best

Close the book and the painting is hidden once more

The photos do not do the image justice, nor the effect.
That a simple motion can make a painting appear out of no-where is quite remarkable to experience.

If you need any help/ advice please don't hesitate to contact me at vaugc002@gmail.com
A share or a +1 is always appreciated too!
Thanks for reading

The Basics Of Book Collecting GUIDE (Repost)

Here is the start of a basic guide that I hope will give you a little more insight into book collecting and selling, starting with the book itself.

BOOK DEFINITIONS:

Antique pertains to books dating over 100 years old whilst vintage can be considered anything printed between 1930 and 1960

Retro could be considered anything later than 1960 to an extent. Please note that all of these are just loose bands.

Each band holds some very rare books - not just antique books are collectable and sought after!

Modern first editions are something of a marvel with some of the most collected such as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone selling for late hundreds up to thousands.

Here begins a short definition of different book types, features and designs:.

Art Deco Book Cover

Here is an Art Deco cover - a classic almost William Morris design. These designs are often floral and always striking with bright colours in bold design.

1910's Period Book Cover

I am not sure what era thus can be attributed to but it is one of the finest I have seen with intricate gilt detailing and multiple colours used in the design

Vintage Book Cover

Here is an Enid Blyton first edition from the 1950's and a classic vintage book+

Fine Binding

Here is a classic example of a finely bound book.

Often with leather, calf or vellum edges and marbled covers, these books were expensive to produce, to buy and are to collect.

They are also often strongly bound even now and are the staple of Dark wood or classic libraries the world over

The Late Victorian Decorative cover

Here is a fine example of the late Victorian book cover.

With exquisite detailing and unique font giving a window into the book, these covers can be captivating and striking such as the example below.

Modern Gilt / Deluxe Cover

Here is a modern cover from the iconic Guild Publishing house. With an intricate gilt design and a faux leather effect cover this book appears to be far older than the 1970's publication it is

Art Nouveau Cover Book

Here is a classic art nouveau style cover, featured on the collectable Chiswick Shakespeare series printed between the late 1890's and  the early 1900's

Front/ Rear Papers (FFEP's)

Virtually every hardback book has a front and rear paper before the main text. Some are plain, others more decorated with a repetitive pattern such as many late Victorian publications, and others unique such as the classic Hobbit map.

Frontispiece

After the cover and the front paper comes the frontispiece.

Not all books have them but a good number of antique and vintage books do. Often in older books these are black and white illustrations but in rarer or more recent publications these can be in colour and really add to the presentation of a title

The First Edition Print Line

The first edition is something that any collector wants. Be it an antique book or a modern one, a first edition is a nearly surefire way to add value to the book.

Ending in a one, the number line can read differently on some books.

Older titles were only really given one publication or printing so first editions for some antique texts were rather easy to come by. Similarly modern first editions are a certain best seller so popular books such as the later Harry Potter books were given a large print run in first edition form meaning values for these are low.

The Dust Jacket

A dust jacket is and was a popular way to protect books. Many antique book after the 1900's were issued with such covers even when the covers were bold and decorative, purely to protect such designs.

Books of an age still with such dust jackets can double in value

Folio Society and the Slipcase

Firstly, some books comes with a dust jacket as seen above whilst others come with slipcases. These are often more recent and valuable or collected texts. 

Secondly, the Folio Society is synonymous with quality, being a publishers that reprints a great range of world famous texts 

Gilt edging

Back to the externals of a book.

Gilt edging or gilding is reasonably common on more expensive books of the past with great popularity found in the late Victorian period. To have a book gilded nowadays to such quality can cost hundreds of pounds.

Most antique books have a single edge that has been gilded - often the top. Some nicer books can have tripled gilding which means every visible edge is covered with the shiny gold dusting

Disbound

Below is an example of a book that is no longer bound.

This text is complete and almost as it was printed except for the fact that the binding - most likely glue - has loosened or weakened completely resulting in the text block being completely separate from the covers.

A reparation is needed but this can cost a lot of money so in most cases, such a book is best kept as a 'reading copy' i.e not to sell or collect!

A tipped colour plate (Dulac)

Plates are pages with illustrations, maps etc featured throughout some antique books.

Often these are illustrations and can add value to a book.

For example the illustration below is a colour plate painted by Edmund Dulac and is collectable by itself with some separating and framing such images.

Look out for Arthur Rackham, Harry Rountree, Heath Robinson and Mable Lucy Atwell for collectable illustrators. 

Colour Plate

Colour plates are unique to each artist and also rare in pre 1890's books. In earleir cases such as early 1800's and prior, books with colour illustrations can fetch handsome sums purely due to the colour plates. 

Wood Engraving

Another type of illustration is the wood engraving.

Often more basic, more popular and more frequent, these illustrations can be found in many antique books.

Steel Engraving

The steel engraving is a more intricate, advanced form of illustrations often requiring thicker, stronger paper or card to print upon.

These are rarer than wood engravings, often full page and more valuable.

And this concludes my first brief guide to Antique and collectable books.

I hope that you found it useful and I hasten to add that the guide is basic and soon to be added to in coming posts.

Furthermore I can only give my knowledge and thoughts such are not always correct.

Regardless I hope this first post is something useful, informative or interesting for you and that you will come by again!